Fight Night Champion Demo: How You Can Help Shape the Sweet Science

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Fight Night Champion for PS3 - Controls

Previously I mentioned how it’s been a first for EA SPORTS to have a dedicated story-driven Champion Mode alongside an enhanced Legacy Career Mode. Another first now comes with the demo that allows gamers to play head-to-head online until end of day February 17th. The beta period serves as an opportunity not only for fans of the series to get a taste of the game with their friends, but also as a means to gather feedback for the development team, who will have the ability to tweak certain aspects of gameplay without title updates.

“This year, we have set the game up so that we can update several game play variables online and deploy them fairly quickly without having to patch the game,” explains Gameplay Producer Brian Hayes. “With these ‘Tuner Sets’ we can make slight adjustments to stamina, punch power, counter windows, boxing ratings, and Create Boxer XP growth for online and offline gameplay. For offline gameplay alone, we will be able to adjust AI and Legacy Mode logic if we are finding that these can help make for an authentic in-ring experience.”


As I also manage the NHL community, who first used the Tuner Sets, I know that both the community and developers have benefited from not having to go through the longer process of providing title updates. Hayes goes on to say that not all gameplay aspects can be changed — however, judging by the comments from some demo players, the game may not need any changes at all.

“Fight Night Champion goes into a new direction as it continues the quest of capturing the essence and vision of the sport of boxing while building off of its previous foundations in a significant attempt to be considered one of the best sports games ever created,” says Anthony Lynn aka Indigo72 on PSN of UntilTheNextRound.com.

Ant was one of seven community members we invited participate in an early feedback session back in October of 2010. This group brought along a multi-page wishlist for the dev team and, so far, the demo is being regarded as much improved, especially in the online virtual ring where a lot of the cheese and sometimes unrealistic play from Round 4 has been removed.

To this point, online connectivity has been solid as over 1.5 million bouts have been played online and we hope gamers can continue to play during the time online is available to receive that continued feedback. You’re also welcome to comment below with your feedback on the demo or if you have any questions that I may be able to field on behalf of the developers.

Check my previous entry here on the PlayStation.Blog for the Full Spectrum Punch Controls video. And today, I’m providing some diagrams from the Controls Tutorials Blog on our FNC homepage along with some basics to get you started with the demo. But first you have to go download it…so do that NOW!

Fight Night Champion for PS3 - Controls

FSPC enables you to use the Right Stick to throw punches. Flicking the Right Stick to the Left will throw punches with your left hand, while flicking the Right Stick to the Right will throw punches with your right hand.

Fight Night Champion for PS3 - Controls

When you flick the stick at different angles, the boxer will throw different punches. Flicking the Right Stick Upwards will throw Straight punches, flicking the Right Stick to the Side will throw Hooking punches and flicking the Right Stick Downwards will throw Uppercut

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49 Comments

22 Author Replies

  • Maybe the first time I buy a boxing game! Thanks for this awesome game. Pacman FTW!!!

  • The damage looks better than ever this time around.

  • Love the demo, this is the most excited I’ve ever been for Fight Night. A few issues I ran into:

    1) I found it annoying when people would throw illegal blows when stunned/near knocked out as an automatic out.

    2) I also wish there was boxer’s perspective layout (up=forward, down=back, left=boxer’s left, right=boxer’s right) as a control option, especially when the camera hasn’t completely swung around.

    Other than that I’m loving the demo.

    • Glad you’re enjoying the demo, FatBuddha. I find it somewhat amusing sometimes as well when people use that tactic to try to save themselves from going down. It’s a part of the game that’s up for debate in the community whether or not to keep them in. I used to use the boxer’s perspective as well in Round 3 and missed it in Round 4. I’ve adapted, but I know other’s would still like this back in. Unsure if it’s something that can be added in a TU or not.

  • i still like round 4 better. i thought it had more realisticness to it than this one. but this one is ok but i dont see myself buying this until it gets closer to $20. and me and my gf’s godson loves playing these boxing games and take turns on career but it sucks the storyline cusses. hes not aloud to hear cussing so we’re disappointed that theres cussing in a boxing game.

    • Hopefully you’ll still pick it up and keep the little one in the other room…but I hear you. The language is not for sensitive ears however the overall tone of the game represents the sport well and it’s tough to not show how brutal the sport is without showing it graphically and with realistic audio.

  • Don’t want the little guy hearing any cussing. But watching two guys beat each other to a bloody pulp is A-okay?

    I love America.

  • Fight Night is pretty good but nowhere near SNES Boxing Legends of the Ring :)

  • Glad you’re enjoying the demo, FatBuddha. I find it somewhat amusing sometimes as well when people use that tactic to try to save themselves from going down. It’s a part of the game that’s up for debate in the community whether or not to keep them in. I used to use the boxer’s perspective as well in Round 3 and missed it in Round 4. I’ve adapted, but I know other’s would still like this back in. Unsure if it’s something that can be added in a TU or not.

