Picked this up today despite being whelmed by the demo (that's right... whelmed... not over or under, just whelmed). I have to say, I'm VERY pleasantly surprised.
I found the demo a bit frantic and not as 'realistic' as promised, but now I see that that is perhaps due to the opponent being either Ricky Hatton or Manny. Having started career mode, you are fighting against much lower level fighters and the slower pace is ideal for getting used to the counter system and fighter movement. Playing FNR3, I used to not bother all too much ducking and weaving, but just picking off my opponent with counter punches and haymakers. This round, there is definitely a massive reward for just continuous movement, or certainly movement AND blocking when you get up close - there is a real difference between punches which connect sweetly and ones which hit, but only glance off.
The counter system takes a little getting used to, but I definitely prefer it to the 2 or 3 second window you had in FNR3 - this way around it is harder to get right but ultimately a lot more satisfying.
Career mode is a BIG step up from round 3, and whilst not as in depth as I'd have hoped, you do feel like you are much more in control and not just playing through a predetermined string of fights. You arrange fights against a selection of 4 or 5 potential opponents (choose wisely based on the next available date, potential impact on your rankings etc), and then you play training games.
The training games have had a lot of bad press, saying they are too difficult and should be skipped to maximise points... I couldn't disagree more. They are challenging, but also rewarding once you get the hang of them, and definitely teach you useful skills rather than just stat-stuffing. Improved for the better in my mind.
The fights themselves are absolutely sublime - and I have already experimented with a number of boxers / strategies and so far have not found that any particular style is unfairly biased towards. I'm sure the online element will discover cheap tactics, but having only played offline so far, I think the weighting is absolutely perfect.
I've only had a couple of hours with it so far, but would urge even people who were not overly impressed by the demo to at least rent this - I think the finished product is a massive improvement. Thought I'd finish with a few cool things that you may not have known or read in reviews.
- Downloads from Community: These are free (on PS3 anyway) and include created boxers where people have clearly used the photo import tool to great effect... I've bolstered the already impressive roster with some very authentic downloaded characters (David Haye etc), and there's even a fair few Rocky Balboas and Apollo Creeds out there
- Character Customisation: You probably all knew it was in there, but the depth here is amazing - you can literally pick all of the colours and materials (sequins anyone?) for your equipment, the colours coming from an imprsessive photoshop-style colour wheel, making almost any combination possible
- Surname Pronunciation: EA has included a load of additional surnames in the commentary files - helps really immerse you when the commentators talk about your character by name rather than some predermined nickname (Although you get one of those too)
I am rushing straight back to play this, but am happy to answer an questions!