Introduction:Lace up the gloves and get ready for the main event. Electronic Arts goes from Knockout Kings to Fight Night and remains the champion of boxing games.

The Game:You can tell EA Sports has taken the time to figure out how to balance sports games between simulation and action. Fight Night 2004 combines great action with many elements of the boxing world beyond the ring. Knockout Kings had the action but the series always lacked something. That something has been found in Fight Night with an dynamic fighting scheme and a in-depth career mode. Fight Night 2004 offers an exhibition mode which the standard 1 vs. 1 and a season mode which I will go into later. There is more than enough to keep you busy for a while in Fight Night.

The control system is fairly complex in Fight Night and I recommend that you play around with all the different control settings to find the one that best fits your playing style. The default settings will be set as EA's new Total Punch Control System which is based on moving the right analog stick to throw punches. It's not just as easy as left or right, to use this system you have to move the stick in many different ways similar to pulling of combos in a 2D fighter. I couldn't defeat one opponent using this EA's new control system and after many embarrassments I had to switch it up to a normal button configuration (I chose Configuration #5). Once I had a good configuration and I was ready to go.

Now for the good stuff, season mode. You start off the season mode with creating a boxer, and the most important factor to consider is what weight class you want to compete in. The second important factor is distributing the ability points to the boxer. When starting you have only 50 points to distribute to your boxer, although later in the game you will have a chance to boosts your stats in the season in training sessions before fights.

During fights you will you use hooks, jabs and uppercuts to take down your opponent. After each round is finished you get briefed by you coaches who offer up some good strategies to use in the upcoming round. The bouts usually last between 10 and 20 minutes and throughout the season mode I'm sure you'll experience you share of highs and lows. Fight Night isn't a cakewalk and to get a title shot you'll have to work from a ranking of 50 to 1.

As you career continues to move forward so will your bank account. Money plays a role in Fight Night but not to hire better trainers but to outfit your fighter in the top gear with all the bling of today's sports events. Through the game you will unlock new clothing options for you and your lovely female valet. You can also unlock and spend your money on new intro music and pyro, special moves and taunts. I hope the expand this feature in the future because its gives the player rewards even if they don't become champion.

Graphics & Sound:Fight Night has great graphics and all the little extras to make this title feel more authentic . The extras I'm referring are the beads of sweat that fly of the face and a gloves connects. The drip of red crimson blood that tears down your opponent's eye, the purple bruise on the face that expands over time, well you get the picture. EA has added the little graphical touches on a solid base of good character models and environments. EA has set a nice standard for other developers to live up to.

The sound in Fight Night drops with the sounds of hip hop. There is no escaping hip hop in today's sports games and even if you're not a fan you will recognize some of the artist's names. The hip hop is good can fuel the adrenaline in the game, but there should be more options to use other music. I just know a guy who would unleash if he could hear the Doors. strange fellah. The commentary and effects are good but they feel a bit repetitious after a while. Its just a small gripe on an overall excellent audio package.

Innovation:EA has made a statement this year by leaving there old formula behind and trying for something new. Sure I didn't catch on right away to the Total Punch Control System, but I'm sure its only because I wasn't patient enough to learn and master the techniques. The idea seems like a logical one, and the is no doubt that its absolutely innovative.

Fight Night 2004 also breaks new ground concerning boxing videogames. The market is always shorted when it comes to this sport and the last effort I can remember aside from Knockout Kings is UbiSofts try with the Rocky movie game. Its fair to say that Fight Night even though not as in-depth as other sports shows a great deal into the boxing world that hasn't been done before.

Mojo:Float like a butterfly and Sting like Downtown! Gotta love Fight Night 2004, it's a great game with an abundance of mojo. The game doesn't lack style and the bling bling sounds of P-Diddy are cranked help me bring all those sucks down. Fight Night is a great game and like P-Diddy you can outfit your boxer with the right mojo to become a main player! Its also great to throw together some matches with the grates of this era against the old pounders of old. You can't say Mohammad Ali doesn't have the mojo!

Lowdown:Fight Night 2004 is the best boxing game out to date. If you like or love the sport you'll fit into the Fight Night mode like a glove. The future is bright for EA's newest competitor.

Gameplay: 8.5 , Graphics/Sound: 8, Innovation: 9, Mojo: 8.5. Final: 8.5
GOTY Runner-Up: Best Sports Game of 2004