Fight Night

[Blublub]

Must be a bad disc. It also takes a long time for the images of the boxers to load prior to a bout. If nobody else has seen this either, then I'll have to take back my copy.

[RallyMonkey]

dan,

Not sure if you went to EB, but if so, glad to see yours is taking CD's as well. I was beginning to feel as though the only stores doing it were the two near me.

As far as angles, i left it alone out of the box and just changed the controller configuration so that the movement was camera view (up makes him move to his left, down to his right, etc) versus boxer view. I have found it to work pretty well. Probably not the insightful, mind blowing review you were hoping for, but just OMO.

[sportdan30]

Rally,

Thanks for the suggestion. As I said, I didn't really have much time to mess with the game as much as I had hoped. The controller configuration idea sounds like an excellent idea. Gonna definitely change things around and see if that helps. In my brief playing time, I was like "WTF, move the other freakin' way!"

I took my cds to a store by the name of "Slacker Cds and Games". Not sure if it's a franchise or not. Regardless, I felt as though it was a steal seeing that the cds I traded in hadn't been listened to in years. I actually had to laugh at some of the music I used to listen to. Kinda sad.

[Jason]

Are you guys using the blocking and the leaning/weaving for defense? Or are you using both? I imagine the blocking probably works better when you're against the ropes, and the weaving is more for when you're in the center of the ring.

That's exactly right. The "bobbing and weaving" is more effective in the center of the ring and is such a key factor in being successful in this game and the fact that it is so easy and intuitive to perform makes the game so much fun. This is truly a game where defense is just as much fun as offense. There is no better feeling than dodging an overhand right and countering with a left uppercut.

I use the default camera angle (Swing Camera) and like RallyMonkey, I switched the control to camera view (This makes all the difference in the world to me).

BTW, online play is smooth and flawless on the PS2.

To say that I'm blown away by this game would be an understatement.

[RallyMonkey]

I actually had to laugh at some of the music I used to listen to. Kinda sad

I'm almost afraid to bring in some of the CD's in my collection when i go to pick up FSW later this summer. I've always had a wide range of musical tastes, but holy hell what was i thinking a certain points in life. At 32 i have to say i've been through some very interesting transitions.

WIth Fight Night, i was doing the same thing right out of the box, yelling for him to go the way i was pushing and instead i was waltzing into jaw breaking hooks. For your reference i think it's controller config 6. Hope it helps.

[Spooky]

For me it's:

-Default Camera Angle

-Controller Configuration #6

This game is wonderful. I played a bunch last night with my girlfriend (she has actually always been quite good at boxing games) and the multiplayer is great. At first she was really paying for trying to swing wildly, which I think this game does a great job of. You really do pay for not being defensive. Then after a while we were both getting the hang of the counter punching which is really where it's at. That is another great addition to this game. The emphisis they put into the effect of a good block then counter punch is awesome. They give you a huge reason to play more defensive cause you get rewarded for saving your energy, blocking and then making one good contact hit.

What are some of people main gripes with this game? I am just curious becasue they overall assesment seems to be very positive...I know I am really digging it!

[dskrizzy]

Blub,

I've had my copy on xbox freeze up on me attempting to do the "sparring" early on in career mode. When I attempt to do the training, it freezes up on me, so I just auto trained and it didnt freeze...

Looks like I got a bad disc as well... Funk me...

d.

[Jason]

My only gripe with this game (beside the announcer) is that there is no clinching, but because of the superb defensive controls, it's not a gamebreaker for me. I also have to learn how to get up from a knockdown .

To be honest, I'm having a hard time finding anything else wrong with the gameplay of this game. I will admit that most of my fights have been against live competition and not the CPU though.

[dskrizzy]

Are you guys using the blocking and the leaning/weaving for defense? Or are you using both? I imagine the blocking probably works better when you're against the ropes, and the weaving is more for when you're in the center of the ring.

I think to be effective you gotta use both. I found myself, when ONLY bobbing and weaving, that if I made my opponent miss, and if I didnt have a fast boxer, it be hard to "touch" him from my bobbing/leaning position and get anything to land.
But if you block that same punch, your in a much better positon to "touch" your opponent and throw combo's. I think once people get time with the game, you'll be weaving to find some angles, just so you can block to counter, if that makes sense.

Another tip given to me, was to watch your opponent only, and not really pay too much attention to your own boxer. Again, once the controls become familiar and natural, you'll be able to see or telegraph which way he is leaning/bobbing, or which way he is blocking, and take advantage of the openings that bobbing and blocking leave open. Watch your opponent, he will "tell" you what you need to do to get through the defence.

Hope this helps....

By the way, this is one of the best multiplayer games I've played in a long time. Even peeps who havent played it or any boxing game in a while were picking it up and using the total punch control right off the bat and very effectively too....

