Browse by Tags
All Tags »
boxing (
RSS)
POSTED:
Feb 16 2010, 03:03 PM
Close to 100 fights were duked out in last month's FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Community Playdate as the developers put out the challenge to the community and players came in droves to answer the bell for a shot at the makers of the game. On this end we had ten developers rotate in and out through the evening to face a lineup of players in the community.
Huge thanks to everyone that participated including the fansites that also participated. Though we would've like to have recorded each and every bout, we were able to put together some highlights from a few here. In the future we will be doing PS3 Featured Game Night for our Sony fans, so be on the look out for that.
TheSportsGameGuy.com's MPDamon vs Producer Jazz Brousseau
Booberloo vs Brian Hayes
IFIL TravILadin vs Brian Hayes
POSTED:
Nov 12 2009, 12:18 PM
Manny Pacquiao will win his highly anticipated November 14th bout against Miguel Cotto with a convincing unanimous decision, according to the official EA SPORTS simulation conducted using Fight Night Round 4.
According to the simulation, Cotto's defensive prowess and methodical approach to attacking Pacquiao's body kept the opening rounds extremely close. As the fight approached the middle rounds, Manny countered Cotto's strategy with his blinding speed, keeping out of range and forcing Cotto to keep moving forward. Forced out of his defensive strategy Cotto leaves himself open and Manny takes advantage by raining down quick combos while maintaining his range. The combos begin to take their toll on Cotto as the fight approaches Round 8, as he is bleeding and visibly slowing down. Cotto continues to attempt to pressure the body, but the damage he has taken throughout the fight slows him down so much that he can't get close to Pacquiao. Manny, who seems as fresh as when he started the fight, sends Cotto to the mat with a weaving left hook at the end of the 8th. Despite beating the count, Cotto is never able to recover and loses the bout by unanimous decision.
Round by Round Scoring:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Totals
Miguel Cotto 9 10 10 9 9 9 9 8 9 9 9 9 109
Manny Pacquiao 10 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 118
Check out video highlights of the simulation here: Pacquiao-Cotto Sim
The simulation was conducted using Fight Night Round 4's all-new AI (Artificial Intelligence) system. Dubbed R.E.A.L (Record, Evaluate, Adapt, Learn) AI, the system re-creates each fighter's ring strategies in the game based on their real life counterparts. Built with adaptive logic, the system triggers fighters to change their tactics based on their success, or failure, throughout the course of a bout.
POSTED:
Nov 09 2009, 02:06 PM
This Saturday Manny Pacquiao will fight WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto for a chance to win his seventh title in seven different weight divisions, something no boxer in history has ever done. In his most recent fights, Pacquiao dominated Oscar De La Hoya in a fight last December where De La Hoya didn't answer the bell in the ninth; and this past summer he destroyed former Welterweight and Light Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton in two rounds. Cotto, a two time Welterweight Champion, picked up his second Welterweight belt defeating Michael Jennings for the vacant WBO title and successfully defended the belt in his first defense against Joshua Clottey this past summer. Immediately after that fight, plans were being made for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight which boxing fans will be treated to this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel.
There's been a lot of talk around the catchweight of 145 pounds that has been agreed upon though imposed by Freddie Roach and the Pacquiao camp. Some are calling this a bit of a headgame but I wonder if making Cotto fight only a pound less than what he normally fights at may have actually benefited Cotto more. Though he has gotten into the gym earlier than he usually does for fights, the thoughts that he would overtrain (such as De La Hoya seemed to going down to 148) don't seem to be manifesting. In fact, the extra training has not only brought his team closer together but Cotto seems to be the best shape of his life and looks to be getting stronger as he nears Saturday's fight night and the 145-pound mark. The one thing that he hasn't been able to replicate in training with his sparring partners is the speed that he will have to contend with this Saturday.
On the other hand, Pacquiao's star seems to be shining more than ever and though he's always had other interests outside of the ring, this past year has kept Manny busier than ever. Pacquiao wanted to train for train for the fight back in the Philippines in the northern mountains of Baguio. Roach actually suggested the team train in Vancouver (would've been awesome) but thoughts of a rainy city pushed them to decide to head to the motherland. Ironically, the islands were pounded by a number of typhoons while the Pacquiao camp was set up in the PI and Manny himself looked to be affected wanting to help out wherever he could.
Pacquiao further saw himself seeming distracted when training in Manila as fans continually sought to get a glimpse of their hometown champion, while also finding time to do television appearances to talk about his career and upcoming fight. Add to this is Floyd Mayweather's schooling of Juan Marquez, who Pacquiao won twice and lost once against, in September setting up a possible next match against the Filipino Buzzsaw and it's easy for people to contend that Pacquiao may not be as focused as he could be for what should be his biggest fight of his career.