  • plz start makin all EA demoz multiplayer too try since ur makin ppl pay too play ONLINE anywayz would bee great too try out fifa an so ON

    • In a perfect world right, filapusha? :P

      It’s pretty big for the team to be able to do this and it does set the bar for other game teams to put online multiplayer in their demos. Can’t say for sure whether or not that will happen but I agree that it would only benefit fans and devs alike as it would provide a chance to get valuable early feedback and gamers would be more open to get their friends to play if they can play the demo online with them.

  • First boxing game I’m gonna buy. Never expected it to be as fun as it is!

    • Glad you’re having fun! It’s a different game in a longer bout, for sure, and stamina plays a much bigger part. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as the demo.

  • Is this that game with ads featuring a beat-up Pacquiao? I don’t remember him ever looking like that in real life. As such I already kinda don’t like this game.

    • Haha. As a fellow Pacman supporter myself, I was pretty irked when our marketing guys showed me those pics. First thing I said, was this is very unrealistic because it would never happen to the real Pacman. He’s too quick and devastating to get beat up like that!!!

      However, I have seen some pretty bashed up boxers and the damage illustrated in the game is not unlike what really happens to guys who bravely step into the ring. Hopefully, you’ll find you’ll be dishing out the punishment more as Pacquiao rather than eating punches with him. ;)

  • The demo was amazing, i actually just turned it off i was on it for 2 hours….I play it everyday I can’t wait for it to release, i can’t find anything wrong with this game, i’m glad they redid the control scheme because a lot of people didn’t like it in FN4, i’m trying to get more people to download the demo so we can play it online before the 17th!

    • Thanks, robbsmooth! The new controls make for quicker combos and after time practicing, we are hearing that a lot of people are getting used to the timing and saying that the punches feel crisp and tight.

      Just a few more days left with online! Enjoy it!

  • I’ll check this demo out, I came across it today in the PS Store while looking for another demo. seems cool and the update feature is a nice touch!

    • There are a lot of good demos out there. Glad this one makes it on your list! Get a friend to play as well, it’s more fun that way ;)

  • I dug the demo. The realism was amazing, and the way the camera would shift towards both the boxers when they got close to each other was insanely well done.

    The story looks great as well. I’ll be checking this out at some point, not sure when, but definitely looking forward to the final product.

    Way to take a chance EA! Keep it up!

    • The camera does add a new element to the game does illustrate well the difference when you’re fighting inside vs outside. I’ve found that knowing when it does help when determining when to throw lunging punches and jabs from the outside and when I want to throw some big hooks or uppercuts on the inside.

  • Yeah this game is a must have. I have been online and I Love IT! I must say that the level of detail on these boxers are great! Gameplay controls has a easy learning curb to it. This Fight Night is by far the best Fight Night I have ever played.

  • i dunno why but i like this better than fn4, maybe ill be picking this up

    quick question, how many fighters, along with cotto, pacqiuao, tyson and ali are going to be in this game

  • I like FNR3 the best! This one is ok, but dont think i’ll be picking it up.

  • I’ve been killing people online. So far I’m like 50 and 3. The only 3 people that have beat me have all been by decision. It usually happens because they avoid mixing it up and run the entire fight. I’m all for it, that’s part of the game. In a 12 round fight I’m sure i would have broken them done eventually. The only thing i would ask for is a way to side step easier and a little faster…give me a little chance to cut off the ring on people who pot shot and run. I will buy this the day it comes out and can’t wait to use Frasier and Haggler.

    • Footwork is something that has been improved on. Flicking a direction does has a quick step whether it be towards, away, or sideways and if used effectively can cut others off in the ring. Also, it’ll be different for different fighters based on their attributes.

  • also i want to be able to control if i block body or head.

  • question, will there be Chris John in FN Champion? i mean he is our national hero, not to mention he’s a super champion.. :-)

  • I am just going to do a list of pros and cons

    Pros
    Motion blur is fantastic.
    Character models are great.
    Inclusion of lunging blows.
    Inclusion of glancing blows.
    Presentation top notch.
    Potential for best sports and or fighting game of all time.
    Characters style well represented.

    Cons
    Ali is over powered he took very little damage in a 3 round fight despite countless hooks to the face. I repeated performance with Tyson vs Tyson and was able to knock cpu down several times.
    Boxer movements very restricted making it difficult to control ring position.
    Counter Blows inconsistent.
    Inclusion of glancing blows make in fighting very difficult creating an even greater disadvantage for boxers with limited reach.
    Ali’s jabs stagger characters to frequently; jabs are not power blows.
    Slow down when ref is visible on screen.
    Tyson’s guard stance is not correct.

    Overall on first impression I love what I have played, I don’t mean to be harsh just want to be helpful. The people working on this game are immensely talented.

