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There's a few memorable boxing games over the years but none defined a generation or set the bar higher than EA Sports' Fight Night Round 3. FNR3 is considered the pinnacle of boxing simulations and when I heard EA was going to try and top it with Fight Night Round 4 I was intrigued by how they would make that a reality.

EA's boxing franchise doesn't have to just live up to the growing hype, it has to overcome the same hurdle its football franchise has to – giving gamers something that isn't “more of the same.” FNR4 in many ways plays similarly to its predecessor but fortunately the feeling you get from the fast paced smooth action on screen is something entirely new.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, FNR4 is fueled by an all new physics driven gameplay engine which brings a dimension of reality to the game that couldn't be delivered in previous titles. Punches are fluid and dynamic and come from multiple angles while glancing off the opponent's arms, body and head in just as many. For the first time in a boxing game, the range at which you throw your punches is extremely important. A right hook from Manny Pacquiao when chest to chest with Ricky Hatton won't do as much damage as the same hook from half a foot or so farther back.

Glorious looking punches aside, the new physics driven gameplay forces players to take a more realistic approach to each bout. Throwing a flurry of punches at a boxer who is covering up will just wear your fighter down and tire him out, making his punches less effective. I'll let you in on EA's winning formula...

Counters + combos = Knockouts

This is a lot like how most my fights ended -- with Hatton gushing blood

Every time you successfully dodge or block a punch and than counter punch you will be rewarded with a loud thud and quick flash on screen. The more punches you can hit in succession on a counter the more damage you will do. This is one of the only ways to stun your opponent and get him reeling.

However, blocking isn't a guaranteed safeguard from knockout either. Each fighter has a block meter which is depleted if they keep their hands up for too long without fighting back and it is definitely possible to punch through someone's guard. I knocked Ricky Hatton out multiple times by relentlessly punching through his blocks with right handed haymakers. And boy are the knockouts impressive and oh so satisfying.

A bonus feature of FNR4's new physics engine is the all new physics driven knockouts. Rag doll effects are common place in most PC first person shooters, but are relatively new to consoles and FNR4 does it better than any game I've played so far, including UFC 2009. You can expect blood and sweat to spray far and wide, especially if you've pounded one spot on the opponent's face hard enough. On more than one occasion I beat Hatton's face so badly that his cheek split open in four different places and the whole side of his face was covered in blood. I thought UFC 2009 would easily win the battle of gore, but FNR4 is giving it a run for its money.

So far so good for EA's next boxing title. It has lived up to and in some ways, such as the realistic facial damage, surpassed my expectations. The game is not without its flaws however. Fighter's ring walks and introductions are pretty generic and offer no real identity to either party. Also, the ring announcer's voice work is equally as shabby and pales in comparison to Bruce Buffer's bellowing introductions in UFC 2009. That, coupled with the fact that the ring announcer always states that we're watching a ring walk, makes for some slightly disappointing presentation.

Small flaws aside, the gameplay is intact and there's still time for EA to rework the voice overs and polish the presentation. The verdict isn't out on FNR4 quite yet as I fear EA could become a victim of its own success. FNR3 was such a good game, that making FNR4 original enough could pose a problem. None the less, they seem to be succeeding so far in making FNR4 the best simulation boxing game of all time.

Fight Night Round 4 hits stores June 30.

***Above is what Hatton's face looked like by the third round. He got back up three times before deciding he had had enough.