Fight Night Champion News Post

Fight Night Champion: To the Penitentiary and Beyond

06:00 PM - November 15, 2010 by Steve_OS

Jon Robinson from ESPN The Gamer, has posted his Fight Night Champion preview. You start out in... Prison.

Quote:


	"When I heard "Fight Night Champion" was going to be EA Sports' first M-rated video game, I figured they were just going to play up the blood and gore factor of the sport. What I didn't expect was the game to start out in prison. That's right, prison (and it has nothing to do with Mike Tyson being in the game). But when I sat down to view a clip of the new Champion story mode last week at an EA media event, that's exactly where I found the game's lead character. There he was, boxing in prison, hands wrapped but no gloves, ring surrounded by other prisoners cheering and shouting (no visible shanking), while dressed in their orange jumpers. Then between rounds, it didn't take long for my cut-man in the corner to drop F-bomb after F-bomb, even referring to my white opponent as a "cracker." Not what I expected at all. "Essentially what we wanted to do with Champion mode necessitated this being an M-rated game," explains producer Brian Hayes. "It's a story with mature themes. Not topless mature themes, but it's gritty. Being an unlicensed sports product and being in the world of boxing where there is a lot of stuff going on ... if you're going to tell a story about boxing, it's not going to be, 'Hey, I just got an e-mail from your rival and he's really upset.' There are a lot of fighters who we drew inspiration from, and they've been through some real mature experiences. So we laid out our vision for Champion mode and we said, if we do this, there's no way this can be T."

Check out the rest of the preview here.

Game: Fight Night ChampionReader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 17 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 Eman5805 @ 11/15/10 06:20 PM

They're taking quite a risk. I love when gaming companies take risks. If the story isn't half-glutted, which doesn't appear to be the case, I might buy this.

# 2 SHAKYR @ 11/15/10 06:44 PM

I hope it pays off. I think they should have taken a bigger and made Fight Night totally sim.

# 3 statum71 @ 11/15/10 07:13 PM

Good!!!!! Boxing is a grown man's sport. Let's keep it real. Just like GTA.

# 4 mr_president @ 11/15/10 07:24 PM

why prison?? you can have heated rivalries without guys having records.

# 5 Pappy Knuckles @ 11/15/10 08:22 PM

Career mode sounds like fun. It'll be interesting to see how it's executed. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the game. I still have Round 4, but it's time for an improved game.

# 6 SouthernBrick @ 11/15/10 09:12 PM

Different approach to it....risky, I like it.

# 7 HiTEqMETHOD @ 11/16/10 02:40 AM

Haha, not what I was expecting either.

# 8 LilLowe @ 11/16/10 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseySuave4


	no need to make you start in prison. Just start as an amateur and work your way up like in real life.

Guess that's why they're also giving us Legacy mode.

# 9 koolaid251 @ 11/16/10 09:51 AM

Benard Hopkins did ten years in prison alot of boxers come from are have been to prison

# 10 Phobia @ 11/16/10 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseySuave4


	no need to make you start in prison. Just start as an amateur and work your way up like in real life.

You don't even know the story so you can't really comment

# 11 DaveDQ @ 11/16/10 10:08 AM

I think we're seeing a change in the game's philosophy and it's good. This is the new dev team's second go with FN and you can see the desire to give it a more robust style. I like it and look forward to the changes, especially in blocking and throwing punches. I am not happy that illegal blows are still there, and I did read that there is some slowdown in boxer movement.

I also thought of this movie when I read this thread's title...

# 12 DubTrey1 @ 11/16/10 11:45 AM

Well, everybody loves a story of the redeemed I guess....

# 13 Eman5805 @ 11/16/10 10:04 PM

I wish more games took this route, but committed to it. I mean, it's fun to create your own boxer from scratch, but if you create the player but for minor details, it will always be better storywise. You can hear things like the announcers talking in more detail about the fighter, mentioning his past, where he's from, and it's all smooth. You don't get the dance arounds they have to do in other modes similar to this. Like NBA 2K's My Player, they say things like "The back up 2 guard...is our Sprite Spark of the Game." or hearing them refer to your player with the blanket "He's not really going to be a star, but he'll be good."

But you could be like NBA 07 and have a bologna plot that's kinda thrown in, so it takes real effort to pull off.

Early indications are that's what EA is doing here.

# 14 Complex @ 11/17/10 07:37 AM

Ahhhh, one of my ideas was listened to.

