Fight Night Champion Demo Available Now, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by tony01313

man everything is way too close together you can't even put a proper combination together with out throwing the wrong punch most the time. Also Hookercut I mean what the hell is that. Also it felt tactical with TPC flicking the stick up for the jab and throwing a hook in a hooking motion. BUT THE AUTO BLOCK is really the deal breaker for me, I mean really AUTO BLOCK

It's a punch used everyday in boxing. Do you watch the sport? If you're in the ring you're not forced to throw a hook with your arm perfectly parallel to the floor. I guess you've never seen an overhand right either.

I've heard the term used many many times on TV - and I'm glad I can throw the punch now, in fact it's always been one of my fav's.

ps. I'm having next to no problem with the controls, the only thing I do occasionally is throw a lead overhand while wanting a hook, but it doesn't happen too often.

[beermn76]

Like a few things on the demo: the graphics are fantastic.
BUT: It just doesn't feel like boxing. Gameplay is way too fast, stamina unrealistic, lousy commentary.
No drama with decisions. Why can't scorecards be read? Better presentation is needed. I like RD 3 GAMEPLAY better. Very disappointed.

Just my 2 cents.

[tcrews]

BQ - You're absolutely right. You stated that you play(ed) 2k11. If you were on the OS 2k forum around launch. I'm sure you remember how many people were freaking out that they had no control, the game was way too hard, impossible, shots never went in, and it was basically the worst basketball game ever. lol. In reality, had they actually attempted to learn before they started freaking out, they may have discovered that they were very deep controls for any type of game, let alone a sports game. On top of that, everyone is so used to mastering a game in 5 minutes, they had no clue what to do when that didn't happen.

As far as Champion goes, I'm sure the same thing applies here. You would think that with a brand new control scheme unveiled, people would understand they're not going to grasp it instantaneously. Most of us have been using their Total Punch Control since Knockout Kings turned into Fight Night. So naturally, how could we not throw the wrong punches at first? Going from doing a 9 to 12 motion for a left hook to just flicking a direction is obviously a drastic change and takes a bit to get adjusted to, no matter how much "easier" the new control scheme is.

My impressions on the page before this are not exactly a glowing review. But I do really like the switch to Full-Spectrum Punching. Aside from accessibility, the thing I like about it the most is that those who choose to not invest the time to learning it's subtle nuances and just want to swing for the fences are more than welcome to do so. Consequently, the people that put in the time, effort, and practice will likely beat those aforementioned wild throwing/spamming opponents 95% of the time. The fact that it rewards practice and learning is a huge step forward. We all know what last years online matches were all about. Kudos to EA on taking care of this aspect.

I'm happy that with Champion, much like 2k11. Thoughtful, strategic, and technical players are rewarded for their skills, rather than penalized from the person on the other end simply abusing flaws in the gameplay mechanics and/or programming. Here's hoping that things stay this way and there's no crazy exploit that's opened up and changes things.

If skill is rewarded even in 3 round fights. I would imagine in a 12 round fight, with stamina and damage playing much more of a role, it'll be an even greater reward for the sim players. For that, I'm definitely thankful

[BezO]

Ehhh, lump me with the odd balls that don't like the game. Sure, it's much improved, but it's like Madden. The game was so far from a simulation of the sport that even decent improvements leave it short.

Punching: Nice! I remember asking for this as soon as they introduced the sticks. The swooping movements were just too much for me. The new system takes some getting used to but I feel much more in control then in previous versions. Unfortuanately, this is where my praise ends.

Camera: Even with the new camera, the constant panning is getting on my nerves. I really need a stationary camera or one that pans slightly, allowing the boxers to move around the screen/ring. The view makes me feel like I'm standing on the endge of the ring, running around as the boxers move. And it doesn't allow us to see the boxers at different angles. Sure, we get to see them verticle for a few seconds at a time, but it kills the presentation of the game.

