Xboxist

EA Updates Fight Night Round 4 Controls

Electronic Arts has released a new downloadable update that adds the option to control boxers in Fight Night Round 4 using the face buttons on the control pad. Previously, the player was forced to input punches using EA's "Total Punch Control" (TPC) system which was mapped to the right analog stick. This decision turned out to be somewhat controversial for long-time fans of the series. Punches to the face were executed by pushing upwards on the analog stick, with a backward-angle throwing a left and a forward-angle throwing a right. Torso shots could be landed by using a downward angle on the stick, while uppercuts and other more complicated punches involved a Haduken-style motion with the stick.

We welcome the new control scheme because, while innovative, we found TPC sometimes imprecise and more sluggish than button inputs would allow. The time required to execute a ¾ turn of the analog stick was a bit longer than it would normally take to let off an upper-cut, and this actually detracted from the realism of the game. Furthermore, while transitioning from a blocking position (which uses the right trigger) to a counterpunch, the player would first have to let go of the trigger and then move the analog stick to return a jab, which took time and does not work that way in real life (boxers can instantly throw a counter without dropping both their gloves, for example). It will be interesting to see how the loyal fanbase responds to this change, since there will now be a mix of people using different control inputs online and off. Will the "button mashers" now have the advantage, or have these past few months of training made the TPC people better than ever?

Purists will probably moan about how we are ruining the game with our demands for a n00b control scheme. But we contend that anything that makes punches more intuitive and more rapid brings the game closer to its goal of providing a "simulation" of the sweet science.

Players who are still on the fence about Fight Night Round 4 will be able to check out a demo with the new controls in early September.

Mama said knock you out, so I'm gonna press down and to the left on the analog stick.