I spent a good amount of time with Fight Night Round 3. The series is absolutely the best when it comes to capturing real boxing mechanics, pacing of a fight and the fun of watching a great knockout. The punch control mapping to the right stick was also a welcome improvement in my mind. All who enjoyed the previous games will find plenty to like here as it is a better looking, better controlling version of the game you know and love. That said, I'll focus on what was supposed to be the highlight of the game.
The story mode at its core is a really great idea: Follow the life of a boxer through their career and tell an interesting story along the way. I really can't say I've seen it done before, so I applaud EA for trying. Unfortunately, they took the low road of sequencing a bunch of fights together with a bunch of gimmicks and cheapness. As an example, I will find yourself severely handicapped in pretty much every fight in various ways: low stamina, can punch with one hand, have to aim for the body only, etc. It gets old fast, but the last fight takes it to an all-time low. I turned the game off when I realized how cheap and scripted they made the last fight and I probably won't play the game again. I really hope that EA sticks with this, but next time realizes that they can tell a story without relying on crappy gameplay gimmicks to entertain the player.