By Time for a story back from EA Vancouver, home of Fight Night Round 4 (FNR4). When we got to mess around with the game, one of the pressing issues was buttons. It was rumored that they wouldn’t make it into the game, which could potentially be a dangerous move, or it could pay off in the long run.
Here is the problem, in Fight Night Round 3 (FNR3), users were able to either use the Total Punch Control scheme which is only the bottom right stick, or a second option, which could use a mixture of buttons, consisting of A, B, Y and X. However, in FNR4, the buttons are gone, removing the luck factor, and forcing players to use the bottom right stick to throw any punches.
My response for EA at the time was,
“While I can understand that buttons not be used for competitive, ranked play, due to the fact that button mashing plays a role in the outcome, I still think it should remain an option in the offline campaigns.”
EA Sports community manager, sk88z, defended the decision, which we somewhat agree with,
“Here’s my take, and by no means is this an official statement from EA or the Fight Night team.
I played the first Fight Night with the original stick and with most games, I do my best to try to understand what the developers of a game has in mind when they put in the time to create control schemes and gameplay ideas. I was easily hooked on the new concept of using the right stick to punch because it mimics the punches and feels like I’m throwing a punch rather than just pushing a button. There was pleasure in pulling back for a punch and then following through and it felt pretty good.
Total Punch Control adapted and changed and while some who mastered the original controls were irked about the change, they adapted to the controls and, like myself, understood the reasoning behind the changes such as it was the extra wind up and follow through for haymakers. Some liked it, some didn’t. I didn’t mind it, as again, I do my best to appreciate what the devs had in mind. What I didn’t like was how long it took to pull off combos having to crank back each punch. It could be done, but maybe there was a better way.
All the while, there was the option of using buttons to punch. Unfortunately, no matter how good people got on the sticks to punch, the buttons were just a tad faster it seemed and at the end of the day for gamers who will push the limits to win (no pun intended), buttons were by far the easier way to win in the game. I went back to play with the buttons just so I could get some online wins though I it did kind of drive me nuts that there seemed to be an unbalance in the game.
And then comes Round 4. It was talked about early that there would be no buttons. Uproar ensued and was expected. Change is tough. And then people found out that TPC was changed as well. More questions and wonder from the even the TPC community. Now the demo has dropped and with the jury still out, the feedback of quick responses have been what has been expected.
Again, my take, the new TPC is the culmination of controls to satisfy both the button user and previous TPC users. You will need to practice, but once you do and find the sweet spots on the stick to throw punches, you will begin to understand what the devs had in mind. The ability to quickly throw 1-2 punches tapping the stick in the proper direction (don’t be lazy and viciously tap, time it like a punch), and then finishing it with a strong hook or uppercut to the head that still feels just right when you connect. No more having to crank back every punch yet the speed of throwing punches can be just as quick as the old button controls. The key here is to take the time master the controls and not to be lazy finding the sweet spots.
I know there will be people that will continue to dig their feet in and fight for buttons. What can I tell ya? For 3 iterations you’ve had chances to try something new, yet for one reason or another, probably because it was slightly quicker to use ‘em to win, buttons were the way to go. For the rest of us that have stepped out of the button-comfort-zone, I’m pretty satisfied with the new controls and look forward to some great fights. I’ve already seen a lot of people that have adapted from buttons to the new TPC and have been very surprised that it’s as quick and responsive as it is after grasping the controls. I am hopeful more people will have the same experiences.
Start working out that thumb folks if you want to go FTW.
We want to know what you think, do you agree with the choice to remove the buttons from Fight Night Round 4?
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