Complex
Thursday, July 16, 2009
What I am writing about is a suggestion to the game. While you are bound by the legal system for inputting certain fighters in the game, no one has a license on physical attributes. Why not put up boxer 'shells'? For instance, boxer types online that we can download and add faces on our own.
Perhaps Shell A is a 5'7 welterweight, southpaw, with great hand speed and pop in both hands, glass jaw, and average stamina (not to be confused with Zab Judah *wink*). Maybe Shell B is a middleweight with an 81 inch reach (surely not the 82 inch of Paul Williams), good speed, but average power, and weak blocking abilities.
What I am saying is create these 'shells' for us and you all can limit the attributes, even exceed the cap points for their weight class to give them extra attributes. These could be placed online, not to be altered but simply used as is perhaps only allowing us to add our faces via photo face.
What do you think?
Monday, July 6, 2009
Boxing is a sport that many feel contains the most conditioned athletes. The sport itself has taken a step back in recent decades for various reasons but the boxers themselves have not. Today the sport is full of great personalities, ultimate warriors, and would be champions. It is a sport that test a man’s will, heart, and endurance all at the same time. While this may sound dramatic, the ultimate premise is simple; Hit and don’t get hit. Sounds simple enough right?
Introducing Fight Night Round 4, EA Sport's latest offering to the boxing world.
Over recent years many gaming fans of the sport have grown weary of the previous efforts offered up. Many were too rock’em-sock’em, some were too RPG-ish, and others were just plain silly. I won’t name names but if you have been topside of the earth in the last decade you know what I am talking about. Thankfully Fight Night 4 (FN4) has atoned for many of these sins.
I want to focus on five areas of the game (Graphics, Sound, Presentation, Game play Replay Value)
Graphics
I said it once and I will say it again; FN4 is the most visually stunning boxing game in history. In the ring, out of the ring, on the way to the ring, it’s all done with excellent quality. You see fighters faces tense up as they absorb a shot. You can even see muscles flinch and coil as boxers take shots at one another. Trunks sway and move like real fabric, and damage the boxer’s take looks real. How nice is it to see your opponents face show damage like in real life.
The collision detection is the best in any sports game, yes I said it. While not 100% perfect, it is 99% there. You can actually see punches hit flush or glance off the head of your opponent. This is an important and key representation of boxing. You can throw ten punches in a row of the same type and will never get the exact same result each time. In addition I have seen fighters with long reach get abused as shorter fighters get inside to work and the long reached fighter’s arms overshoot their target. Excellent!
And those awful rag-doll knock downs from the past are gone. I really got tired of my boxer looking like he was shot close range with a sawed-off bazooka.
Sound
The commentary provided by Ted Atlas and Joe Tessitore is well done. They seem to capture the action in the ring with good accuracy, although a few times I have noticed an inaccurate depiction of the match. Overall they seem natural and seemed to flow with the match very well.
In the corner, the sound of the trainers is waaay too low. At times I find myself struggling to hear what my trainer is saying. They do offer very good advice in the corner, it’s just at times you can’t hear it. The volume for them seems to go lower and I am not sure why (ever after adjusting the settings).
In the ring, I would like to have had more variation in the fighters in the sounds they make. Many fighters have distinct yells, grunts and sounds as they punch. I would have like to see this captured in the game but that’s only a slight gripe of mine. The sounds of the punches are a mixed bag for me. While I know not all punches offer a ‘snap’ that is heard around the arena some do. Maybe this is something that can be tweaked in the next version.
Presentation
This is the largest roster of real fighters in a game ever. I won’t recap what most of you already know. I do wish a few more guys could have been included, but I understand the work that goes into doing so. Thankfully, Photo Face is available in the game and we can create fighters that are missing (well as best we can) EA does itself justice with the introduction of new ring gear and robes. You can change gloves, robes, shoes, trunks etc. All items can be colored to your liking. Look for my signature blue and gold gloves online folks. This was long overdue and makes me wonder why it took so long to get it. Weather you watch Boxing on ESPN Wednesday/Friday Night Fights, HBO Boxing after Dark, or boxing on Showtime, one thing is consistent; Tale of the Tape. This is an opportunity for us to showcase the attributes of a fighter, his last several fights, his record, and where he is from. Yeah it may seem petty but it’s a staple of the sport. Leaving this out is like leaving out the First Down market in Football. Sure you know that you need 10 yards, but it needs to be called out. Also, fights that go to the cards are about as exciting as a warm bucket of hamster vomit. The cards should be read with some level of anticipation (i.e. The first judge scores it 115-113 for Hatton, the second judge has it 115-113 for Pacquio, and the final judge has it 115-113 for your winner and NEW WBO welter weight champion….). Again, simple changes, but they add tons of authenticity to the sport.