The questions now become, though he has always been a multi-tasker out of the ring, will these distractions finally catch up with Manny? Will Pacquiao find that focus he needs to win his seventh title in a seventh weight class? On the other hand, will the extra training for Cotto, which seemed to have made him as strong as ever, be enough to counter the speed of Pacquiao's fists which have been described in the past as blinding razors that come at all angles? If the winner was decided in training camp, as many in the industry allude to, then the edge may go to Cotto.
That's just a few of the many thoughts I have going into this fight this weekend. And at the end of the day, all it takes is one big punch in the right to turn a fight around or to end it completely. I asked our community on the forums what their predictions are for the fight. Personally, before the training began I thought Manny would defeat Cotto early, but after noting how each camp has prepared for the fight, it really looks like Cotto could put up a decent fight defending his title looking as good as he ever has. Regardless, I'm still picking Pacquiao FTW and see him being too much for Cotto to handle stopping him in the 8th.
Here are some of the community predictions:
"I pick Pacman in 11 rounds, or a decision, I can't really see him actually knocking down Cotto, but I can see him stopping Cotto on cuts." ~mi_hee-fan
"Manny Pacquiao by UD. The fact of the matter is Roach is not going to teach Pac to rush in there Bob Sapp style. Pac is going to pick Miguel off with hit and run tactics all night. And for those who are unsure of Pac's chin, he has been hit flush and has not been KO'D yet." ~j-bels08
"His chin ain't bad but it ain't good either. I don't say this because I hate him, he is one of my favourite fighters, but Cotto will KO him big time." ~I-The_G-Man-I
"I think Cotto by decision because the fights at 145 pounds i think Cotto will hurt him early then Pac-man's heart will keep him in the fight but Cotto will win on points." ~Evanz14
"I didn't believe Freddie when he said Manny would KO Hatton within 3 rounds or when he said KO De La Hoya in 8. He was shockingly right about both. Looking at where Pacquiao is right now, at his peak and prime, and how Freddie Roach is such an evil genius, I can't predict what round but its gonna be a KO win for Manny." ~pinoyboi516
"I think Manny wins this. I think he will knockout Cotto in less than 8. Speed is greater than power. Manny is faster and very strong. Cotto will go to the body but Manny will sidestep, make him miss, and make him pay with counters." ~reznick8
Look out for the official EA SPORTS Pacquiao-Cotto simulation by the game team to be released this week.
POSTED:
Jul 02 2009, 02:40 PM
Hey there! Mike Mahar here and I thought I’d take a few moments to give you an overview of new feature in Fight Night Round 4 called Online World Championships.
First, let me give you some background on how we came up with the idea … As you’re aware most EA SPORTS games have a standard online ‘Play Now’ mode. This mode is usually a quick pick up and play, come as you are affair… whereby the user selects a licensed or created team/character and heads out to take on the best competition they can find. Results are tracked on leaderboards and satisfaction comes from the competition … or more specifically…laying the smack down on your opponent.
We wanted to take this idea a step further for those who wanted to invest slightly more time into their online character/persona...hence the introduction of the Online World Championships.
Online World Championships are different from Fight Now in several ways:
1. You can only use created characters. Our objective is to encourage users’ to create and use their ‘virtual selves’ online…obviously we also expect there to be a fair amount of Borats and Obamas. The the use of Photo Game Face and the ability to download boxers from EA SPORTS World will make for amazing looking boxers!
2. All boxers will have their ratings/attributes leveled. We do this do ensure a level playing field amongst all participants and focus the fight on who is the most skilled Fight Night Round 4 boxer. Not, who has the better ratings.
3. There are three weight divisions; Light Weight, Middle Weight, and Heavy Weight. We condensed the weight classes to ensure there is always a critical mass of users around to fight in your selected weight division.
4. …and this may be the biggest… There is only one championship belt available for each weight division. This means, if you hold the belt…you’re truly the champion of the world in your weight division.
5. There are no regions…when you sign up to fight you’ll be fighting against boxers from around the world playing Fight Night Round 4…including the UK, France, Canada, Germany, the USA and more.
6. More than winning the belt you can also earn titles. For example; Most Knockouts, Most Wins, Fastest Win, etc. These titles are marked with icons beside your gamertag on our leaderboards. These titles are earned by being the best in the world and/or the best in the region you are playing from… I.e. I could have the Most KO Wins in Canada.
7. You must battle your way up the ranks to earn a shot at the champ. The lowest ranked fighter won’t get a shot at the belt until he earns it by beating down the competition.
8. Once you’ve won the belt you have to keep it by winning X amount of fights over a certain period of time. We will be monitoring these conditions once we go live and have the ability to make this easier or more difficult based on the community feedback.