Stamina: I won't say much as most feel the same way, but yeah, even for 3 rounds, too many punches can be thrown without enough stamina being drained, especially for the heavy weights.

Footwork: I can't understand how this is not botthering more people. Ali can get around a bit better than other boxers, but it's not nearly fluid/quick enough, and he wasn't the only boxer with good feet. What made Tyson great was he was a power puncher with SPEED. Why is he so slow? He looks like Frazier. Aside from being too slow, the footwork animations are just not appropriate. Boxers do a lot of skipping, especially the lighter weights. The step, step, box pattern is ugly.

KOs: As soon as I read about this I new EA would take it too far. This has to be tamed, especially for boxers like Tyson. I won't say one of the best, but he had a great chin. As his skills eroded, that & his power were still there. If Rooney were still with Tyson, we might not have ever seen him get knocked out. If this is prime Tyson, they have to up his ratings in addition to taming the KOs.

And some boxers should always get a count, just out of respect. Even when Tyson got knocked out he always TRIED to get up. Buster & Lewis LAID HIM OUT and he still managed to get to his knees.

Knockdowns: The game needs more knockdown animations. Too many limp boxers, especially if they're getting up at a 4 count.

Ref: OK, he's there, but you wouldn't know it until the cut scenes. Has anyone seen him break a clinch, give a warning, anything?

Blocking: I like the auto block. I don't like the stamina tied to holding your guard up. I don't know how an established boxer's training goes, but the little bit of training I did, I remember going round after round of just skipping around, holding my guard up in the beginning. IMO, this is one area where stamina needs to be tamed.

I would say I'm asking for too much, but I'm only going by what 2K & The Show provide. A simulation of the sport.

[big_larry]

If it was up to some of yall this game would be supremely boring, just like most boxing matches in real life. I have not watched a boxing match since the Tyson vs. Lewis back in 2002. I like to watch heavy weights because I like to see people get knocked the F out, now days the best fighters are in the lower weight classes where there is almost never a TKO, just two guys boxing each other back and forth for twelve rounds, that to me is boring.

The developers of this game have to walk the thin line between realism and making the game fun. If this game is 100 percent real then they would not sell as much, cause people like me would not buy it. Some sports like basketball, and football are fun the more realistic it is, but not boxing.

[1000Islander]

Quote: Originally Posted by allBthere

It's a punch used everyday in boxing. Do you watch the sport? If you're in the ring you're not forced to throw a hook with your arm perfectly parallel to the floor. I guess you've never seen an overhand right either. I've heard the term used many many times on TV - and I'm glad I can throw the punch now, in fact it's always been one of my fav's. ps. I'm having next to no problem with the controls, the only thing I do occasionally is throw a lead overhand while wanting a hook, but it doesn't happen too often.

Hookercut, Shovel Hook, 45er.....

[DaveDQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by BQ32

And another thing, why don't people get on the demo and fight the cpu for a while until they get the controls, timing, and movement down before they jump online and start hacking at each other, have a bad experience and then come on the blogs and be completely negative about it. I fought 25-30 times at least against the cpu before I went online so I would understand how to fight and could kick some ***. I used every fighter, looked at their strengths and weaknesses and then boxed accordingly. It is an amazing expereince to fight like the real life counterpart and dominate with that style.

That's a good point.

I'm also highly impressed with this demo's load times. It's within seconds that you are in the ring fighting.

On another note, I know this is an M rated game, but the soundtrack is blatantly out of hand. It's like a tall glass of profanity along side an enjoyable demo.

[TDKing]

I like the the new punching system way better than that TPC crapola. Not happy about the autoblocking (another ea game taking control away from the user). Overall I like the game, still on the fence about a purchase. I find myself asking this question alot, "what have they really done with this 2 year cycle ?", I was expecting a bigger improvment I guess, especially in presentation. No interest in the story mode.

P.S. Thanks for making online matches available in the demo.