I kind of agree with you. The controls just felt kind of janky to me. Sometimes they felt unresponsive and at other times they seemed way too finnicky. It's like they tried to put too many things into one stick and the game has trouble differentiating between them. Maybe it's a matter of practice, but when I end up doing a body uppercut when I move the stick to throw a regular uppercut, it gets frustrating. 

I like it but then again I didn't play Round 3 ;)

I had a huge issue with the controls when I first started playing but now I've gotten use to them and I like it more than Round 3 now. You can punch a lot faster but you can't do it too fast, you pretty much have to flow with them and not just go crazy. Most of my controllers have loose sticks because of games like this so a lot of punches don't register, especially when the fight is getting tough. After a few games though I really like how it is now.

Skate/2 using fist's, it annoyed the hell out of me. I like to button mash when im in a fighting sim.

Is this demo available on the PSN and XBLM yet?

They really downgraded from Round 3

The demo killed my xbox. :(

I enjoyed it, but I win every round every time I fight. Even though winning rounds seems too easy, I can't get a knockdown no matter what. I hit Pacquiao with a clean haymaker uppercut to the chin and followed immediately with a hard left hook to the face while he was hurt and seconds later he was right back to full stats.

I like the instant replay a lot, almost as much as Skate 2's replay system.

Okay, I'm currently downloading this and am not too pleased by what I'm reading here. That sounds pretty disappointing.

Meh, close enough.

I got the weird delays one time. I threw some really specific combos and about 5 seconds later he did them.
I also find it hard to throw a counter after a block or slipping around a punch, but it could just be that I haven't gotten the timing right yet.

yh its not available for siver yet or PSN.

I was a fan of Round 3, and liked the precision with both offense and defense and felt the game FELT really good.
A lot of that precision feels gone with Round 4.  Instead, it seems to focus more ring movement rather than precise defense and weaving.  Also, the punching system seems like it's made more for volume of punches, not precise punches like the last one was.  It felt like learning the game all over again.
I did finally seem to get the handle on it, as I realized the need to use each fighter's strengths to win the match.  As Paquioau (sp?)  I would stay on the outside and jab Hatton open until I created an opening to slip in a power punch.  As Hatton, I tried to muscle in and push Pac-Man into a corner or the ropes and fire away with haymakers.  It is certainly a different kind of game than the last one with its own elements of strategy.
Whether its better than Round 3, though... I am still unsure about that.

It's just kind of... Round 3 again...with Graphics...and Mike Tyson... I'm getting it.

I will probably get slack for this, but I always used the face buttons to punch in FNR3. Using the stick just didn't let me fire off shots as fast or as precise as I wanted. That being said, they took out the option of using the face buttons altogether. Trying to play with the stick was annoying and its definitely changed my mind from "day one purchase" to "when i see it for $20"

I did not like round 4 as I would hope. They took out the precision from round 3 which had a wicked counter system, and powerful haymakers. This one did not impress me at all. I was hoping for a better round three, with fixed bugs and better visuals. But this disappointed me. EA should of never closed down the Chicago branch, even if they did flop on the Def Jam game. They did FNR3 right, and this is just a lack-luster successor in my book.

I haven't gotten to play the demo yet. How is the new total punch control different?

A bit Laggy but could be great with a fell twecks

I really enjoy the demo, I did seem to have some trouble at first, but then I got to playing it more and can honestly say I enjoy it more than 3. Now I might change that later when I see the full game, but from what I have seen I am happy.

Well I'm gonna fearlessly shoot from the other side of the spectrum when I say that I love this. I played a small bit of Round 3 and I liked it a lot. In fact that's why I downloaded this demo.
 Anyway, the game has a great feel to it, above all. It reminds me of Skate, but in a boxing game. It's got a bit of a kick-your-ass initial learning curve, but after you find your rhythm, it's so satisfying! I've been getting knockouts on Pacquaio in the first 30 seconds of the first round by effectively dodging and returning, and it feels awesome. It might not be a day 1 purchase, but I will be getting this game.

Reading these comments I just do not see where any of them are coming from. The dodging and weaving is perfect and the fact that things like height and reach force you to fight how a boxer would actually fight due to their build is something that really changes the game. Also I don't see what all the complaints about the stick control are for, its not nearly the mess Skate 2 was. If your not mashing on the stick it is very precise. Only complaint I have control wise is the block controls are just downright weird. I don't have the complaint that everyone else has about the having to release the button to go from defense to offense but rather the fact it doesn't register sometimes that you have pressed the button to do so. Couldn't tell you how many punches have been wasted trying to block but the game doesn't realize I'm holding right trigger and I start throwing useless jabs at the air or something.

My real complaints are aimed towards the games feature set, it feels like EA is forcing me to play online to get the most out of the game but I almost never play any EA Sports game online. Only having two game modes for offline is a bummer and  I never liked the crowd I met in Madden and NHL so I doubt I'll like the people who play this online much either. The level of taking it too seriously was too high for my tastes. It sort of soured the experience. Also don't like that it has to display your stats before a game, the taking it too seriously games into play with this one. If you're new or not that good, or disconnected from a game ever people don't play you. Anonymity is a virtue why not keep things private and just put me in a game and whatever happens happens.