A couple of days ago, we learned that Electronic Arts is planing to shut down the online servers for some of its older sports titles this coming September and October. Among the long list provided by the company is the boxing jewel otherwise known as Fight Night Round 3 for the PlayStation Portable. Before EA Sports ultimately pulls the plug on this one, we decided to scour through our piles of aging UMD games and have another round with it, so to speak. After all, it's always hard to part with a good friend.

Fight Night Round 3 comes from a long-running boxing franchise that probably goes back to Knockout Kings one full decade ago. The franchise officially changed its name to Fight Night in 2004 when the first title was released on the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. FNR 3 is actually the first time EA Sports released the game on a handheld console and, if we may say, it's been a tremendous success.

We will spar around its features and dig deep to its very core, ultimately knocking out every doubt some fans had or still have in their minds. We will give a series of steady jabs, right and left hooks, full force haymakers and illegal special moves - all hoping to make you not forget Fight Night Round 3 and include it in your trophy case of most memorable PSP gaming experience.

Read on and finish this fight!

Electronic Arts has announced that it will be shutting down the servers for some of its older online sports titles. If you love playing any of the following titles with your friends, we recommend that you get some quality playing time now.

Please note that the following list contains only titles for PC, the Sony PlayStation Portable handheld gaming system and Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console. For the full list, which also includes PlayStation 2 and Xbox titles, click on the Read link below the list.

September 1, 2007

• FIFA Soccer 06 (PC, PSP, Xbox 360)
• FIFA06 (PC)
  
• FIFA World Cup 2006 (PC, PSP)
• Fight Night Round 3 (PSP)
• Madden NFL 06 (PC, PSP, Xbox 360)
• NBA Live 06 (PC, PSP, Xbox 360)
• NFL Head Coach (PC)
• NHL 06 (PC)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (Xbox 360)

November 1, 2007 Online Service Shutdown

• Need for Speed Underground 2 (PC)
• Need for Speed Most Wanted (PSP)

More than the screens, trailers, reviews, and videos, it's news like this that can effectively hype up games and convince consumers to go out and grab a copy of a game.

Especially for gamers who put graphics before gameplay, bagging an award for a game's Visual Effects is a sure shot of peaking their interest for a game.

So. The "visuals people" (a.k.a. Christopher Sjoholm, Kat Kelly Hayduk, Rob Hilson, and Celia Jepson) behind Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox360, PSP, PS3) just won the Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game award at the recently held 5th annual VES Awards. EA faced tough competition from Ubisoft's equally stunning Assassin's Creed (Xbox360, PS3), but at the end of it all, EA still got into the ring and stepped up to the fight (so to speak).

Assassin's Creed's E3 trailer was also nominated for the Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals in a Video Game award, alongside Hellgate: London's E3 trailer and a CG sequence from Warhammer Fantasy. But as of this writing, no winners have been announced for that category. We'll keep you posted for more.

Electronic Arts are stooping to a new low with the online components of Fight Night 3 for the PSP. The first time you attempt to play online, the game demands that you either pay two dollars via credit card, or sign up your email and home addresses to EA?s mailing list.

Those players who do not own a credit card, or do not want to submit their card details over whatever wi-fi network they?re using at the time, are left with no option but to opt-in to spam from EA if they want to play Fight Night 3 online.

[Via Kotaku]

The most highly anticipated boxing videogame of the year is about to enter the ring with style. Electronic Arts today revealed the 12 songs that will score EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3. With cutting-edge artists Obie Trice, Atmosphere and Consequence (Kanye West's protégé) highlighting the soundtrack, you can be sure this realistic boxing experience will knock your socks off when the game ships on February 20 for the Xbox 360 system, Xboxv ideogame system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PSP handheld entertainment system.

"EA SPORTS Fight Night is a spectacularly brutal game with bone-crunching gameplay and photo-realistic visuals. We wanted to make sure that the soundtrack is as powerful as the boxer's punches," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Music Marketing at EA. "Each song gets your heart pounding and makes you want to move faster, dig deeper and punch harder."

The music in EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 features:

• Back Again - Dilated Peoples
• Crook Dancin - Slic One
• Don't Stop - Roc 'C'
• Itz Nothin - Young Roscoe
• Knock Em Down - L.T.D. A.
• Never Gonna Get It - Sean Biggs feat. Akon & Topic
• Night Night - Consequence
• Round One - Kray Twinz feat. D&G
• The Arrival - Atmosphere
• The Best Out - Dipset
• Uh-Oh - Brasco
• Wanna Know - Obie Trice

The first boxing game for PSP, EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 brings the most intense boxing videogame experience to the virtual ring. On the way to becoming boxing's greatest legend, train to fight like the best including Muhammad Ali and Oscar De La Hoya or create a boxing style unique only to your boxer. Go toe-to-toe with greats such as Ali, De La Hoya, Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. Outside of the ring, gamers can establish intense rivalries through pre-fight events putting purpose and passion behind every hit.

Download: [Fight Night: Round 3 Trailer 2]

The first boxing game for PSP, EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 brings the most intense boxing videogame experience to the virtual ring. On the way to becoming boxing’s greatest legend, train to fight like the best including Muhammad Ali and Oscar De La Hoya or create a boxing style unique only to your boxer. Go toe-to-toe with greats such as Ali, De La Hoya, Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. Outside of the ring, gamers can establish intense rivalries through pre-fight events putting purpose and passion behind every hit.

Fight Night: Round 3 is due for released on February 14th.

Electronic Arts announced today that Oscar De La Hoya will serve as cover athlete and spokesman for EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3. Olympic gold medalist, former WBC & WBA super welterweight champion, WBC welterweight and super lightweight champion, De La Hoya is recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and will be featured on the cover of EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 for the Xbox 360 system and PSP system. Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward will grace the covers of the game for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Xbox videogame system from Microsoft.

"It's exciting to be contributing to a project that pushes the popularity of boxing to a new level and to a new audience," said De La Hoya. "EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 is so realistic anyone can pick up the game and learn about the actual sport while having a fun time doing it. The visuals in the game are so amazing. You can actually see the emotions on my face change throughout the round."

EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 brings the most intense boxing videogame experience to the virtual ring. Film-quality graphics and innovative gameplay establish EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 as one of the best-looking and playing Xbox 360 sports game on the market.

Slated to grace the Xbox 360 and the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) respectively, the exclusive boxer will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

   

Eletronic Arts has already begun to tout the Fight Night's appearance on Xbox 360 as "best-looking and playing Xbox 360 sports game on the market" with "film-quality graphics" such as "devastating punch impacts unparalleled in any game or film."

   

Source: Gameshout

Electronic Arts this morning announced the cover athlete for the Xbox 360 and PSP version of Fight Night Round 3 will differ from Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward.

Slated to grace the Xbox 360 and the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) respectively, the exclusive boxer will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Eletronic Arts has already begun to tout the Fight Night's appearance on Xbox 360 as "best-looking and playing Xbox 360 sports game on the market" with "film-quality graphics" such as "devastating punch impacts unparalleled in any game or film."

Aside from the E3 Playstation 3 demo reel there isn't much to back up that claim. This should get interesting.