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[TheVisualizer]

More than just a change to the franchise name, Fight Night Champion takes the boxing experience one giant step forward by delivering an experience never before seen in an EA SPORTS video game. History will be made with this revolutionary iteration that builds upon the best-in-class gameplay and physics engine of Fight Night Round 4, while immersing you in a world of brutality, uncertainty, betrayal, and redemption. Survive the brutal road to redemption with Fight Night Champion.

Fight Night Champion is a boxing video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It is a member of the Fight Night series, set to be released on March 1, 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is stated to take a drastic turn from previous installments, depicting a "grittier" and "darker" setting with animations and player damage that "truly conveys the brutality of the sport of boxing." It is the first ever EA Sports game to receive an M rating from the ESRB in North America. An iOS version of the game is set to be released alongside the console versions.

Authentic Content

Fight Night Champion showcases the truest graphical representation of the sport, lifestyle, and culture of boxing with authentic and dynamic blood, realistic body damage and deformation, and mature content throughout. The first ever mature content EA SPORTS title is able to show you the truest effects that come from a 12 round Heavyweight slug fest, and a rapid-fire Welterweight battle. Bruising, blood and cuts have never looked and felt so real, so get ready to experience the violence and brutality that is true to the trade.

Captivating Champion Mode

EA SPORTS brings you their first story-based game mode inspired by classic boxing movies provides hours of captivating and emotional gameplay. Step in the shoes of up-and-coming middleweight contender Andre Bishop and experience the trials and tribulations of working your way to the top of the boxing world battling inside and outside the ring.

Full Spectrum Punch Control

Control your boxer’s punches with precision and accuracy like never before with a new synergy of gameplay controls. From overhand punches to strategic counter jabs and one-punch knockouts, overwhelm your opponents with your refined skill set. There’s no more need for complicated analogue-stick gestures, you simply flick the stick to the left or the right at different angles to throw every punch in the game. There are a LOT more punches to throw with a variety of straights, overhand hooks, hooks, hooker-cuts and upper-cuts. Gone is the old-school arcady haymaker. This year we’ve introduced the ‘heavy punch modifier’ that lets you sit down on your punch and add a little more power, including to your jab and your straight (something you’ve never been able to do in Fight Night). If analogue punching isn’t your thing, there are 6 controller figurations that include button control. So while we hope you take the time to learn and master the Full Spectrum Punch Control, know that you can switch back to button controls to feel the difference for yourself.

Physics-Based Gameplay

Move around the ring and time your attacks with precision. Building off the best-in-class gameplay engine featured in Fight Night Round 4, you now have an even wider range of abilities when it comes to counterattacks, setting up combos, and attacking your opponent.

Legacy Mode

Every boxer needs to start somewhere, and in Legacy Mode we are starting you in the amateurs! We’re bringing amateur boxing gear, and amateur scoring to give you the truest taste of working your way to making money in the pros. As you fight your way into the pros, take bigger fights against tough opponents for the chance to win a larger purse. Loose that battle and get beat up bad, you can be sure that the damage will have long-term effects on your body, so be weary as you progress through your career.
If you start winning some of these battles, you’ll be able to unlock certain training venues around the world, and go train in places like Philly and Big Bear to train on specific areas of your game. Training and fighting will earn you valuable XP Points to allot points to different skills including combinations, blocking, and head movement. Check out our Pre-Order page to find out how you can get a serious head start on creating your exclusive custom boxer through the Everlast XP Boost Pack.

All-new Online Gyms

Create an online gym with your friends and battle it out to see who’s the ultimate champion, or turn boxing into a team sport and challenge other gyms in Rival Matches to unlock items, win trophies, XP and more. Create your boxer and take on the world online!

