More blood, puffiness, skin irritation, and brain damaging blows are coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011 courtesy of EA Canada. The developer has announced Fight Night Champion, a full-scale and disc-based continuation of the boxing franchise.
IGN has the scoop on the project, which appears poised to deliver the same level of eerie physical detail that series has become famous for. In one of the images provided to the publication, a boxer stands erect, somehow, as blood from his ruptured face trickles down his pectorals. One eye is badly swollen; the egg-sized lump threatens to burst.
Chances are you'll be able to thank the franchise's freewheeling punch control for the damage. It's being suggested that the stick-bound scheme will make a comeback--with a few tweaks and a new name of course. Speaking to IGN, producer Brian Hayes said Full Spectrum Punch Control, a flurry of buzzwords, will make the game "the most user-friendly title in the franchise's history," while at the same time provide "the most realistic punching system ever seen."
Speaking of promises, one of the few things Hayes could talk about, albeit vaguely, was Fight Night Champion's single-player mode. "Fight Night Champion will break the mold of what is expected in a single-player sports game," he said. "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."
We'll probably might see a bit more of Champion this afternoon, and that's a welcome treat. We need more games that allow you to batter someone's head so badly, you become afraid you've done irreversible damage. It's like a morality system, but not. Neat!