EA Sports unveils Fight Night Champion

To use the vernacular of the sport it portrays, Fight Night Round 4 got knocked out in 2009. A new analog control scheme drew applause from many longtime fans but was largely reviled by casual players.

EA later released a patch that brought back button mapped punching, but it proved too little, too late. The legendary fighters never stay down for long, however. EA Sports has announced the next game in the series, Fight Night Champion. The EA Canada effort is slated for a 2011 release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Initial images suggest EA is pushing the bloodier aspects of the sport. Images of Manny Pacquiao – a fighter more revered for his precision in the ring than a violent style – covered in blood have videogame boxing fans talking. Just as the sport of boxing is competing with the popularity of mixed martial arts, boxing games have to compete with a rapidly growing slate of MMA games.

At a media briefing last week, EA reps said Champion would tap into the darker aspects of the sport.

EA isn’t shying away from changing up the control scheme though. The new scheme is called Full Spectrum Punch Control and we don’t know a lot yet, but EA’s press materials are touting it as the most realistic punching system ever seen in a fighting game.

Read [ESPN's The Gamer] Also Read [The Koalition]