Heavyweight

Muhummad Ali
Chris Arreola *
Eddie Chambers
Eric "Butterbean" Esch *
George Foreman
Joe Frazier
David Haye *
Evander Holyfield
Wladimir Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko
Lennox Lewis
Sonny Liston
Tommy Morrison
Mike Tyson

Light Heavyweight

Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Roy Jones Jr.
Chad Dawson *

Middleweight

Sugar Ray Leonard
Marvin Hagler
Anthony Mundine
Carlos Monzon
Danny Jacobs *
Erislandy Lara *
Fernando Vargas *
Jake Lamotta
Jermain Taylor
Kelly Pavlik
Peter Manfredo Jr *
Ray Robinson
Ronald "Winky" Wright
Sergio Mora

Welterweight

Sugar Ray Leonard
Manny Pacquiao
Thomas Hearns
Miguel Cotto
Oscar De La Hoya
Ricky Hatton
Zab Judah *
Emanuel Augustus
Julio Cesar Chavez
Kendall Holt *
Shane Mosley
Tim Bradley *
Victor Ortiz

Lightweight

Roberto Duran
Diego Corrales
Pernell Whitaker
Robert Guerrero
Vinny Paz
Jesse James Leija *

Featherweight

Billy Dib
Yuriorkis Gamboa
Kevin Kelley *

Bantamweight

Nonito Donaire

* New Additions

Trailer - Reveal
Trailer - Authentic Damage
Trailer - Roster Reveal
Trailer - FNR4 vs FNC Comparison Video
Trailer - Knockdown #1
Trailer - Still Standing Boxer Interviews

Champion Mode - Trailer
Champion Mode - Losing Everything
Champion Mode - Andre Bishop - Champions Get Up
Champion Mode - Andre Bishop - The Business of Boxing
Champion Mode - Andre Bishop - The Cast
Champion Mode - Andre Bishop - Strong Roots
Champion Mode - Andre Bishop - Epilogue

Producer Video - Full Spectrum Control
Producer Video - Legacy Mode
Producer Video - Online Gyms
Producer Video - Create-A-Boxer

Tutorial - Offensive Skills
Tutorial - Defensive Skills

BEWARE OF SPOILERS FOR CHAMPION MODE STORY
Xbox 360 Achievements
PS3 Trophies

8/10 - OperationSports
8.0/10 - IGN
4.5/5 - GamePro
9/10 - Game Informer
8.5/10 - CVG (Computer & Video Games)
8/10 - Eurogamer
8/10 - GamesRadar
9.3/10 - GameTrailers
8.5/10 - Playstation Universe
85/100 - Official Xbox Magazine
8.5/10 - GameSpot
8.5/10 - WorthPlaying
B+ - 1UP

85/100 - Metacritic PS3 Version
86/100 - Metacritic Xbox 360 Version

Official Site
Producer Blog Updates
EA Sports World Boxer Share
EA Fight Nig

 

[TheVisualizer]

reserved

 

[Bear]

Nice job on the OP.

Pretty solid reviews. I thought Fight Night Round 4 was pretty good when it came out, so I might look into this one.

 

[TheVisualizer]

Pretty solid reviews. I thought Fight Night Round 4 was pretty good when it came out, so I might look into this one.

So it's definitely coming out March 1, right?

yup March 1st

there are demos are out for both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. I've played the demo a ton and I think the gameplay is significantly better than FNR4, but it still has some flaws

 

[dreamfall]

awesome OP! Definitely really excited about Champion Mode- even if they're saying it's around five hours... Boxing feels more frenetic this iteration. It's going to be grand!

 

[Gravijah]

Haven't really dug into a Fight Night since ... 3 I think? Might rent this one.

 

[vall03]

hmmm... not really a big fan of boxing (though my dad is), just thinking of Donaires recent win makes me want to try it out...

 

[MichaelCorleone]

I thought the demo had a better perspective and cool way of throwing punches.
Really liked the controls. What I hated was how I was Tyson and Ali walked right through my most brutal combos and power shots, while not blocking and hit cleanly.
Has this been fixed?

EA MMA did a much better job on the importance of not eating a string of power shots.
The reaction animations are worlds better than what I have played. Fight night was my Madden damnit!

