moments and hard hits are going to be present in high quantity, but there’s more to these fights than just dominating your opponent by normal means. It’s enough to keep you confident, but not enough to get too ballsy on higher difficulties. Unlike Legacy mode where you start from the bottom you’ll have a fair amount of power behind your fists from the beginning. The gameplay in Champion mode is easy to get behind. The story is definitely one that player’s can sympathize with and emotionally invest in to further add to the power and immersion. The story definitely won’t win any awards for originality, but the addition of a story was definitely a great move. Love interests, sibling rivalry, and the ultimate evil all play parts in this predictable but enticing story. The story sticks with him through the jail fights and back into civilian life as he tries to reestablish himself in the boxing scene. The game then rewinds two years to see the middleweight’s quick ascension to the top that was ended just as quickly due to corrupt competitors. The first time they’re introduced to this protagonist he’s getting roughed up in jail. Players don the trunks and gloves of Andre Bishop. This is where Champion mode picks up the slack. Although Legacy Mode is your personal boxer on his rise from nobody to the greatest of all time it lacks any real story driven elements. When all of these characteristics come together it makes the game feel brutal and rewarding.ĮA Sports decided this time around they were going to give players more of a personal narrative. While the aesthetics of it all is nice these visually show the toll the blows are having on a boxer’s body which, in turn, effects the stamina of that boxer. If they are able to get back up you’ll be sure to see the improved dynamic swelling and cuts.
They provide numerous angles and close ups to watch the force of the glove collide with the boxer showing the skin rippling and sending sweat, sometimes blood too, flying. The replays are more detailed than ever in this aspect. Knockouts range from precursor of the stumbling opponent accompanied by a zoomed in camera and drowned out noises while other times its a one punch, no-warning K.O. When the punches do land flush with force the other areas of gameplay shine. Watching punches deflect off of gloves and land squarely is always a great sight and its realism can’t be ignored.
Sometimes the arm will wrap around the back of the intended target’s head and other times it’ll come barreling full force through an attempted block. There are very realistic responses and variations in each punch. This is one area that Fight Night truly excels at. Punches can land with devastating results or miss their target completely. The core gameplay is what you’d expect from Fight Night. The lean function and body punch modifier have doubled up on L1/LB to create faster reflexes and overall flow of the matches. In order to modify your punches to their powerful versions all that needs to be done is hold R2/RT. Full Spectrum Punch Control also changed power shots. This will certainly give players more of a choice in how they play the game. In order to perform an uppercut it requires that two buttons be pressed simultaneously. The right and left straight punches and hooks are dedicated to each button. Face buttons have been assigned different punches. The stick is no longer the only way to throw a punch. While that does simplify things a bit it isn’t the only option at the player’s disposal. So in order to perform the same right hook action all that has to be done is flicking the stick to the right. Instead of making specific motions on the analog stick to execute punches flicking the stick in a certain direction will have the same effect.
For Fight Night Champion the new fight system is called Full Spectrum Punch Control. For example, to perform a right hook the player had to push the right analog to the right and rotate it upwards till it was facing straight up. This required the exclusive use of the right analog for throwing various punches.
Followers of the series will remember the Total Punch Control mechanics of the previous title. While the overall presentation of the gameplay looks very similar to what we’ve seen before it has undergone some changes. Are the new tweaks and additions enough to keep the series holding their title proudly or is it time they retired Fight Night? HOT Fight Now, Legacy mode, Online all make a return in addition to the new Champion mode. Players can expect the same hard hitting formula that the developers have been crafting with a few updates. Fight Night Champion is the latest entry in EA Sports’ ongoing series. The Fight Night series returns to maintain its title as king of the ring.