Fight Night Champion is the 5th installment in this boxing simulator series, but is it the best one to date? They've made several improvements from the last game with a better set out legacy mode, different punching options including the face buttons and the 360° control on the stick. Also we see the inclusion of a new story mode titled Champion Mode, but how does it all rate up?
The first thing you'll notice as you get into the game are your options whilst fighting. It puts you into a fighting scenario and teaches you the basics of using both the thumb stick and the face buttons, both of which are very similar in effect. Despite the thumb stick giving you a better range of control, you can punch faster with the face buttons. This is simply down to preference and is nice to have both options there, personally I found the thumbstick to give me a better gaming experience but I did start mashing the face buttons from time to time when my opponent was nearly knocked out for that additional speed required.
One thing which is different from Fight Night 4's 'Total Control' system is that there's no longer complicated movements you need to perform in order to get the punch you want, you simply push the stick in a direction and the punch is performed - for example low left push gives you a left uppercut. With all this simplifying many may worry the game has been 'dumbed down' but it certainly hasn't, it instead actually allows the game to flow much better and helps you gain more enjoyment out of it. It's worth noting as a result there's also less frustrating moments in the game than FN4.
Another thing which has been reworked is the power punching. Now instead of all the faffing about, you simply hold RB and do your stick movement or press the face button and bang you hit the opponent hard. Also the block is simpler - with a simple RT hold you block both body attacks and face attacks. This may sound like the game is too easy but it's actually all based on your characters stats; if they are low you have less chance of blocking the punch which makes the progression, especially in legacy mode, much more vital. Despite having simpler blocking, the game now is also more realistic with things like combo punches or power punches weakening or breaking your defences, which will the leave you vulnerable, so blocking your way to victory is not an option.
A new game mode called Champion Mode has come to Fight Night which puts you in the shoes of Andre Bishop and takes you through the story of his boxing career. Despite being an interesting story line I felt it was far too short. Many places have detailed it as even up to 8 hours long, this simply was not the case for myself. I played Champion Mode on the second highest difficulty and my 100% completion time was 1 hour 40 minutes, which is substantially lower than what anyone else had been claiming at the time.
Champion Mode is not going to inspire people to become boxers or really to relate too greatly to the characters. What is there is very stereotypical, with a guy who loves to fight becomes a boxer, has a rivalry with his sibling then at the end of the day becomes the champ and everyone is happy. Despite it being very simple the story is involving and you will find yourself wanting to know what happens to Andre and the other characters, but it's just cut way too short. Despite the length of Champion mode it does offer variety, the 22 fights you will have will offer you different challenges, for example one match is fixed where you cannot do body shots otherwise a corrupt referee will say that they're low blows. Another where you get a mandatory cut on your face and have to defend yourself until it can be fixed up by your corner. These little things make the mode more interesting to play, which leads to more disappointment as you don't get a long time to play it.
The bulk of the game however can be found in Legacy mode, which has improved from FN4. Not only do you have physical skills which will bolster up your character, but you also get XP which you can use to improve a specific part of your boxing skills, whether it be feet work or the right jab. This means you can make your boxer how you want him with the options to improve a certain punch. Along with this you have the standard training schedules where you can increase your speed or strength. There are also training camps which you have to pay for each time you go before a fight, but these offer you a specific bonus to a category i.e strength or speed where it will increase more than the standard gym.
The Legacy mode also now has age effects -when you first start out you're young, fresh and can deal with most things like injuries and hardcore gym sessions, but as you progress your character gets older and you'll have to take him into conditioning 'mini-games' to keep your boxer in tip top condition which ultimately leads you to being a consistent fighter.
After mixed feelings about the single player experience I went onto multiplayer, despite not many people playing at the time of writing it did seem to be an improvement on the previous game. There are promised new anti-cheating mechanics where you'll still get your win from quitters which is a good thing. There's also a new lobby where you can just chill out and chat to other players and arrange friendly fights, much like FIFA 11's lounge system. You can also make an online gym in which you can then invite friends, spar together and earn XP for your virtual fighter. This is similar to the clubs system on Test Drive where you can join together, earn XP together and also enter fights and competitions. It's a very good concept.
Overall Fight Night is still the dominant boxing game it has always been and is simply unbeatable at the moment. EA Canada have certainly managed to update the game in such a way that it truly warrants this sequel. Even though it is not going to be the next big sports game for boxing fans and for fans of the series it's a welcome advancement and should be accepted with open arms. It's not disappointed as such but it hasn't wowed. It's simply a solid game which has a good amount of replay value and will be a nice addition to any boxing fan's gaming collection.
Fight Night Champion Gets An Official Game-Pad: 7.8/10
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