 

[TheVisualizer]

I thought the demo had a better perspective and cool way of throwing punches.
Really liked the controls. What I hated was how I was Tyson and Ali walked right through my most brutal combos and power shots, while not blocking and hit cleanly.
Has this been fixed?

EA MMA did a much better job on the importance of not eating a string of power shots.
The reaction animations are worlds better than what I have played. Fight night was my Madden damnit!

those who have played the retail version say it's improved but still a problem. There is some speculation on the official EA forums for the game that this area may be addressed in the first patch

in the demo it seems like you can only interrupt the other fighter by throwing a "heavy modified" punch. Regular punches that don't land as counters are just walked right thru like you said.

 

[Apath]

So is this going to be the best looking console game? These games have always been graphical power houses.

 

[Brinbe]

Really liked the new controls, totally sold me on this.

 

[rvy]

Not this bullshit again...

 

[Messi]

Still no mayweather.

So want to cave his face in.

 

[venom2124]

Demo was so damn fun I preordered immediately on amazon for young Foreman. I can't wait to get it tomorrow.

 

[mik]

Couple videos of my Fat Bastard (with sweet wolf back tattoo) in action from the Legacy mode:

http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/68248219

http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/68242299

It is a very beautiful game.

 

[k0ji-wd]

i look forward to whoppin your ass with my VP vis. . .

 

[TheVisualizer]

Still no mayweather.

So want to cave his face in.

yeah he wanted too much money and on top of that he demanded that EA change the name of the game to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Boxing. There will be plenty of Floyd CABs out there for you to download and beat on.

i look forward to whoppin your ass with my VP vis. . .

you need to wake up from that dream, I ain't getting my ass whooped by nobody in this game lol

 

[Karak]

When I heard about Campaign this went from a buy to a rent.

I am all for situational issues but entire fights were you can't use your right hand, fights where you lose if the other fighter hits you in a particular spot, and especially fights where you have to sit through entire rounds dodging and running from an enemy because they are impervious to damage make me grind my teeth. I understand them trying to tell a story and make it epic but something about artificially stopping me from being able to fight just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[MultiCore]

Played a couple rounds yesterday with a co-worker.

I felt like this is a large step back from Round 3, and didn't care for Round 4 either.
*shrug*

 

[Square Triangle]

Nice OP!

I loved FNR3 and didn't enjoy FNR4 all that much. I will give this a go, the demo didn't sell me on it though.

 

[Snogger_T]

I thought the demo had a better perspective and cool way of throwing punches.
Really liked the controls. What I hated was how I was Tyson and Ali walked right through my most brutal combos and power shots, while not blocking and hit cleanly.
Has this been fixed?

EA MMA did a much better job on the importance of not eating a string of power shots.
The reaction animations are worlds better than what I have played. Fight night was my Madden damnit!

- I was thinking about buying this game, but the demo has deterred me. There is no way that Ali could just walk through punches from Tyson like in the demo. Maybe one day there will be a good boxing game.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Wheres the Stallone?

 

[El-Suave]

A better single player campaign is what I wanted the most from this franchise. It's great that they've done a fully developed story mode. I somehow expect declining sales (why should boxing do better than MMA games?) but I hope they keep this feature for future games.

 

[jtrov]

Awesome OP!

Can't wait to get my hands on this game tomorrow. Amazon just shipped my order today, so hopefully by this time tomorrow it'll be Lennox Lewis time. Kind of disappointed the Career Mode is unchanged from FNR4, but the Story Mode should be a nice distraction.

Also, is the online gym restricted to only CAB's, or can you use real boxers as well?

 

[storybook77]

When I heard about Campaign this went from a buy to a rent.

I am all for situational issues but entire fights were you can't use your right hand, fights where you lose if the other fighter hits you in a particular spot, and especially fights where you have to sit through entire rounds dodging and running from an enemy because they are impervious to damage make me grind my teeth. I understand them trying to tell a story and make it epic but something about artificially stopping me from being able to fight just rubs me the wrong way.

?

Legacy mode is still in the game. Why would you not buy it because of the fact that it has an optional story/campaign?

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

This game is BROKEN.

