However, it's slow to develop and nowhere near as fun as Champion mode why the two modes weren't combined is a mystery, but it is surely the direction the series is heading. The main action lies with the disappointing career mode, where you control a rookie all the way to the heights of the boxing pyramid. Go in slugging away and your strength quickly fades, leaving you open to a swift knockout blow. Here, the requisite tweaks have been made, controls have been finessed with a choice between button or right stick to control punching and a tricky but rewarding system of blocks, dodges, weaves and counter-punches. Sadly, it only lasts a few hours and, once completed, Bishop is left behind as you delve into the standard range of non-narrative combat. Each fight offers a new challenge, whether it's avoiding the powerful left hook of one opponent, having to knock out another due to dodgy scoring by the judges or surviving a bare-knuckle prison fight, all with engagingly cinematic cut scenes in between. The story continues from there, following the Rocky formula – old-school trainer, evil promoter, dastardly heavyweight champion waiting to have some humility beaten into him – but it's an absorbing experience that's enjoyable while teaching the sport's fundamentals. When the game starts, you're thrown straight into the ring as Andre Bishop, an up-and-coming amateur. Put your hands together, then, for Fight Night: Champion, which introduces a polished narrative strand, the eponymous Champion mode, breathing new life into the boxing sim.
However, the relentless release schedule means innovation is rare – tweaks here and there are the order of the day, so when something genuinely new is introduced it's to be applauded. S port games are a huge cash cow for publishers, and yearly updates and a seemingly insatiable fan base ensure they nearly always top the charts.