14 DAY TRIAL // EA Sports has announced a new boxing game called Fight Night Champion that is supposed to come out in 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. It is not an expansion to Fight Night Round 4, but a stand-alone release that will add new features like a revamped control scheme and a deep single player mode to the critically acclaimed franchise.
In an interview with IGN, EA Canada said that this would be a very innovative title and that, “Fight Night Champion will break the mold of what is expected in a single-player sports game. Players will be introduced to an entirely new way to step between the ropes and experience the drama, emotion, excitement and tragedy of world championship boxing.” Brian Hayes, gameplay producer on the title said that the quality and innovation invested in the new single player mode would surprise many people.
The developers are promising that there will be around 60 boxers on the Fight Night Champion's roster. Furthermore, a new control system dubbed Full Spectrum Punch Control will allow players to move their fighters around the ring easily and throw strong punches to take down their adversaries. This new maneuvering scheme is supposed to be very user-friendly and realistic at the same time, but that is to be seen when the final product comes out.
As in the case of all new EA Sports titles, new and richer online features were boasted, but the developers are not ready yet to deliver more information about the title. The latest installment in the Fight Night series, Fight Night Round 4, has been praised for its great online component, but not so much for its career mode. It seems that Fight Night Champion is EA Sports' attempt to bring the single player experience to the same quality level of the multiplayer portion of the game.