Long weekend to game in toronto, woohoo!

d.

[dskrizzy]

My only gripe with this game (beside the announcer) is that there is no clinching, but because of the superb defensive controls, it's not a gamebreaker for me. I also have to learn how to get up from a knockdown .

To be honest, I'm having a hard time finding anything else wrong with the gameplay of this game. I will admit that most of my fights have been against live competition and not the CPU though.

Jason,

Getting up is pretty easy... I as well, had a hard time getting up initially. I usually just try and center the ref's logo. I do this by, moving the sticks ONE AT A TIME, and not both simultaneously like free throw shooting on nba 2k series... NUDGE the sticks bro, dont hold them, as once they lock on and start to move, it can get a bit goofy and you cant stop them. NUDGE one over by tapping the stick toward the logo and just keep tapping/nudging it over until you get "one" centered, then do the other, the same way. I was getting up after first knockdowns in like 3-5 seconds of ref's count. It gets harder to line up the logo with each additonal knockdown... With this tapping/nudging techinique its a breeze to get up from the first couple of knockdowns, depending on your fighters stamina levels....

game on,
d.

[mobiggins]

Wow. Great game. Very surprised.

Only problem is that I can't win. I started a career and I'm 0-6.
It's not like I mash buttons and don't know what to do. I dominate some rounds, but the computer always seems to get back into it, and stop using the tactics that led me to get its gauge down to begin with.
Still having lots of fun with it, tho. I just wish I could win at least one.

[Blublub]

Blub,

I've had my copy on xbox freeze up on me attempting to do the "sparring" early on in career mode. When I attempt to do the training, it freezes up on me, so I just auto trained and it didnt freeze...

Looks like I got a bad disc as well... Funk me...

d.

Kriz, I'm fairly sure it was related to a corrupted profile file, since it would only seem to lockup when I chose a profile. I deleted the old one and haven't crashed since.

[Jason]

dskrizzy,

Thanks for the tip, I'll try it out tonight. Do have the XBox or PS2 version? If you have the PS2 version, we'll have to get a few rounds in online.

Thanks

[Leebo33]

Wow. Great game. Very surprised.

Only problem is that I can't win. I started a career and I'm 0-6.
It's not like I mash buttons and don't know what to do. I dominate some rounds, but the computer always seems to get back into it, and stop using the tactics that led me to get its gauge down to begin with.
Still having lots of fun with it, tho. I just wish I could win at least one.

Mo:

I started 0-6 in my career as well and then I tried some of the suggestions here, especially the switch to controller configuration #6 and the swing camera, and I won 3 out of 4 tonight. It makes a huge difference IMO as you can really see what is going on. I still throw way too many punches though. I have to work on being more selective. Man, I suck at some of the training mini-games.

I really like this game. I'm pretty sure I will get my money's worth and I haven't even touched online play yet.

[Blublub]

Kriz,
On the ongoing saga of the crashes - they're back and always in the exact same place. Back for a new disc today to see if that solves it.

I was getting pretty cocky until I came up against this Duran guy (I"m a Middle Heavyweight), and not Roberto. I can't escape in the first round withoiut getting KO'ed no matter what I do.

Leebo, join the suck at minigames club. I scored a grand total of 0 on the one where you hit the guy's gloves - even worse was that he was giving me crap the whole time about it.

[TrojanMan]

Add me to the list of guys who's embarassed himself in the minigames. The one where you have to get the heavy bag swinging had me at a loss. And, the constant berating from my trainer had me looking in the manual for the "Sprewell" button.

By the way, Kriz, thanks for the input. I won my first career fight last night, thanks to your defensive tips.

[Spooky]

Have not started a Career yet, but the game is definitely challenging on 'Medium' difficulty.

More things I love about this game...

-Create-A-Player lets you use any amount of attribute points for any attribute. FINALLY, a game where I don't have to 'earn' them in career just to play with a created player in exhibition or multiplayer. BUT they do make you earn them for the career. That is perfect. Good job.

-A.I. REALLY plays a smart game of boxing IMO. Plus, different boxers really show different styles playing.

-The game is tough but very rewarding and really makes you think and strategize. Is the AI too good???

-The balance is really tweaked this year and it seems like most every boxer has a shot of winning in their class if you use their strengths. I remember a couple of versions ago getting SO damn frustrated because my girlfriend would use Sugar Ray Leonard and I would use Roberto Durna, and she would beat me every time EVEN if I had WAY more punches landed.


Has anyone played accross weight classes? Is it balanced in exhibition? I remember reading somewhere that you could do this and have it be balanced. Is there an option or something?

Anyway, still really loving this game. I am very impressed.