Online World Championships encourages people to create their virtual selves, get online, and prove who, from around the globe, has the best Fight Night Round 4 skills…no different weight class match ups, no ratings differences, no BS, just boxing.
We’ll be watching the action…Good Luck!
-Mike
POSTED:
Jun 26 2009, 04:06 PM
Last night in Hollywood EA SPORTS rolled out the red carpet at the House of Blues with the launch event of the year dubbed the Showdown on Sunset. The event featured some of the game's biggest names, musical guests, and other Hollywood notables in an evening where fight fans were invited to not only get a look at but to also get their hands on the most anticipated game of the year.
The evening began when the stars arrived and walked the carpet posing for pics, talking about the game with the media, and getting a little time on the sticks at the end of the line. The crowd on hand not only got a chance to see boxing greats in Iron Mike Tyson, Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora, and "Sugar" Shane Mosley, MMA fighters were also in the house including Dan "Punkass" Caldwell from Tapout.
For the complete blog with videos go to the Inside EA SPORTS blog: Showdown on Sunset Recap
To check out more pics from the event, check them out on the Inside EA SPORTS blog: Pics from the Showdown on Sunset
POSTED:
Jun 26 2009, 03:53 PM
We bring our fight fans the best in the Science of Fight Night as top ranked boxers give their thoughts on the ring game and how they use strategy, skill, and strength to plant opponents onto the mat.
Make sure you check out the media section of this site as these videos are exclusive and can only be seen here!
POSTED:
May 14 2009, 10:55 AM
MANNY PACQUIAO AND RICKY HATTON SET TO REMATCH IN EA’s FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 DEMO
Get the demo now on Xbox Live Marketplace: Fight Night Round 4 Xbox 360
Learn more on PlayStation.com: Fight Night Round 4 PS3
EA SPORTS is giving fight fans the chance to redeem Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, after his knockout-loss to Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao earlier this month, in a playable three-round demo of Fight Night Round 4. The demo will be available today, May 14th, on Xbox LIVE® and the PlayStation®Network, exclusively to consumers who pre-order Fight Night Round 4 through GameStop. The demo will be available to all Xbox Gold Members on May 28th, and to PlayStation Network users and Xbox Silver members on June 4th.
On May 2nd, Pacquiao took on British boxing phenomenon Ricky Hatton, and delivered a devastating left cross that put Hatton to the canvas at the end of the second round. The playable demo will give players the chance to channel the lightning-fast hands and sharp reflexes of Pacquiao to recreate the punch that sent Hatton to the mat, or resurrect the bravado and unstoppable pressure that Hatton is known for and rewrite history. With an included video upload function, players can showcase their bouts to the world by uploading videos directly to www.easportsworld.com.
Consumers can gain early access to the demo by pre-ordering Fight Night Round 4 at their local GameStop or EB Games, or online at www.gamestop.com. Upon reserving the game, consumers will be presented with a unique Xbox Live or PlayStation Network code that can be redeemed to gain access to the demo. Those who have already pre-ordered Fight Night Round 4 from GameStop can bring in their pre-order receipt to receive their access code. Select retailers will also be offering download codes for five free songs from the game’s soundtrack.*
Fight Night Round 4 features unique boxer styles and an all new physics based engine that creates one-of-a-kind bouts between over 45 licensed boxers. The action inside the ring will be faster than ever, delivering a true representation of the sport’s incredible speed, accuracy, timing, and power.
Fight Night Round 4 will ship to stores for the Xbox 360® video game system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on June 25th, 2009. The game has been rated T by the ESRB. The game has not yet been rated been rated by PEGI.
POSTED:
May 13 2009, 02:34 PM
I received this new image of Jermain Taylor from the dev team as they have done some tweaks based on the initial feedback received from the community when we first put out the screens of some of the boxers. I'll let it speak for itself and know that they have been working on doing their best to get things right for some of the other fighters as well.
Jermain Taylor - Initial Model
Jermain Taylor - Revised Model
POSTED:
Apr 07 2009, 02:39 PM
By Brian Hayes, Producer
I was just 6 months old when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met for the
third time at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines on October 1,
1975. As I became enamored with boxing many, many years ago and began
purchasing classic fight tapes and DVDs, I purchased an Ali VHS box-set
that included, “The Thrilla In Manila”. I have seen several great
fights over the years, but Ali-Frazier III will always stand out for me
because of the punishment both men exacted upon each other, their
tumultuous relationship outside the ropes, the way Ali slumped back on
his stool after briefly celebrating the stoppage and, most importantly,
the look in Joe Frazier’s eyes when Eddie Futch stopped the fight.
For the HBO video preview, Brian's complete blog, and new FNR4 screens of the fighters in the Manila Arena, go to Inside EA SPORTS Blog: Thrilla in Manila (or why I love Joe Frazier)
POSTED:
Apr 04 2009, 08:27 PM