# 15 bbarr43 @ 11/17/10 03:47 PM

I'm not thrilled with this direction, and think it's a knock on the sport as a whole. Just another irresponsible move on EA, in my opinion (like exclusive rights to the NFL) to regress and not promote positive progress in the sports community. Is this what we can expect to see with future sports gaming? Go ahead and put Tyson's ear biting in too then. Some things are better left alone. It'll be the day I ever purchase a Madden or NBA game with the F-Bomb.. something I can't let my innocent kids' eyes see. But maybe that's just me. NBA2k11 is at the top of the charts without this stuff. To me, it's more unnecessary gimmicks that takes quality time away from core aspects. I'm sure the F-bomb is on every NFL game field on Sunday.. so I guess if I hear it in Madden it's going to make it more authentic? Guess it will have more market appeal? What is this world coming to? Guess we're not too far off from seeing Super Mario and Sonic flip off the customers! Yeah, I'm just one of the good old boys voicing his opinion.

# 16 bbarr43 @ 11/17/10 04:56 PM

To be honest, I don't have an interest in it either. I'm already detracted from the mode. It already seems too narrow a perspective that I have to start in prison. I have a lot more interest in managerial aspects though. Correct rankings and fully customized ladders, more editing power, etc.

I would love to see fighters interact pre and post game. But say more well thought out stuff, say like a Legend Career mode where Ali is giving one of his canned historic poems about how the fighter is slow and ugly. Rhyme and rhetoric being his signature style, fight predictions, etc. Bring in historical significance and fighters characterized by their personality. Don't understand how mature themes need to come in here. These EA gimmicks always seem to be a "selling" focus to detract from what the core game will not get done right. (How many years do we gotta go to get the out route out of bounds fixed in Madden?)

The game's long lasting appeal for me usually ends with how well it plays online anyway. But I can say that's one reason I don't ever get a mic, cause I get tired of the constant foul language on the other end. Ah, but that's just me.... let's just continue to promote the decay of western society...

# 17 bbarr43 @ 11/17/10 06:33 PM

Yeah, I played it and liked some of the concepts. I just have a different view on focusing on the good core aspects of boxing and sports gaming in general. Wasn't boxing historically a civilized man's fight? Yes, I still believe in values and think it's unnecessary.

I have a good notion I'm the unpopular minority here, but maybe they need to rethink Career Mode into a Create Your Own Adventure scheme.. Start from: a) Troubled Street Kid, b) Average Athletic Joe Gives Boxing a Try c) Overseas Prominent Wealthy Citizen d) Washed up Boxer (ala Rocky) Returns to the Ring. To me it's like what Sinbad said about his take on clean cut comedy, it's really all about content. Get the content right, you don't need the profanity. I feel like this canned approach will be the same way it annoyed me that Tigger was the announcer for Fight Night 1. "Ooooh.. daa-yam that was a hard hit!" Sheesh, something stinks in suburbia..

# 18 ChampN252 @ 11/18/10 12:00 PM

Some of you guys must be monks. Boxing is not a pansy sport. When I first started, I wasn't getting the techniques down. I was learning the art of ducking under punches... bobbing and weaving and such. Coach said he would knock my ********* head off if I didn't start doing it right. I got hit good once and did it right from there on. This should be all too familiar for anyone that's done it. Football is the same way. I assume that why Ray Lewis is rarely miced.

# 19 Money99 @ 11/18/10 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbarr43


	Yeah, I played it and liked some of the concepts. I just have a different view on focusing on the good core aspects of boxing and sports gaming in general. Wasn't boxing historically a civilized man's fight? Yes, I still believe in values and think it's unnecessary. I have a good notion I'm the unpopular minority here, but maybe they need to rethink Career Mode into a Create Your Own Adventure scheme.. Start from: a) Troubled Street Kid, b) Average Athletic Joe Gives Boxing a Try c) Overseas Prominent Wealthy Citizen d) Washed up Boxer (ala Rocky) Returns to the Ring. To me it's like what Sinbad said about his take on clean cut comedy, it's really all about content. Get the content right, you don't need the profanity. I feel like this canned approach will be the same way it annoyed me that Tigger was the announcer for Fight Night 1. "Ooooh.. daa-yam that was a hard hit!" Sheesh, something stinks in suburbia..

I love the idea of a Create your own adventure.

Regarding the profanity, I'm in the same boat as you. I realize we're in the short bus on this topic, but I don't see the need for it in a sports game. And I'd like to be able to play it in front of my kids as they're both interested in boxing to some degree.
I hope there's a language toggle to remove all the swearing.

# 20 ChampN252 @ 11/18/10 02:19 PM

I feel you about the little on the little ones, but that's part of the sport. I;m assuming this game is probably a bit bloodier than the last titles. You cool with the youngins seeing that?

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