[mobiggins]

Yeah, I've started winning, too. I use all default setting so far, haven't tried switching.
I'm good at all the minigames except the heavy bag and the one where the trainer's got the target gloves. That one feels like it's in reverse or something. I haven't gotten the hang of it. The heavy bag gets easier as your fighter gets better, but it's still tough to make that bag swing to the rhythm, mostly because hook shots aren't the easiest thing to pull off on command. At least not yet.

You know this game is good when it makes you do something you've never done before in a video game. I sit there glued to the screen, running my tongue around my lips in circles. I have no idea where this has come from all of a sudden, I have never done this before during any other activity, no matter how much concentration is required....but damn, my mouth is dry after every bout!

[Jared]

Are people still playing this? I've been playing it on and off for review. Started a heavyweight career and am 9-1. First eight wins were pretty easy. Dodge, uppercut, dodge, uppercut. He leans back, go with a few straights. Nearly every match was a 2nd or 3rd round KO, since most of the fighters decided to go toe-to-toe, and that was bad.

I then went up against someone with a completely different style. The guy had high speed and high stamina and just ran around the place. I couldn't get many real good licks in, but I had done enough damage to win the first three rounds on points. However, my punch meter was a lot lower than his (due to throwing so many punches and fatigue...my created fighter is more power than speed).

In the 4th, I finally get him in a corner and we just start whaling each other. I knock him down with about 1:30 left, and then think to go for the kill.

Mistake. He's still got some speed and my guy is pretty fatigued. He nails a few good hooks and I notice that I'm near a knockout. I dance around a bit but he charges in, I bob, but come in for a punch and get nailed. Then I completely screw up the referee focus mini-game and lose.

Was fun to play against someone that made me change my style. It's given me more hope in this game. It's pretty fun, although in some ways is too repetitive. Will report more on it later.

[Badgun]

Just answer me this. Is this at all like the Knockout Kings series? I hated that series because it was nothing but a button masher. I used to get cramps in my hands from constantly mashing buttons.

[Leebo33]

I'm having quite a bit of fun with it. I wouldn't call it a button masher. In fact, I am doing better now that I have learned not to throw too many punches. I won my last 5 in career and all of them were pretty easy except for the last one (I'm only on Medium difficulty though). I started out beating the pulp out of the guy, but then I got sloppy and I didn't win the fight until the 6th round and it was very close.

I think the series is on the right track, but it is a little too shallow for long-term value unless you can take advantage of multiplayer and/or online. The career mode is pretty basic and the game would be helped tremedously with TKOs, clinching, and a better in-fight damage model. I appreciate the pretty short learning curve, but once I play through the career mode in a couple of different weight classes I will probably sell it. That will take awhile though and I will have my money's worth.

[LAking]

I bought it for xbox and i'm having a pretty good time with it. I think i'm somewhere around 12-1 on medium in my career. I'm in the lightheavy division with a created boxer. I guess you can say it's a little easy on medium. It's getting harder as i move up in the rankings but i win most fights by KO. I lost one fight recently. Got knocked out in the 5th or 6th i think. The guy i was fighting had a pretty hard punch and was really aggresive. It was a dissapointing ending to a year of my career but then the next year i came back huge. I knocked two guys out in the first round, one in the second, and got a decision in another fight. I even TKO'd (3 knockdowns/1 round) the guy who had KO'd me before. Some guys are really easy, others are much better fighters. I can see the game being difficult on Hard difficulty. I havn't really been using the total control punching much. It seems too slow for me. Maybe if i really practiced a lot i would get better, but i screw up too much. I use it occasionally but mostly i like the regular buttons. I'm having fun with it. Even if i'm winning most of the fights there is enough variety in fighter styles to make it enjoyable. I always like getting one of those great knockout combos in and seeing the guy crumble to the canvas.

[ScoopBrady]

I am having a good time with this game. It reminds me a little of the first Knockout Kings (which wasn't really that bad) before they took the series in the wrong direction. The first KK made you approach each boxer differently which I really liked but the combos were pre-assigned to a button which took user control away, and let's face it combos in boxing happen but not all the time. I love the pace of FN and the emphasis on defense. It's no longer a button-masher and it comes out the better for it.

[pk500]

Agreed with all of the praise for this game. The reclamation of a boxing series by EA is stunning, ranking right up there with the salvaging of NHL through NHL 2004 this year.

Fight Night kicks some serious ass. I'm really digging it.

Take care,
PK

[sportdan30]

Saw this on a search I did for cheats/hints/tips.......You may already be aware of this but I sure wasn't. Then again, it could be in the manual.

Hint: Uppercut Without Total Control
To perform an uppercut with Total Control Punching disabled, press Jab + Hook together.