    • Thanks, D-Chan. You make some good points here and offer up some good feedback for our developers. I will definitely pass this on.

  • hey man is a great game, except on that I have great concern, I’m from mexico and I love boxing, and my question is, the menu will come in Spanish? I await your response.
    and finally, the list of trophies when it comes out?
    Greetings and success.

    hey hombre es un gran juego, nomas que tengo una gran inquietud, soy de mexico y amo el boxeo, y mi pregunta es, el menu vendra en español? espero tu respuesta.
    ya para terminar, la lista de trofeos cuando sale?
    saludos y exito .

  • I was feeling the demo, haven’t purchased a fight night game since round 3. Not sure if its a day one but it will be a pick up eventually.

  • I love the demo better than the last 1. Any chance this game will get a ps move update???

    • Adding Move to the game would require a substantial update. There was discussion during development however by the time Move launched, the game was already in full production. Currently, there are no plans for a PS Move update.

  • The game looks amazing. Like a boxing movie. Motion blur looks great. Only problem is the f-words in the opening song, Hope you can disable soundtrack or add in custom tracks.

    Also Ali shouldn’t have the stamina to go toe to toe with tyson up close slugging it out. Make his drop faster in tight, since his range is definately larger then tyson’s.

    ***Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT, when you press block make it CANCEL your punch inputs, so that you block almost as soon as you press it, instead of waiting for your que’d punches to finish.

  • I actually preferred the swinging method of using haymakers from the previous game. I really don’t like the new control scheme.That was game breaking for me but I guess most people must like it if they went with that. I honestly don’t know why they couldn’t make it an option to use the older control scheme.

  • Can’t wait for the Fight Night to come out! Still excited from round 4!

  • The game is awesome but the one and only thing that frustrates me is the one punck knock-out. Im very good at the game but the lucky opponents who have scored the one punch knock-outs on me have tainted my near perfect record. 50% of the time the “fight ending” punches werent even clean and 40% of them were not worthy enough punches to warrant an automatic knockout victory. This seems to happen much too frequently and was frustrating me even when I was the one awarded the win. I understand one punch knock downs but how frequently in the sport doees this happen? Please take this feature away at least online. It’s has nothing to do with skill, just a lucky punch… It’s kinda insulting to us those that do have skills. Please knock-out the one punch knock-out!!

  • I wish Electronic Arts would crumble up and die.

  • One thing that I really miss in the Fight Night Series is the ragdoll physics they had in the First two titles. Where have they gone? Also why did you guys decide to to replace them with canned animations?

    It was awesome and amazing to see people go down after a knockout and fall against the ropes in a realistic fashion.

  • The demo is real fun but the responsiveness of the controls is to slow.

  • I’ll pass. Sorry but I had hopes this new Fight Night title would have Move support which would give you a better experience. I rather stick with playing Round 4. Bring back Def Jam and no not that last one I’m talking about Def Jam: Fight 4 NY in HD with trophies.

  • I want that ea sports avatar……..played the demo, great game.

  • Not sure why you feel the need to change the control scheme EVERY SINGLE ITERATION. Round 3’s was the best (IMO.)

    Oh, and after the awful gating bug in R4, I don’t think I can purchase this series anymore.

  • Dear EA,

    I’m tired of seeing 1995 ERA polygons in the crowd. This is an important part of the game so why is it always the same lame looking 2 animation crowds? It’s 2011. The presentation takes a huge hit in the game due to this. Very lame looking.

  • I can’t find a section that tells how many punches to the body vs punches to the head were thrown. Am I missing it or is that not in the stats section of the demo?

  • I can’t wait to wrap my hands around the final product.

  • why hasn’t david haye & roy jones jr got there official trunks, pacman & cotto got 4 offical trunks each when they we will be wearing 1 in the ring. gameplay is good but it would have been better if you can clinch and punch and it is almost impossible for an inside fighter to win because there’s no way you can trap the opponent. Entrance should have been more longer we should of able to see our boxer enter the ring entrances would have been better if:
    hopkins was to wear his mask
    some boxers have there hoodie on
    david haye to wear his t-shirt what he normaly wears.
    And lastly bernard hopkins from fight night 2004 is the best hopkins because of his hair style & his trunks (the one he wore against trinidad)

  • 1.Let the ref break up the clinch, too many clinches = penalty, if the ref doesn’t stop the clinch, we should be able to throw shots while clinched.
    2.Shouldn’t have to duck to body punch
    3.Jab damage and effectiveness per round
    4.The corner guys look like triplets
    5.Funky “swoop over” camera angle works ok but something about it is def distracting.
    6.Block button, these are professional boxers, it literally only took 3 punches to break everyone’s block, should be a little harder than that,may also makes fixe the concern for the frequency of flash KOs.
    7.Better taunts
    8.Re work Tyson, Make Tyson dash out of his corner for the opening bell in the 1st round, he always did that to intimidate his opponents.
    9.Unless your fighter has a chin of steel, a direct blow from a Tyson overhand right must stun or ko someone.Would MJ put up less than 40 if you didn’t play good d? Does P. Manning not score every time you read his plays wrong in Madden? Don’t dumb down the legends for the sake of people who won’t play properly.
    10.Rocky and Apollo Creed DLC or unlockable
    11.corner guys do something other than talk, Like maybe work over a cut or swelling? Maybe dash my face with water or a towel if I was knocked down?

