Das "neue" Fight Night für die PS3 !
September 1, 2006 - After wowing crowds at the Sony Press Conference at E3 2005, EA went quiet with the PlayStation 3 version of EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 for well over a year -- leading some to believe that it had been cancelled in favor of working on an all-new game entirely. But with this week's announcement that Round 3 is still coming to the PS3 in the Holiday launch window, we wanted several of our questions answered. To do so, we went to EA Canada Producer Michael Blank and here's what he had to say.
IGN: There are a couple of new features in the PS3 version of Round 3, the most significant of which is the new first-person "Get in the Ring Mode." Can you tell us a little bit about how this mode is different from the first-person stun punch in the 360 version?
Michael Blank: This is a completely new experience that allows players to fight through the eyes of the boxer from the moment they enter the ring until someone gets KO'd. This is the closest a gamer will ever come to getting into the ring and trading blows with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya and the other greats. What makes it so powerful and exciting is that the experience changes as the boxer's health deteriorates. We've captured the sensation and feel of taking punches by implementing a number of different effects such as ear ringing, simulated loss of hearing, and restricted vision that mimics the effects of eye swelling and damage as well as flashes of bright light, color shifts and blur to give players that sense and feeling of getting punched.
In multiplayer mode, the players can take advantage of widescreen and HDTV technology to go head to head in first person split-screen battles. This is really cool because as you inflict damage on your opponent, you can see the damage happening in real time and if you peak over at your opponent's side of the screen you'll be able to see the effects of the damage on his vision.
IGN: That does sound cool, but why the decision to focus on first-person mode so heavily to begin with? What benefits does it bring to the boxing action that the third-person perspective doesn't?
Blank: Because you're the boxer now, not the corner man. Our goal was to give players a new way to experience the game and to do so in a way that makes them feel as though they are part of the action. Playing in first-person makes you think quicker and it creates a more instinctually-driven gameplay experience. That is what boxing is all about. You need to anticipate what kind of punch is being thrown and then react, counter and attack by assessing your opponent's weaknesses.
This is the ultimate in hudless gameplay. The screen acts as your eyes. For those of you who have had your bell rung before, you remember what that felt like and that's what we're capturing in the game; the sudden flash of light, the momentary black out and loss of focus let you know that you had just been hit hard. If you were unfortunate enough to really take a beating, remember how the effects got progressively worse? This feeling is what boxing in first person has enabled us to create.
IGN: Tell us a little more about the new damage function. How does it work exactly and how does it affect your fighter's performance compared to the old mode?
Blank: The new damage system in first-person is reflected in changes to your vision and hearing. This is another layer on top of the existing damage model and will have a dramatic effect on how you box. In Fight Night, every punch has a special intensity and can land in any number of different regions on the body. So, when you're in first-person and you're hit by an uppercut, the boxer's head thrusts upwards resulting in a momentary change in where the boxer's eyes are focused. As the uppercut hits the chin area of the face, the screen of the first person boxer is affected by a combination of visual effects to show you how hard and where you've been hit.
As your health deteriorates, the visual effects get more dramatic and intense. If your eye has been worked by multiple punches and has swollen up, the side of the screen representing your bad eye gets blurry and will darken to show you that your eye is in bad shape. This will make it harder to anticipate punches towards the damaged eye. Ultimately, you'll need to figure out how to better protect that side of your face or you risk not being able to see punches coming from that direction. In addition, the cut-man is now more important because if you don't get the swelling down then you'll enter the next round with poor vision.
IGN: Does the new damage function have any applications in the standard perspective, or is it a first-person-only benefit?
Blank: This is only in first-person. As I've described it, it wouldn't make much sense in a third person perspective.
IGN: Besides the new mode, there have also been a number of graphical upgrades. What kind of updates can we expect to see?
Blank: Fight Night on Xbox 360 in an amazing looking game. I think Kudo once described this as "jaw-dropping graphics". I don't think there is a better description. This is what consumers envisioned when they thought of a "next-gen" game. For the PS3, we've been able to add some really cool detail to the boxers. When you see a boxer in action, their veins, tendons and muscles are very visible. The strain of throwing a punch is shown in their bodies and we're working on emulating this same visual detail. What you end up with is something that looks very realistic and makes an already amazing looking game just a little more "jaw-dropping".
