There's something to be said for the newcomer who, undeterred by a lack of experience, steps into the ring with just as much ambition and naivety as the pros once had but, despite his best efforts, gets the absolute crap kicked out of him. Well, within the context of Fight Night Round 4, I'm that new guy. You see, before getting my hands on the latest iteration of EA's acclaimed series, "boxing" was something that I only did when I moved house - you know, putting stuff in boxes.

But that's the thing; I didn't get the absolute crap kicked out of me. On the default Pro difficulty setting it all felt too easy and didn't require any particular exploit or overtly sinister tactics to win almost any given fight; a simple, repetitive flurry of jabs to the opponent's face would eventually get the job done. These weren't particularly well timed, well placed or particularly efficient or brutal attacks, either; they just happened to be simple, analogue stick spamming jabs that, despite the frequency of their nature, never met the padding of the other guy's gloves - defending his now swollen face was seemingly of no concern. This meant that, for the early part of my upstart's boxing career, strategy was kicked almost entirely to the ringside, meaning that repetitive, sloppy technique could work in my favour. It was only in the later fights with the higher ranked boxers that such technique, or lack thereof, began to fail me. Still, even some of the higher-ups had moments of sheer idiocy, leaving their person vulnerable to an all-too-easily executed spamming spree. Yet on the flipside, the other guy was able to predict an opening for a counter-punch to a degree that would make even Nostradamus jealous. Although not every single counter was successful, the after match stats revealed that - even in my better fights - my opponent would have at least had three times the amount of counter-punches.

Whilst it's safe to say that the basic premise of two men wearing boxing gloves beating the living hell out of each other doesn't exactly need a detailed introduction, EA's interpretation of the sport does. Two of more prominent mechanics - counter-punching and ring-corner pre-round prepping - are seemingly designed to encourage more efficient fighting. If the efficiency of your boxing happens to be particularly impressive then more points are awarded to spend upon restoring varying degrees of health, stamina and healing to your character in between rounds. It does its job in ensuring that the better boxer wins and encourages more refined, more accurate fighting - and that's without mentioning the obvious strategic elements that it introduces, as the difference between a knock out and being knocked out could lie between when and where you spend such points.

A precisely blocked, or dodged, punch leaves your opponent susceptible to a counter-punch, an attack which does considerably more damage than your average jab. Miss or have such a punch blocked during this counter-punch period and your opportunity to get one over on your opponent is gone. It's always about being on the offensive, though; the more that particular areas of the body are hit, the more likely they are to swell or become bruised. Looking out for similar signs in your opponent effectively highlights his weaknesses too, as the more punches that spot takes, the more health he loses as a result.

As simple as the core controls are, earlier fights will likely be peppered with imprecise analogue stick antics as you try to pull the right punch or block the opposing boxer - just don't through in the towel too soon. Perseverance and practice - which are presumably two key tenants of any boxer - are key if you're looking to bring home the gold. That's not to say that Round 4 isn't 'noob' friendly though; tutorials and tips are at hand for the uninitiated who are looking to step into the ring for a quick fight, just don't expect to be punching with the pros any time soon. If this sounds a little too confusing then think back to EA's skate - but be warned: punch control is reserved exclusively for the analogue sticks.

Fight Night isn't exactly a technical lightweight, either. It's difficult to care about taking a nasty or punch or two to the face when Round 4 looks this good - with visuals remaining just as impressive ten fights in as they did at the beginning. It sometimes straddles the realms of photo realism, but the occasional punch that makes contact with thin air - but still counts as a blow to the other guy - does damage an otherwise painstakingly detailed illusion. For those who are still rookies to the franchise, its impressive presentation will undoubtedly catch you off guard with the mother of all sucker punches - visually speaking, of course.

Round 4's online component is effectively where the game's legs lie, if not for the functionality itself then for the opportunity to fight other people who, unlike the AI, are more willing to provide an intelligent and balanced fight. After all, boxing is about punching another person in the face, right? This also leaves me to wonder about the future of the franchise; if EA were to use the calendar-based progression as a form of MMO-style persistent multiplayer matchmaking, this would make for some genuinely enthralling fights, perpetuated by the possibility of a live audience, replays and a video editor. Well, we can dream.

Yet for all this technical mastery, Round 4 never packed an emotional bunch or brought home the brutal reality of the sport, at least not for me; seeing my custom created boxer - Adam Mendoza - take a potentially game-losing blow rarely evoked an emotional response. EA Canada's decision to restrict the "back to your feet" balancing mechanic to a first person perspective is undoubtedly a big contributor to this, as it fails to convey the struggle or pain for Mendoza to get back to his feet at any time; you never get to see him grimace, growl or writhe with pain as he attempted to come back in and finish the fight.

Any upstarts looking to make money and fame - and to earn unlocks and achievements - are likely to lean towards the game's legacy mode - a calendar-based, custom-created boxing career. It's satisfying as the main hook in the single player component, providing a lengthy if sometimes gruelling boxing career. It has its problems, though; the mini-games in between scheduled fights - the training intended to improve your boxer and 'level-up' his stats - can be tedious and frustrating. With only so many opportunities for training arising before any given fight, it's vital that you choose carefully and train hard. A particular problem is that such training seemingly trains the boxer but not the player; not once throughout the experience was the concept of boxing truly explained and even though I had grasped the ability to throw a quick punch or two and added '+3' to my stamina bar, I never exactly knew what I was supposed to do with these punches.

Commentating can make or break a sporting experience, providing a more grounded, realistic context with which to fight. It also gives the impression that your fight is actually worth watching - even if the commentary is repetitive, and often inaccurate. On the upside, the voice acting itself is virtually flawless and contributes to the feeling that your fight actually matters within a real world context and not just within the confines of your high-definition TV.

Fight Night Round 4 is a perfectly enjoyable boxing simulator that lets you punch and be punched, with fantastic presentation to boot, yet despite it all, the game lacks heart. Although a virtual extension of the sport itself, Round 4 rarely enticed me to venture out and explore its source material; sure, the occasional line of commentary might introduce histories about particular well-known fighters, but still, I found that little was happening in the way of enthusiasm for the sport. Nevertheless, those already invested in the sweet science of not just boxing but fighting games in general should find Fight Night Round 4 to be a strong and worthy contender for their cash.

Reviewed by Adam Meadows for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).