I was annihilating a guy. totally picking him apart. I countered him 18 times in the first round.
He countered me ONE time, and put me in KO mode. Since its impossible to clinch as long as the other guy is spamming punches, and your movement is limited.. its very hard not to go down in KO moment.
He put me down.
I got up, and continued picking him apart.. countering/dodging. He hardly hit me.
Round end.

Round 2, same thing and he lands another counter. (his second counter)
puts me in KO moment, knocks me down.

I get up, continue beating the crap out of him, and he counters me. KO moment, cant get up.

It makes no sense. This guy sucked. He was mashing buttons while i picked him apart, and i lost.
Really bummed.. probably won't be playing this online. Total cheese.

 

[jtrov]

There's always going to be a risk of playing cheesers when playing randoms online, no matter what sport game your playing. I'm sure though there will be plenty of people in this thread to play against who will be more sim oriented.

Speaking of which, is anyone going to be creating a Team Gym?

 

[TheVisualizer]

This game is BROKEN.

I was annihilating a guy. totally picking him apart. I countered him 18 times in the first round.
He countered me ONE time, and put me in KO mode. Since its impossible to clinch as long as the other guy is spamming punches, and your movement is limited.. its very hard not to go down in KO moment.
He put me down.
I got up, and continued picking him apart.. countering/dodging. He hardly hit me.
Round end.

Round 2, same thing and he lands another counter. (his second counter)
puts me in KO moment, knocks me down.

I get up, continue beating the crap out of him, and he counters me. KO moment, cant get up.

It makes no sense. This guy sucked. He was mashing buttons while i picked him apart, and i lost.
Really bummed.. probably won't be playing this online. Total cheese.

It might not be cheese, you might want to watch your punch output, boxer's are extra susceptible to knockdowns/knockouts when your stamina bar drops. You probably need to pick your spots better, even if you are landing a lot, you might want to dial it back unless you are trying to finish the guy off, especially against a power puncher. (which boxer were you facing?). It's not about cumulative damage anymore like FNR3 and FNR4, any punch can end a fight in FNC as long as the boxer has good strength and a high-rated punch (each individual punch has a rating now).

Ranked online doesn't allow for CAB's this year so you won't see any 6'8" behemoths with 85" reach. There is one problem right now though that hopefully EA will fix. The "boss" from the end of the Champion Mode is selectable in ranked vs mode once you unlock him. He is a 95 rated heavyweight who makes Ali look like a scrub and a lot of people who be choosing him if you decide to fight Heavyweights. Hopefully the devs remove these "fictional" boxers from Champion Mode from ranked matches.

 

[MrPliskin]

I really did not enjoy the demo in the slightest. I loved the stick controls from FNR4, and I find they absolutely ruined them in Champions. Is there an option for FNR4-type stick controls, or no?

 

[TheVisualizer]

I really did not enjoy the demo in the slightest. I loved the stick controls from FNR4, and I find they absolutely ruined them in Champions. Is there an option for FNR4-type stick controls, or no?

I don't know if the FNR4 controls are available, but there is not really a big difference with the new Full Spectrum Control. They have made it simpler and also managed to add more depth with the 3 extra types of punches you can throw (Flaired Straight, Overhand, Hookercut). Instead of going from 3 O'Clock / 9 O'Clock to 12 O'Clock for a hook, you now just flick it to 3 O'Clock or 9 O'Clock. Same thing for uppercuts, it's the same direction, just no rolling it anymore.

It just takes some playing to break your old habits. The new way is ideal as you can easily put together crisp combinations once you get used to it with simple flicks. I played a ton of FNR4 and can say that it wasn't always comfortable to throw left hooks and left uppercuts depending on how you positioned your thumb as a right handed player. They captured a ton of data that told them the same, people threw an overwhelming large amount of right hand punches compared to lefts, because it felt easier.

The buttons are still available and work the same as FNR4 so you can try them if you don't want to invest the effort into learning to use the new control scheme.

 

[Kingpen]

Hmmm... I always love me some Fight Night... Was the GAF champ back with Round 3.