Game play
In the ring, Fight Night Round 4 is the most complete boxing experience to date. Is it perfect, no. But as of today, it is the best boxing game when you step inside the squared circle. The sweet science was done justice with this game. The new countering system is well done, and rewards defensive play. Now if only the judges did. The advertisement that ‘no two punches are alike’ holds true and the folks that worked on the game engine to make it happen should be applauded for their efforts.
Also, adding a meter to a fighter’s ‘block’ is sheer genius. It helps to eliminate the level of ‘cheese’ we saw in previous versions. I only wish the meter degraded like the other meters. As a player slows in later rounds, usually defense fades and more punches slip through. The biggest gripe around heard around the world is the omission of ‘buttons’ from the game play configuration. This was a conscience move by EA, and one that I support.
Stamina falls as your fighter is hit in the body, which is just as it should work. The physics engine plays almost too well, if there is such a thing. Punch accuracy plays a major part inside the ring too, as it means the difference between landing a punch and landing a flush effective punch. I have also seen fighters arms become entangled during fights. Fighters with a long reach often when fighting close have their hooks miss and wrap around their target. This is sheer brilliance. I do hope EA works to improve the footwork of fighters in the ring. This and ‘stance’ are two distinguishing characteristics among many fighters.
Speaking of distinguishing characteristics, there is an opportunity for EA here. Instead of signature punches being some sort of dance or show, add special moves that would add additional strategy. For instance Judah’s Double jab, Quartey’s signature Bazooka like Jab, and the Klitschos spring like Cross. Just a thought.
One other issue I would like to see improved are actual KO’s. In the Pacquio vs. Hatton fight, the second KD had Hatton lying there like he had been shot close range with a Shotgun. He was literally out. After every KD, your opponent is trying to get up. How satisfying would I be to earn a KD/KO that ends the fight and your opponent is lifeless with doctors rushing in the ring and eventually carried out on a stretcher?
Replay Value (Legacy Mode)
Fight Night 4 Legacy mode is a mixed bag. While it is a drastic improvement over its predecessor in almost every way, it still leaves us scratching our head in many aspects. Many boxers will tell you that the hardest part of boxing takes place out of the ring, with making weight at the top of that list. EA if you are interested I have a very complete list of items that should be in the next version. Now I will applaud EA for the improvements made.
• Email - Adding an email type system to keep up with activity around the weight classes is a step in the right direction, however it was done in a way that feels disjointed.
• Training – I for one like the new training mini games; we still need more of them. Also, some of the points given for each could be better.
• Rankings – These just seem dead. I feel there should be more activity, more controversy, and more movement among these rankings.
• Scheduling – I like this view, the calendar aspect really adds a nice dimension to the game. You can go for broke and schedule a ton of fights early or pace yourself for the long haul. There are reports of issues with accepting a fight when you already have one scheduled causing issues for many. I have not faced this problem.
If I can add one thing, a glaring weakness of Legacy mode is the absence of money. Money is the reason Floyd Mayweather gets out of bed, Don King exist, and why Manny Pacquio can help his country. I can think of 5 significant ways money can help Legacy mode right off the top of my head. If anyone is willing to listen, give me a shout.
Closing Comments
Overall, EA Sports Fight Night Round 4 is the real deal, no pun intended since Holyfield is not in the game anyway. Maybe he should be, I hear he has money problems. I will ask him next time I see him at church. It is a huge leap forward for the genre and the franchise. Many major issues were addressed and problems were corrected. Now it’s up to EA to continue to move the franchise forward. I won’t list my recommendations at this time (unless someone asks me to). Once again, this is the best boxing game on any game system to date. Believe it.
Graphics – 10/10 – Best Looking Boxing Game EVER!