IGN: At E3 2005 Kudo really pushed the facial animations and emotional reactions that fighters have. The 360 version didn't really convey that -- are we getting that sort of reaction from our PS3 boxers?
Blank: This is another benefit of playing in first-person. The animations and reactions are much more evident. You're up close and personal with your opponent. When you land a hard punch, you'll see your opponent's face grimace with pain.
IGN: Are the visual improvements specifically thanks to "The power of PS3" or is it simply because the developers had more time to work on next-gen hardware?
b>Blank: The answer is both. More time allows us to think about how to do things in different ways. At the same time, the PS3 is a powerful system and there are things we can do on this system that are unique. Each system has its advantages but both systems are really powerful tools that help us to make the great games we want to make.
IGN: The game is set for the launch window but not launch day itself, why is it taking longer to bring it to the system when it has already been finished for months on the other platforms?
Blank: Fight Night was released after the Xbox 360 launched. We did this because the extra time allowed us to polish the game further which helped make it one of the best games released on the 360. We are using the same strategy for the PS3.
IGN: Well then, be as frank as possible: How difficult or easy was it to port the game from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3?
Blank: Making the game work on the PS3 was not an easy feat but this is the experience all game makers have at every hardware transition. The PS3 works differently than the 360 in many respects. That being said, once the initial learning curve was overcome, we've become very adept at figuring out how to get the most out of the platform.
IGN: Will it use the six-axis tilt functionality at all?
Blank: Yes. We are in the process of exploring some cool things we can do with the controller. I'm not at liberty to discuss it just yet!
IGN: Since the game uses ESPN Integration, will it be tailored to the sport of boxing? Give us updates on that sport, or will it be more of a general thing?
Blank: The game will have it all. You'll receive news articles, streaming video, live ticker and SportsCenter updates about the gamut of sports out there but we are also going to provide specific boxing content such as news and highlights of ESPN Wednesday Night Fights and Friday Night Fights.
IGN: Have there been any updates made to the create-a-character in terms of options?
Blank: We did not focus on adding additional updates to the Create-a-character feature for this version. The Create-a-character feature in the game is amazing. You can customize virtually every aspect of the boxer, from the shape of his nose to the tattoos on his back.
IGN: How close to the Xbox 360 version is the PS3 version in terms of its online support?
Blank: Online support for the PS3 will be the same as the 360.
IGN: Well what about about downloadable content then? We can't expect Fight Night Round 3 to make use of Sony's downloadable initiative?
Blank: We're looking into this and working with Sony. Our focus now, though, is to make Fight Night Round 3 for the PS3 an amazing playing and looking game with new features that are part of the game when you open the box.
IGN: Okay so maybe it won't be the same after all. Any new boxers for this version?
Blank: We already have an amazing group of boxers in the game now. We're confident that everyone will be able to select a boxer to fight with that they're excited about. Also, the ESPN Classics fights highlight the best fights in boxing history with guys like Ali vs. Frazier, Gatti vs. Ward etc.
IGN: Since it's coming out so much later than the 360 version and it's obviously so different, are you going to give it a title change to reflect that or are you just going to stick with "Round 3?
Blank: The game will be called Round 3. Ideally we would have been able to release the PS3 version simultaneously with the 360 but the platforms were off cycle. The extra time between the releases has allowed us to add some of the awesome new features that I've described.
IGN: One of my biggest problems with "Round 3 the old," was its career mode. I fought the same rival six times (knocking him out every time), dominated the AI on hard, and missed the ranking systems of Round 2. The press conference fights also seemed way out of place. Have those complaints been addressed in PS3 Round 3?
Blank: No. Ultimately, we thought it was important to offer something new to consumers who want a reason to go out and purchase this game for the PS3. For those who already purchased the 360 version, Get in the Ring and ESPN Integration are two great reasons to go out and pick up Round 3 for the PS3. We have big plans for the next version of the career mode and are already thinking about how to address these issues and do so much more.
Bilder:
Gleicher Chip, aber denke an die Taktraten.....
