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Muhammad Ali connects with a left jab. Note the additonal musculature and definition.

At Electronic Arts’ EA3 last week, EA Montreal demoed what can only be described as an extremely intoxicating, heart-pounding new version of Fight Night: Round 4.

Like any good developer, they listened to fan, critics, and reviewers, and determined how to approach FN: Round 4.  And while it almost sounds like a cliché at this point, when developers re-tool their physics engines, the games usually do look and play better.

Following EA Chicago’s 2006 next gen debut of Fight Night Round 3 on Xbox 360, FN: Round 4 takes what was largely an eight-point body model, and has created what is essentially an infinite number of boxing options. Where boxers could connect in a few parts of the head and body before, this physics engine enables, for instance, a powerful punch by young Mike Tyson to push through the block of a defender, enabling Tyson’s power, strength, and targeting to determine the punch’s damage. (A lot, btw.)

The engine also takes into account all sorts of other factors. Glance a blow off the opponent’s head and it won’t count for as much as square, direct punch, or a punch to the temple, of a punch to the eye. In other words, the angle, power, and directness of the hit are all taken into account in tallying the punch’s damage.

Roy Jones, Jr. leans out of harm's way.

Associate Producer Michael Mahar was on-hand to fight with me in a match that suited the times, featuring Manny Pacquiao versus Ricky Hatton. This was exactly my kind of fight. I like light-weight boxers who are able throw many punches, are able to weave and react quickly, and who peck away with their irritating, constant jabs. While chatting, he said his team had gotten rid of the parrying ability for various reasons. The main one, however, was because parrying just didn’t cut it during major fights. It’s a non-factor and something that didn’t make sense in this new model.

Just like FN: Round 3, FN: Round 4 is full of great visuals and sound effects. Graphically, boxers show accumulative facial damage, with darkening under the eyes, a growing palette of purple and red colors coloring the face, and registering with swelling lips, cheeks, and eyes. When you stun or come close to knocking out  an opponent, the camera zooms in a touch, the crowd grows in volume, and while vulnerable the opponent looks fazed. If the same happens to you, you’ll get dizzy and lose control for a second: you’ll see your boxer stumble or let down his gloves or just look blankly into the air. If you do get knocked out, getting up before the ref calls it quits works differently than before. You’ll follow a quick set of rhythm-based arrow patterns with the analog sticks. Do it right and you’ll stagger up. Miss the beat, and you’ll be out.

The controls have remained relatively the same. Players use the dual analogs for nearly everything. Aim the left analog for the left hand, right for the right hand. Hooks, jabs, uppercuts, roundhouses–all are handled the same. Press the right shoulder button (R2) for a haymaker, and R1 for defending high or low, and L1 for leaning out of harm’s way.

"Frazier connects with a devastating right hook! Oh my!" Sound familiar?

The audio portion was just as “crunchy” as previous builds. A direct uppercut or a hook to the face will result in what sounds like celery or a carrot crunching. It’s over the top, but the visceral effect works. Additionally, EA has done a great job with the crowd which reacts to momentum changes and sense upcoming knock-outs.

Before his descent into weirdness, Tyson was a ferocious, unbeatable brute. EA tries to capture those days in FN: Round 4.

There are dozens more little details to reveal, like players’ ability to simultaneously handle their boxer in the corner in between rounds, speeding up the game from the cool-looking yet tedious manner in which your cut man would handle his boxer. One more thing, Mahar says FN: Round 4 has more boxers than any previous Fight Night iterations, sporting a roster with more than 50 boxers all told, not to mention the deep create-a-character functionality that’s improved from FN: Round 3.

Fight Night Round 4 is due on Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer (probably June).  I’ll have more before or during E3 2009.