Sound – 9/10 – Great, Fresh Commentary by Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore.
Presentation – 8/10 – No tale of the tape? Email presentation and rankings leave a lot to be desired
Game play – 9/10 – Game engine physics are the best in a boxing game. Yes better than Boxer’s Road 2.
Legacy/Career Mode – 7/10 – Improved over last year, but not even on par with other EA titles.
Overall – 8.6 / 10
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
With that said, I do want to add my two cents on the upcoming release of Fight Night Round 4. Most folks that know me know I breathe, eat and sleep boxing. I will watch two unknowns fight in the squared circle on any given day. I am the guy that orders the PPV event to watch EVERY match, not just the main event. I am the guy who will keep a scorecard on an MS Excel worksheet while watching, scoring the fight on my own. I truly love this sport.
I have played a ton of boxing games, including the Fight Night series, Knockout Kings, Victorious Boxers, and Boxer’s Road and so on. While all have their pros and cons, I enjoyed each of them over the years. Well most of them. I will reference some of these games going forward as to give some of you a frame of reference. On to the game.
Under the hood - I posted on numerous sites that need to have additional attributes to boxing games. Some boxers have fast hands, but slow feet. Some have good right hands, but awful left. Few boxers have true power in both hands. The additional attributes that EA incorporated in the game was a godsend for me. I wrote down ~13 attributes when we were allowed to see the screenshot at the community event. New ones included separate hand attributes (power and speed) as well as an accuracy attribute, probably my most favorite. When you think of it, most boxing matches have a punch connect rate of ~30%. And keep in mind that 30% is a good rate. It was good to see EA thinking in that direction. Even if a fighter throws the perfect jab, sets his feet steps into it, and whips his fist on it at the end, there is still no guarantee it lands the same even if his target is motionless. I think this adds a whole new dimension to the game and one I totally welcome.
Fight Nights list of attributes is only rivaled by Boxer's Road 2 for the PSP. BR2 had attributes like 'neck' which assist you in your ability to take punches. Also BR2 has different types of power, Solid and Heavy. When you think of power, there is Tyson type power and Pavlik type power. Tyson will take your head off with the right punch, but Pavlik will make you take notice of his power but won't exactly kill you with one punch. Side note: when I asked Sergio Mora what attribute he wishes he had, he mentioned he wish he had that 'One Punch' power. So maybe this is something that we will see from EA going forward.
They had an attribute for swelling and cuts too. I am not sure how that works out just yet as most of our matches did not last long enough to truly test this. Which leads me to one feature that is going to have me pulling out my hair, well if I had hair. That is the 'get up' mini game. I will get into that in my discussion of game play.
How does it look - Fight Night Round 4 is easily the best looking boxing game to date. There has been some mention of the models shown in demos and early builds, but I do not think anyone will be disappointed in what they will see in the ring. One of my big gripes of the Fight Night series is that a Roy Jones Jab looked like a James Toney jab, which looked like a Hatton Jab. What was desperately needed were new animations in the ring. In my mind it was the easiest fix to an obvious problem. By simply increasing the animations of the boxers, many of my gripes were resolved. I still have a few gripes but that is more of me nick picking. For instance, the jab is used for setup, as well as measurement, and in some cases defense. If they can add this ability in the game, we may be on our way to perfection. No boxing game has been able to incorporate this in a game. EA are you listening?
Knockdowns were varied and fluid and the complete rag doll physics are gone. I mean in FN3, guys would get KOd and you would think they died. Not this time around. We say more realistic KDs. Now the 'KO moment' is still in the game. You know the point of the game where you knew a KO was coming; however the graphics are tightened up a bit.
Outside the ring is probably my favorite. The arena seemed alive and not energetic. I know this isn't a big deal to some but seeing your team right outside the ring or judges working ringside is a real nice touch.
Stick Movements - We played on an Xbox 360 and that weekend was my first time in my life ever touching one. So my view of the movements is biased. We were not allowed to use buttons in our build. So no cheesing online folks, so I guess I need to step my game up. With that said, the analog stick game has been greatly enhanced. Movements have been tightened up too. Many will fill familiar to previous Fight Night players but better. Think of yourself as a fighter and how you would naturally move the sticks/move your body to throw a shot; this is how EA has incorporated the movements. I will let you all decide how you like or do not like the new movements.