But I've long since dialed down my online playing habits (don't pay for LIVE anymore). I thought Round 4 was pretty decent.

I do realize that the old fight night analog punch style does wreck controllers though, so I'm actually curious about the new Full Spectrum control. I also would welcome the increased damage shown to boxers as I always felt they didn't showcase that enough.

My wife is out of town this weekend, and I have a 15 dollar ToysRUs gift card. I hope you guys can give some impressions to sway me to part with the cash.

My fear is that the game is going to turn into rock-em, sock-em robots now with the easier controls.

 

[TheVisualizer]

Hmmm... I always love me some Fight Night... Was the GAF champ back with Round 3.

But I've long since dialed down my online playing habits (don't pay for LIVE anymore). I thought Round 4 was pretty decent.

I do realize that the old fight night analog punch style does wreck controllers though, so I'm actually curious about the new Full Spectrum control. I also would welcome the increased damage shown to boxers as I always felt they didn't showcase that enough.

My wife is out of town this weekend, and I have a 15 dollar ToysRUs gift card. I hope you guys can give some impressions to sway me to part with the cash.

My fear is that the game is going to turn into rock-em, sock-em robots now with the easier controls.

It's def easier to throw more punches than in FNR4, but swarming is a legitimate boxing style despite it's simplicity. The foot movement has been improved in FNC so you can actually box and stick and move to tire out punch spammers or just counter them to death. I've played a demo almost everyday since it came out a couple weeks ago and can tell you on the surface it looks like rock'em sock'em robots but under the hood there is some depth there.

It's still not realistic enough for my tastes and the game has some issues, short-term stamina regenerates too fast, punch accuracy is too high and when you get countered your boxer will freeze in place for too long. But EA has implemented "Tuner Updates" into the game like they have done with some of their other sports games (NHL and NCAA most notably) and will be able to adjust gameplay server-side without the need for a patch so it's likely that once the masses get the game and the devs are bombarded with complaints about gameplay flaws we may see some positive adjustments. They already took player feedback and made temporary changes to the demo gameplay via the tuner that improved the gameplay significantly.

I'd recommend putting some time into the demo to see what you think about the depth of the gameplay. I haven't played the retail version yet, but from what I'm hearing on the EA and OperationSports forums is a lot of people are disappointed overall so I can't give you a definitive thumbs up to go buy it. I'm a boxing fanatic and think it's a big upgrade over FNR3 and FNR4 so I'm getting it Day 1, the rest of you will have to make informed decisions on whether or not to purchase it.

 

[MiniBossBattle]

Nice OP!

I loved FNR3 and didn't enjoy FNR4 all that much. I will give this a go, the demo didn't sell me on it though.

Same here. For some reason the attacks felt like action queues when I played Fight Night 4. Will try the demo.

 

[Evolved1]

Is is possible yet to actually move your boxer's feet while blocking and dodging?

Because this has been the franchise's worst offense over the years. I mean it's practically blasphemous to the sport.

 

[TheVisualizer]

Is is possible yet to actually move your boxer's feet while blocking and dodging?

Because this has been the franchise's worst offense over the years. I mean it's practically blasphemous to the sport.

Yes, you can move and block at the same time, but you have to stop plant your feet to lean. One other nice improvement is that when you sidestep in FNC your boxer also leans towards the direction you are stepping to increase the chances you won't get hit from the direction you are stepping away from which happened a lot in FNR4.

 

[Karak]

?

Legacy mode is still in the game. Why would you not buy it because of the fact that it has an optional story/campaign?

Because that's the mode I enjoy and like. Each to their own. Some people don't or do buy games because of controls, others because they have to play female in a game, or don't get to. I buy many of mine for the campaigns. Also I am not buying it because it has an optional story campaign. I said I was not buying it because the one it has sucks monkey balls.
Actually I didn't include monkey balls in the original post. But it is monkey balls.

