Boxing is one of the oldest and most prestigious sports in the world and EA has been putting out their Fight Night franchise over several years now, trying to do it justice. Each iteration of the game has made some great progress in game mechanics, visuals and atmosphere but Fight Night Champion really managed to punch the lights out. I have rarely had this much fun with a fighting game, which is why I am speaking so highly of Champion. When EA decided to introduce a new game mode into the franchise I was a bit skeptical. Could a story mode really work in a boxing game? Is that something people even need or want?
Well, after playing through the story based game mode in Champion, I can firmly say, it has made all the difference for me. I could not imagine another Fight Night game without it. Sure, the actual plot is a pretty standard Rocky-type movie of a fighter rising up, getting knocked down into the gutter and rising again, but it works perfectly in this video game scenario. Players take control of Amateur talent Andre Bishop who is trained by his late father’s Coach Gus. Andre will fight his way to Amateur Gold and become a Pro before getting thrown into prison after corrupt Boxing Manager McQeen sets him up. After being released from jail, where he continues to box prison-style, Andre manages to get back into the Pro Boxing scene and sets out for revenge with the help of Gus and McQeen’s daughter Meagan, who decides to manage him. As I said, a pretty typical plot but the acting is convincing enough and makes for an eventful and exciting play through. Fight Night Champion’s story mode is so well delivered that it would be disappointing to find out that its sequel does not have it. Players will take Andre from fight to fight which are bridged by cut scenes and plot twists.
Of course there are the other modes we have come to know from Fight Night and plenty of great boxers to choose from including Ali, Klitschko, Frazier, Leanord, De La Hoya and Pacquiao. Players can choose to quick fight, take a boxer through Legacy mode or go head to head with another player over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network.
The Boxing itself has been overhauled and the gameplay mechanics vastly improved over its predecessor. In Fight Night Champion players will utilize a new system called Full-Spectrum Punch Control, which makes it easier to dodge and block using the Trigger buttons. Also, all punches are mapped to the right stick which can be pulled off quite easily and with accuracy which makes boxing so much more fun and engaging in Champion. Once players understand how to box, the story mode, entitled, Champion Mode, will teach them how to box against different boxing styles and weight classes. The actual fighting and applying of strategy is very important in Champion as this is no easy game, not blocking, moving and getting caught in the corner will have you on the floor in no time. Andre is a great fighter when using his abilities the right way; you’ll probably learn that the hard way.
When I said I had fun with the game it may have been an understatement, Fight Night Champion is an absolutely satisfying experience that I did not think I would ever have with a boxing game. Weather you are going though Champion Mode or set up a quick Fight, when applying the right techniques and listening to your corner to ultimately knock someone to the floor or out cold, is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done in a sports game.
To be quite honest, I have almost nothing bad to say about Fight Night Champion. EA has created an incredibly impressive sports game that will take players though a great story mode; using some of the best game mechanics we have seen in any sports game to date. If you are a boxing fan or even know who Muhammad Ali is then this game is for you. Champion has several skill levels that will allow anyone to have fun with the game. The authenticity and atmosphere alone make Fight Night Champion a contender for sports game of the year for me. The only issues I ran into with the title were some performance hick ups like the occasional stuttering cut scene or longer than needed loading times. Those are only small things to consider when looking at an overall phenomenal experience.
Score: 9 / 10
Fight Night Champion was developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports for Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 1st. A copy of the game was provided to us by EA for reviewing purposes.