One thing that needs to be noted is the introduction of a bob and weave movement. Tyson comes to mind in this instance. In his fights with taller opponents, Tyson had to get low at times and shift his body slightly to the left/right to get inside and do the work he was famous for. This movement was a welcome site, so gamers can be successful with the Tyson-like fighters of the world. In previous games, most guys used Ali and other pure boxers to dance around and jab to victory. I am glad to see this new move introduced to level the playing field somewhat. This movement is similar to the 'sway' move in the Victorious Boxers series but not quite as deliberate and dramatic. I felt it was way over done in VB.
The last stick movement that drove me nuts was the 'Get Up' mini game. So you get KD and you need to get up. The screen is tilted to mimic a guy lying on his side (so imagine your normal view and turn it 45 degrees to the right or left. You have to move the analog stick left/right to bring the screen up right, then when it’s centered you use the other analog stick to bring yourself upright. In the many games I played I NEVER got up properly and always lost when KD. But keep in mind I was totally new to the Xbox 360. I like the concept, I just need practice. So this will no doubt become my Achilles heel. It’s tough but at the same time very intriguing.
So let me try to sum this up:
The Good
Additional boxer attributes - will make CAB much deeper and creative
More animations
Best in class boxer roster
Improved Analog Stick movements
Fight Night 3 was scrapped; this is a totally new game
The EA producers get it (boxing that is)
The Bad
The Unknowns of Career Mode
Waiting on the official release
No Floyd Mayweather Jr (for now, who knows what will happen in the future)
The Ugly
Me trying to get up during the KD mini game
I will answer any questions I can folks. See you in the ring!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
I mentioned in my first write-up that the Fight Night 3 engine was scrapped and a new one was developed. In the following screens you will see new character models. Lighting on the models, fighters, the ring, and even the venue are all top notch.
First up, this man needs no introduction as he is one of the most recognizable figures in the world (let alone boxing, or sports for that matter). This looks like an actual ring entrance. The boxer, his support team. Ali is not crip-walking or moon walking to the ring. Thank the heavens.
The next few photos show a glimpse of the action in the ring. Can you tell who the boxer's in the photos are? Good, because that is the whole point. EA took its time utilizing the power of the next-generation systems to capture and infinite detail level of the action inside the squared circle Even the white straps keeping the four ring ropes together isn't straight, I love it.
Inside the wring, the sweat flies just like a real boxing match. Notice the muscle definition of the boxing models and how it changes with the animations. I like how the punch lands on the jaw, and the jaw moves on that side of the face. Just a clear example of the TLC that EA incorporated into this version of Fight Night.
If I could describe Fight Night 4 in three phrases.
- Fluid
- Authentic
- Not Fight Night 3
Until next time...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Months ago, when I was first contacted to attend this event, I thought it was just a pipe dream. I mean com’n someone online contacts you with the opportunity to visit EA and out of the country is hardly an everyday occurrence. Actually months went by when I was first asked until the next time I actually heard about the trip. So the lag in time had me thinking it was not a ‘real’ opportunity. I am glad I was wrong. I kept a journal of my trip so I wanted to tell
February 22, 2009 – 1:50pm EST
I finally boarded the plane to get to my first stop, Dallas, TX. I wasn’t looking to the 2 hour layover there before flying to Vancouver, Canada.
February 22, 2009 – 3:48pm EST
Landed in Dallas for my long layover, and finding a wall socket for my laptop and PSP was murder. Folks were camped out in the airport hogging all the outlets. I had to go down several gates to find a free one. When I found one, I hogged it too. Before I got settled I did hit up McDonalds for two apple pies. 2 for a $1, you can’t beat it in this economy.
February 22, 2009 – 4:30pm CST
Arggh. Gate change. I had to unplug everything and make a mad dash across the airport to get to the new gate. I am thinking to myself, why change the game right before takeoff? But I did get to the gate first and got to the outlets first. After getting all my devices charged up, the plane began to board.
February 22, 2009 – 6:00pm PST
So I am settling into the 4 hour plane ride into Vancouver and I pulled out my PSP to play a boxing game to pass the time. The guy across the aisle noticed I was playing and asked me was I headed to the EA community event. He was headed to the same place. We talked for a minute and agreed to share a cab to the hotel. As cheap as I am, I was definitely feeling that.