 

[conman]

I think the transition to FNR4 lost a lot of people. But IMO, that's for the better. The people who were most turned off by FNR4 are the same people who liked the rock-em-sock-em robot gameplay of FNR3. FNR4 and FNC are much more dynamic and mobile. Yes, there are still ways to game the system, but if you (and your opponent) choose to play by the rules, it's an amazing game.

Is is possible yet to actually move your boxer's feet while blocking and dodging?

Because this has been the franchise's worst offense over the years. I mean it's practically blasphemous to the sport.

I think you'll be pleased with the changes. The defensive game has improved in a big way. The new blocking system lets you move and throw punches all from a guard. Much closer to actual boxing.

FNC also forces you to use your legs a lot more to dodge and counter. Your feet can't move as far or as often when you're in a guard position, but just enough to let you counter. Again, much closer to actual boxing.

Sure, there are still shortcomings (when you compare the game to actual boxing), but it's still an incredible boxing game. And IMO the best the series has ever been.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

It might not be cheese, you might want to watch your punch output, boxer's are extra susceptible to knockdowns/knockouts when your stamina bar drops. You probably need to pick your spots better, even if you are landing a lot, you might want to dial it back unless you are trying to finish the guy off, especially against a power puncher. (which boxer were you facing?). It's not about cumulative damage anymore like FNR3 and FNR4, any punch can end a fight in FNC as long as the boxer has good strength and a high-rated punch (each individual punch has a rating now).

Ranked online doesn't allow for CAB's this year so you won't see any 6'8" behemoths with 85" reach. There is one problem right now though that hopefully EA will fix. The "boss" from the end of the Champion Mode is selectable in ranked vs mode once you unlock him. He is a 95 rated heavyweight who makes Ali look like a scrub and a lot of people who be choosing him if you decide to fight Heavyweights. Hopefully the devs remove these "fictional" boxers from Champion Mode from ranked matches.

I was playing the champion mode, ranked, against a boxer that was only 3 points higher rating than me. (I was 79, he was 82)

I didn't throw hardly anything but counters... and landed most of them. My stamina was not low.
Its like some kind of rubberbanding thing that lets someone come back if they land a counter at a pivotal time... I dunno. It's annoying.
It wasn't even like he hit me at the perfect time or anything.

ANOTHER THING:
In the story mode, you fight that guy with the left hook.
NO MATTER WHAT -- the first time he lands the left hook, you get flash knock-down'd.
So annoying.. So dumb.

 

[TheVisualizer]

I was playing the champion mode, ranked, against a boxer that was only 3 points higher rating than me. (I was 79, he was 82)

I didn't throw hardly anything but counters... and landed most of them. My stamina was not low.
Its like some kind of rubberbanding thing that lets someone come back if they land a counter at a pivotal time... I dunno. It's annoying.
It wasn't even like he hit me at the perfect time or anything.

ANOTHER THING:
In the story mode, you fight that guy with the left hook.
NO MATTER WHAT -- the first time he lands the left hook, you get flash knock-down'd.
So annoying.. So dumb.

I don't know what to tell you, it's story mode, most of those fights are probably scripted to add "drama". I wouldn't give up on the game as a whole because of this. The story lasts 5-8 hrs and then you are done with it. Champion Mode is a sideshow gimmick as far as I'm concerned, I'll play thru it once, hopefully enjoy it for what it is and then not bother with it again. I don't have the full game yet, but I'd imagine that stuff you are getting frustrated about doesn't happen very often in regular matches outside Champion Mode.

 

[GQman2121]

I feel like I don't know anything about this version of the series, but I can't believe it's rated M.

I loved the facial creation tool in Round 4 and wish more sports game would use it, so I'll probably check this out sometime during the summer when the price drops. I'm just not compelled at all right now for more Fight Night.

 

[Karak]

ANOTHER THING:
In the story mode, you fight that guy with the left hook.
NO MATTER WHAT -- the first time he lands the left hook, you get flash knock-down'd.
So annoying.. So dumb.

