Fight Night Round 4 - Developer Interview

We go a round with the developers.

Fight Night is back, this time with refined gameplay and even prettier graphics and animation! But don't let us tell you that - let's hear it from the developers themselves. We were lucky enough to have a few questions answered from the Fight Night Round 4 development team!

How much life have you had to squeeze out of the consoles to get the game looking as good as it is?

We push them pretty hard, as hard as we could while keeping the game running at 60fps. Following up Round 3, which looked incredible at the time, it was great to have an experienced team of artists and engineers who could figure out how to make something awesome look even more awesome.

Changing the button configuration from buttons to the analog sticks: has that been a success?

I wouldn’t call it a success, but I wouldn’t call it a failure. The game has received very good reviews and there are a lot of people playing it. We are releasing button configurations via DLC in the near future to make sure everyone is satisfied.

Are there any new training modes/features added to the 'campaign' portion of the game?

That is a possibility. We do have a dedicated DLC team for Round 4 and our goal is to deliver new content and experiences that the users will enjoy.

It's been a long time between rounds since Fight Night 3. What notable additions do you think people will enjoy for Fight Night 4 that weren't in FN3?

Wow. Well, there are the boxers that weren’t in Round 3, legends like Mike Tyson, George Foreman, and Tommy Hearns to name a few. We have the Photo GameFace feature that allows you to create new boxers using images you upload to EA SportsWorld or from a USB camera. You can upload and share those boxers with other people online. You can upload highlight videos to EA SportsWorld from your best matches for other people to see. We have an all-new single player mode called Legacy Mode that lets you fight your way to the top, win multiple titles in multiple weight divisions and try to become the Greatest of All Time. We have the Online World Championships (which I am currently addicted to) where you can step in the ring against anybody around the world to determine the true world champion. Is that enough? I can keep going.

Is there anything that didn't make the cut and you could see making its way into a new addition of Fight Night?

Yes. There always is.

We hear of development teams playing their fighting/sports game for hours on end. Who has the bragging rights in the office as the Fight Night 4 champ, and who is their prized fighter?

One of our testers, his name is Jazz (yes, Jazz like the Transformer) took the crown. He and I had a great fight one time and be beat me by decision. I believe he was using Sugar Ray Robinson.



Any plans for Downloadable Content?

Definitely. As I already mentioned we have a dedicated DLC team working on Round 4.

In New Zealand we have two big heavyweights, David Tua and Shane Cameron, going head to head later this year. Are these two fighters featured on the Fight Night 4 Roster?

Unfortunately no.

Can you briefly talk our readers through a bit of Legacy Mode and what it entails?

Yes I can. You can play Legacy Mode using a created boxer or an existing licensed boxer in one of the original 8 weight divisions. You can also choose which created or licensed boxers you want to participate in Legacy Mode as your potential opponents. You begin in the Amateur Tournament and if you can win there it will give you a nice stat boost for when you turn professional.

Once you turn pro, Legacy Mode is centered around establishing your Legacy in the boxing world. The Legacy Meter looks at your record, your quality of opposition, the titles you have won, your Pound for Pound status and your Popularity to determine where you stack up and whether you are considered one of the Greatest of All Time.

There are multiple titles in each division and you can move up a weight division to win the titles there also. There are 6 different training games that help you learn the game and improve your boxer’s attributes. Along the way you will receive messages from your trainer, manager or your potential opponents pointing you towards different challenges in the ring.

Any plans to make Fight Night 4 for the Wii?

None at this time.

Thanks for your time!

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