February 22, 2009 – 8:25pm PST
Finally touched down in Vancouver. I was kind of taken back by things at first. The airport was gorgeous. We quickly got our bags and made our way to a cab and on to the hotel. Next stop was the Sutton Hotel and then to the G Sports Bar. EA had a nice set up there waiting for us. Free food, free drinks, and Xbox 360s setup with Fight Night Round 3 in each. It was a nice opportunity to meet the other attendees and our host Alain ‘Sk88z’ Quinto. After two beers I was buzzing and couldn’t beat anyone in that game.
February 23, 2009 – 6:15am PST
I didn’t really sleep well. The time difference (Eastern to Pacific) had me hurting but I wasn’t missing free breakfast or the shuttle bus to the next event. Breakfast was at the hotel instead of the Denny’s across the street. I haven’t eaten at Denny’s since its lawsuit back in the day.
February 22, 2009 – 9:30am PST
The first stop of the day was at Griffin’s Gym http://www.griffinsboxing.com/default.html). Griffins Boxing and Fitness is the only sanctioned boxing gym in North Vancouver. We began the day there doing boxing drills. We jumped rope, ran laps, worked the heavy bag, and even the punching mitts. I was thinking to myself that they were trying to kill us. After the first set of workouts in walks ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and Sergio ‘Latin Snake’ Mora. I was taken back for a minute. I did not expect this.
Several guys went for their cameras to get photos and video footage. I followed suit. Well after all the pictures, and hype lessened, Sergio Mora suited up in head gear and they chose three of us to spar with him in the ring. I was one of the chosen, video included.
February 22, 2009 – 12:30pm PST
We made our way to the Cactus Club Café (http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/). I really liked this place as the ladies who served the food made me forget I was hungry.
February 22, 2009 – 2:00pm PST
Finally the moment I was really in Vancouver for, we made our way to the EA Campus to see the Fight Night Round 4 game. Prior to seeing the actual game, we were treated to a Q&A with Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora. Questions came in all forms but the most eye opening answers came from Mora. We got good strategy tips from Mosley and Mora telling us he wishes he had ‘one-punch’ power. At the end of the Q&A came more photos and autographs.
Next up we finally got to see and play the most recent build of Fight Night. First I must say I signed a NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) which prohibits me from giving away specific information about the game. I will try to say what I can without saying what I can't.
I love boxing and when I say boxing, I mean boxing (not two dudes trying to knock each other's head off). What moves do you think of when in the ring? While I cannot say exactly, a lot of what you thought just now IS in the game.
One thing I want to echo is that these producers of the game are REAL boxing fans, not guys wanting to make a 'rock'em sock'em' game. They truly understand the inner workings of a boxing match and tried to capture that in the game. As we played the game and made some suggestions the producers were on hand, went into debug mode and made adjustments on the fly. Now that really blew my mind. That should give you a flavor for the type of guys we were dealing with. They did not try to convince us that they had it perfect and were not open to feedback, rather they listened to us and the community at large and included many things 'we' asked for in the build. What really had me stoked is that this is just the 'alpha' build, so things are only going to get better.
The stable of boxers in the game were representative of the boxing world, old school and new. You WILL find a boxer that you like in this game.
February 22, 2009 – 8:30pm PST
Dinner arrived and the producers of the game came and talked with us. They were eager to hear what we liked, what we didn’t like. I recall spending a good amount of time talking to the guys about the stadium atmosphere, movements in the ring, and motion capture of certain fighters. Producer Brian "Brizzo" Haynes actually did the motion capture of one of the fighters in the game and if he had not told us, we would have never known.
All in all, I must say the Fight Night series is in great hands. It feels and plays like a totally different game and exceeds its predecessor in numerous ways. It is the best boxing game I have played, and that includes the Victorious Boxers and Boxer’s Road series out of Asia. Hats off to the staff at EA for really taking the sweet science seriously and taking feedback from the fans of the Fight Night serious and incorporate them into the game. Fans of this game will be impressed and there is enough for casual gamers to become lifelong fans. Oh and there is this guy named Mike Tyson in the game too.
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