Ya, though you are nicer to me. I think it goes far past annoying or dumb, straight to a brutal and bold statement that they have no clue how to make a interesting campaign mode, worse still that the narrative is canned. Hearing them say I stood still when I hadn't stopped, or that I was getting hurt when he had landed...0 punches...0....
I think if they had at least figured out a way to still keep the narrative correct but it makes you sit there and just shake your head and how lazy they took it. They couldn't figure out how to adjust how you might play? Sad.

However, I will still rent it despite that. Its got some good changes, better GFX (which I couldn't believe they had improved but they did) and a couple other modes you can spend time that make it really worthwhile to play for at least a couple hours.

EDIT: It also can't fucking use Kinect to take pics for the gamer face. Fucking retards.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

I don't know what to tell you, it's story mode, most of those fights are probably scripted to add "drama". I wouldn't give up on the game as a whole because of this. The story lasts 5-8 hrs and then you are done with it. Champion Mode is a sideshow gimmick as far as I'm concerned, I'll play thru it once, hopefully enjoy it for what it is and then not bother with it again. I don't have the full game yet, but I'd imagine that stuff you are getting frustrated about doesn't happen very often in regular matches outside Champion Mode.

Oops, i didnt mean champion mode.. I meant the ranked career online mode. Thats where that bs happened.

 

[mik]

EDIT: It also can't fucking use Kinect to take pics for the gamer face. Fucking retards.

That totally baffled me. Who the fuck still has a Live Vision Camera?

 

[conman]

Oops, i didnt mean champion mode.. I meant the ranked career online mode. Thats where that bs happened.

Ha. But I do love that your comment led to some misinformed criticism of the game.

IMO the story in Champion mode is absolutely incredible. I'm a boxing fan. I'm a Fight Night fan. I'm a boxing movie fan. It's like it was made just for me.

I think far too many people are passing judgment against the story mode before they've even played it. It's really pretty damn impressive all around. And if it's really not your thing, it's easy enough to just skip Champion mode altogether. Can't believe someone would decide not to buy the game because of something that's easy enough not to bother with.

 

[Ellis Kim]

I'm really hyped for this based on the cinematic trailers alone. But after playing that demo and getting my ass kicked no matter what I did (I have no idea what I was doing wrong, or what to look for), so I'm afraid this is gonna have to be a rental or something for me.

I hope the Story mode will have a whole beginner's mode tutorial thing :/

 

[Railer]

I'm really hyped for this based on the cinematic trailers alone. But after playing that demo and getting my ass kicked no matter what I did (I have no idea what I was doing wrong, or what to look for), so I'm afraid this is gonna have to be a rental or something for me.

I hope the Story mode will have a whole beginner's mode tutorial thing :/

This. I've play'd the dmo about 15 times now, and I've lost 14 out of those. The only time i managed to win is when i somehow flash KO'ed Tyson. I got no clue what I'm doing wrong, but i hope the full game has some nice tutorials cause getting beat constantly is getting tiresome.

 

[mik]

Champion mode almost serves as a tutorial. It presents you a number of situations that require you to focus on a certain skill to win/survive. I'm totally in the same camp as conman--Champion mode is incredible. I think it's one of the freshest, most exciting things I've seen in a sports game in ages.

 

[TheVisualizer]

This. I've play'd the dmo about 15 times now, and I've lost 14 out of those. The only time i managed to win is when i somehow flash KO'ed Tyson. I got no clue what I'm doing wrong, but i hope the full game has some nice tutorials cause getting beat constantly is getting tiresome.

I'm pretty sure the demo's difficulty is locked to the highest setting, I'm a veteran of the series and I lost a good amount of fights and I know what I'm doing. You will be able to drop the difficulty down a notch so the CPU isn't so aggressive.

There are 2 tutorial videos in the videos section of the OP for offense and defense that go over basic stuff, check them out if you haven't seen them. Some tips that helped me start turning the tide:

-Remember than defending yourself is as important as throwing punches, keep your hands up whenever you aren't punching and learn to use the "lean" (LT/L2) so you can also dodge punches.

