This is also on my radar for games I want to get. Round 3 was a great game and I’m looking forward to getting this. Has anyone else got it yet? Impressions? Feelings?
There is a demo up on xbox live. It comes with a little tutorial and features a 3 round bout between Hatton and Pacquio.
The good:
The game claims that boxers have individual styles. This seems to be true. When fighting against Hatton, he fights with an inside style. Very much an in your face brawler. Pacquio is a quick fighter that works the outside and seeks to keep you out with straights and jabs.
Haymakers are now on a right button modifier. You hold the right button and swing normal for a haymaker. Not sure if this is going to make it even easier to spam them so it could end up being a bad thing. But I think they are weaker now.
It seemed to me that working the body had a larger effect on fighters stamina. In previous Fight Nights I always worked the body hard but the game imo didn’t reward it enough.
It is now easier to go to the body with a quick hook. A quick flick of the stick does that instead of having to hold the left trigger. To jab and throw straights to the body you do still need to pull the trigger.
The Bad:
The lean isn’t as strong. Fighting against the computer you could not lean out of head shots as easily. They decreased how far back your head goes so unless they are at a decent distance punches will still land.
They changed the parry mechanic. Now you have to time a block with the incoming punch to land a counter opportunity.
A bob and weave mechanic was added but it was hard to do properly.
With the nerfing of lean and parry some of the strategy seems to be gone. Feels more like a brawler. A good player would play the old Fight Night like a chess match. I would play with people, learn their tendencys and weakness and exploit them.
Completely off topic but I played the UFC game and it was better then I could have expected. It’s very easy for two unskilled fighters to turn the game into a button masher, but every move has a counter or block. It can be a very tactical game, and if you button mash against skilled players you will get destroyed.
From the demo I learned two things:
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The advertising isn’t as blatant as it was in Round 3, and which I expected to be the one thing that would stop me from buying it. I can’t say that I’m not effected by advertising - since FN:R3 I can’t even imagine myself eating at Burger King.
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They’ve disabled the button-based punches (it’s now sticks only) and I hate playing with the sticks. There’s word that they might release DLC that re-enables the button-based punching. If they do and if it’s free, I’ll probably buy FN:R4. If not, I won’t.
I rented the game last week and I’m about 15 fights into a heavyweight career. So far I’m liking it. You have more control over your career it seems. More choices for opponents and when you can fight them. Each division has 3 different champions so it appears that you can go for a unified championship which is interesting. (I can’t remember if this was an aspect of the career in FNR3, but I don’t think it was). I definitely agree with Miltoynz about the “bob and weave” mechanic, it seems to have noticeably lessened in effectiveness. I definitely find myself being hit by punches that I would have gotten out of the way of in the last iteration. It makes staying covered up even more paramount than it used to be. I’m still not decided on if this is a good thing or not.
2 things I don’t like…
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I haven’t played them all, but the mini-games for raising your stats seem much harder this time around. I still haven’t managed to get more than the perfunctory +1 boost from actually playing the games (The max is a +6 from a good attempt). I can’t punch fast enough, move fast enough, or bob and weave fast enough to accrue enough points. I’ve done some reading and apparently other people who’ve played the game say that as you increase your stats the games become easier. But actually increasing those stats can be a pain… In the mean time I’ve just went with the “simulate” option that nets you an automatic +3 to the targeted stat.
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Call me a philistine, but I hate the “Total Punch Controls”. They’ve removed the option the to remap your punches to the face buttons. I understand the desire to push players toward the right stick, and it seems intuitive in theory, but it just feels like the actual controls are “mushy”. Half the time I’m trying to throw a hook or an uppercut to the head and wind up throwing one to the body instead. They feel slow and imprecise. I tend to be one of those players who advances behind his jab, but I’ve been throwing many more jabs and straights than normal because that’s the only thing I can get to respond consistently. I’ve adjusted to the right stick as much as I can, but I still feel like I’ve lost fights because my fighter isn’t doing what I want them to. Losing a fight because of bad strategy, being overwhelmed by a statistically better fighter (significantly higher strength/speed etc…), or even a lucky punch is one thing. But I don’t like feeling like I don’t have sufficient control over my boxer.
Maybe I’ll feel different with some more practice, but right now, I’m not digging this control scheme.
See, I prefer the sticks.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is exactly how I feel. I purchased Round 3 the same day I rented it because I absolutely loved the fighting engine. Right now, I’ll probably play through a single career and send the game back. Without the ability to remap the punches this game is not a purchase for me.
I’ve got it. I like it though I agree with comments above. Benn drinking. Will provide specifics tomorrow.
Then go for it and the best of luck to you - but I’d still recommend downloading the demo first. Anything more complex than a straight punch I can’t perform reliably and there seems to be a bit of hesitation between finishing the stick move and delivering the punch (as though the control scheme’s asking “any other input? No? You sure? O.K., then…”).
The demo isn’t small, but other than the bandwidth it’s a free sample.
Button-mashers and stick-pushers should be sequestered in their own realms on this game online. You can pull off better and faster stuff with the buttons than you can with the sticks.
The new game is better than last year’s in every way. Combos are much easier to throw, but it takes some getting used to the new dodge system.
It looks like I’ll be picking it up in September. EA’s announced that the button-based punching DLC will be coming out and will be free.
And apparently Bizarro Ray Leonard. Him is bitter as sugar. For the 360 only, though.