  • Oh, btw, great demo, little touch ups needed but Great demo. Love you guys’ work. I’d like to stay away from affecting Ali’s jab damage, this is the jab he beat legends with, certainly not overstated in the game, however i will say that inside fighters seem to have an advantage this time around, with the ability to unload and with the taller fighter’s ineffective jab. a fighter should be staggered or show significant damage if my punch stat says i landed 300 jabs in the fight. dismissing my jab for 12 straight rounds eliminates a level of reality in boxing, punish bad defense, reward good defense, same goes for offense.

  • Argh, one more thing!! Please make DLC available asap, please? We’ve all seen the list of guys no longer in the game, can we have them back as DLC?

  • First of all thanks for at really great series of boxing games (:
    as a proud dane i thinks its a real shame that one of our boxers aren’t included..
    why isnt there room for Mikkel Kessler..
    my second wish is to have the judge interfear more in the match..
    NO HOLDING!! make it a real fight and not one of andre wards figts :P

    • It was a first step getting a ref in the ring. I know there were plans to have him interact more, however, for the sake of not degrading the game, he was kept minimal interaction. Something definitely to think about for future iterations.

  • i trully like the look of this years fight night but the game play the best one i thought was in fight night round 3 the controls in that was great wit the one button haymaker when i played the demo i thought dats what happend that u guys went back to that control specs anyway thats what i got from it round 4 was to hard but champions is headin in a good direction as long as the controls work like round 3 u guys should be good and that we get custmizable sound tracks and month to month downloadable content ight

  • this was a solid demo and makes me want to get the game now

  • great game, i’ve had a blast with the demo and will buy the game the day it comes out. The only issue i have is with not being able to cancel boxer celebrations to block. I’d like to be able to celebrate, but for it to stop if i press block/punch/move. the way it is now, your basically giving the opponent free shots when you try and celebrate.

    • It’s a risk to celebrate and though it’s really nice to throw your hands up, for fear of having people abuse it over and over, you need to time your celebrations accordingly. Don’t be a showboat! ;)

  • When are we going to get some commercials going? I feel like the major game sites are failing miserably with generating hype. IGN still says it’s coming out in December of this year! When FN4 came out, they covered it and gave it a good review, commercials were everywhere and people new to the series couldn’t wait to try the new FN. I feel like that’s lacking here and there is so much potential to make this game attract new fans!

  • 1st, hey great game!

    cons: footwork is slow in comparison to the hands and not “alive” footwork is big part of offense and defense so this can lead to frustration! The quickness of reaction or response time of the hands and feet should be equal. if one watch’s a real boxing match one can see the aliveness of the footwork represented there. lets say for example Pacman or Roy Jones paying close attention to Ali. thanxs hopefully that can help

  • …(TAUNTING)i love this demo i play it every day i come home from work just slaughtering guys online but when i taunt the guy can just walk right up to me and hit me in a real fight if im telling a guy hay im the baddest here he cant walk up and hit me in the face al beat the [DELETED] outa him so what am asking is can u fix it so u could come out of taunt at will….ps TEH-DOG-45 The fight night kinG

  • can you tell me why the punches slown down i play the game everyday but when i played today for some reason the punches are way slower than before it’s really frustrating.

  • adjust the lean its not effective enough really hard to slip punches with it

  • Ok, you guys at EA are doing a wonderful job trying tirelessly to being the most realistic boxing simulator to all the fans while making tons of improvements to make playing online more fun and entertaining for all.

    I spend most of my game time offline and I feel you guys might have neglected your offline fan base this time around. The “One-Button Block” might work great against real people online but it kinda sucks against a computer controlled fighter since they rearly ever miss a counter window and alot of times block your counter punch. They throw tons of flurries and I’m losing stamina throwing 1-2 combinations only restoring it to 95% after the first round while the CPU get up to 99-100% after missing or blocking 50% of it’s punches.

    Leaning and Weaving also seem like a great way to get knocked out and if you do get the computer to miss and try to throw and counter punch it stays in the weave animation until it’s finshed and then throws a laggy punch that is usually blocked and countered or dodged using a weave and then countered and my block seem to be slow to react and I get punched as my hands are starting to coming together (which I’m still not sure is done on purpose or not).

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