-Watch your stamina, you throw your most effective punches when the meter is near the top and also are a lot less susceptable to being knocked down/out when you keep your stamina up. Throw in short flurries, don't put together combos longer than 4 punches unless the other guy is hurt and you are going for the kill.

-Mix in a lot of "heavy punch modified" shots (RB/R1) at the end of combos to maximize damage done. The judges seem to put a lot of stock into how many counter and power punches you land a round so make sure you throw a good number of heavy punches

-Use your feet, constantly change ranges, throw a combo then step out. Mix things up by sticking in a lunging punch from out of your normal range from time to time by holding the LS towards your opponent then flicking any punch type on the RS. Boxer's tend to drop their hands when they think you are at safe distance away and you can sneak in some good shots from time to time by lunging. Also make use of the sidestep function as it's an easy way to get clean powerful counter punches, flick the LS to the right or left of your boxer (camera sensitive).

-Mix your arsenal of punches up, don't always throw combos. Sometimes stick 1 jab or straight in. Also don't just head hunt, work the body to soften your opponent up. Try to develop some simple combos that start low and end high and vice versa as they are very likely to get thru your opponents defense even if they are blocking.

 

[Karak]

Ha. But I do love that your comment led to some misinformed criticism of the game.

IMO the story in Champion mode is absolutely incredible. I'm a boxing fan. I'm a Fight Night fan. I'm a boxing movie fan. It's like it was made just for me.

I think far too many people are passing judgment against the story mode before they've even played it. It's really pretty damn impressive all around. And if it's really not your thing, it's easy enough to just skip Champion mode altogether. Can't believe someone would decide not to buy the game because of something that's easy enough not to bother with.

Actually no it didn't, if your talking about me. That is exactly what happens as I have played the game. Not misinformed at all. And I hope against all hope that there is only one mode where this occurs, whichever one it is. Because its beyond stupid in 1, and I hope it doesn't happen in 2 or more. I can't see them making that mistake a messing up 2 modes. Or, even if people consider it a tutorial, making that in two modes.

Don't get me wrong. The game improves in many areas, it really does. But its not like I am calling someone's child retarded I just think I will rent it.

I think for me, if they fixed the voices and narrative to perhaps at least mirror what you are doing...maybe it would be better, if the cutscenes made any sense during those scripted matches that would also be ok and because I am a boxing movie fan, as you say you are, I want it to make some kind of sense.

But when the guys are saying stuff like "He just keeps getting hit on that cut." And you have not been punched in the head 1 time...Well seems sort of lazy. "He's almost down" But you haven't hit the opponent. "If he keeps hitting with that hand he will really injury himself." But you haven't even swung that hand. Then a cutscene plays where you now have...no connection with the story anymore. I guess I never thought of considering that it was a tutorial mode. As it doesn't teach you anything. If it was a tut mode, they most likely would have you running from an enemy for 3 rounds in the first couple matches to learn how to dodge. But that's the boss fight...so as a tutorial it seems to have the fights in the wrong order.
And if you are a fan of movies and such, I would think you would pick up on that break in reality. So if its to tell a story, its broken, and if its a tutorial its in the wrong order.
But each to their own.

At least this one is improved in other areas. GFX and so on.
But sadly that mode means a good deal to me, as I am a boxing fan, a boxing movie fan as well. And the pisspoor job they did of implementing, or at least fixing the narrative/cutscenes etc...make it hard to stomach that mode in particular. But I like that mode/and my movies, to make some sense

Its not like renting a game is some kind of travesty against the developers family and friends!
Again, the game has improved. And I have dug them all for various reasons. Perhaps I bought into the mode too much due to so many of their interviews where they talked it up so much. Then to play it with all the mistakes is just a bit of a letdown.

 

[Karak]

That totally baffled me. Who the fuck still has a Live Vision Camera?

Not sure. I kept thinking that the Kinect was set up wrong but it wasn't my xbox360 we were playing on so I thought maybe the guy just had it not plugged in or something not updated. Seems weird. But I also never got a chance to use this in previous FN games so maybe its not even worth doing. I just thought it would be fun to try.