Physical Damage

*The physical damage on the boxers needs to be improved a lot. Right now you can get a small collection of cuts and every fighter swells in the same way. I know the devs have mentioned that the ratings board (ESRB I think) put a limit on how much blood they can show at the current rating the game has (Teen) and that raising the rating would hurt sales - I understand that. What is needed is greater variety in damage - there shouldn't be one type of cut over an area (ie. straight cut across the cheek etc) they should vary it up.

*When a fighter is damaged so much that they are almost going to get stopped, the ref should be able to call on the doctor to check the damage and decide whether or not to stop the fight.

*If a fighter is cut and there is fighting on the inside or a clinch, some blood should be smeared on the opponent’s shoulder and side of their head.
*Also when a guy is cut his blood should get smudged around his face as he is hit more.

*The nose should bleed more often as well.

*Lips should cut and swell as well.

*Also the swelling should vary from fighter to fighter rather than the same generic way it seems to right now. If you look at somebody like Corrales who swells a lot under the eye, where as Oscar swells a bit more on the cheekbone (below isn't a good example), Tyson swells more over the top of the eye (I couldn't find a pic but look at him after fighting Douglas) and Cotto's whole face virtually swells all at once:





Taking Punches

Little things bug me about when a fighter takes a punch on FNR4:

*When stunned a fighter only ever tends to take the big step backwards when hit by the punch that stuns them or he takes one or two slow steps like he's dizzy. There needs to be a few variations on fighters doing the "silly dance" when stunned (you know what I mean - the legs wobbling) because it would add an extra element of realism to the game.

*A fighter’s legs should still be a bit shaky after a knockdown for a short while

*The hands should drop a bit when a good body punch is landed, the amount the hand drops should vary with the damage done to that area. A fighter with badly damaged midsection should be holding the arms lower to the area to protect it.

*The damage bar between rounds should be separated into different areas (eg. left eye, right eye, left ribs etc.) to allow users to focus on the specific area that is damaged rather than a generic healing option. This would be particularly useful against guys who fight mostly on one side - letting you save points by focusing on the side affected. Obviously this depends on whether or not EA overhaul the corner game or not.

*There needs to be a big change In the knockdown animations as well. There aren’t a great variety in FNR4 and the one we have are a bit cartoonish some times (especially when the guy sprints the the ropes to fall and the one that is like a tree being chopped down – TIMBER! lol). Things like a guy dropping to his knees or putting a glove on the canvas would help. Guys falling onto the ropes properly would also help – right now you either catapult off them or hit them like a wall – boxers should be able to fall ON TO the ropes when knocked down. (I’m thinking of La Motto vs Dauthuille but I’m sure there is a more modern example lol). More realistic knockdowns are essential.

It should be possible (but rare)to get a flash knockdown from a body shot – look at Hatton vs Castillo or Hopkins vs De La Hoya – it happens.

*Low blows should make a fighter go down to their knees sometimes. Obviously this wouldn’t count as a knockdown.

*Certain fighters should have their own reaction to a knockdown or a big punch – for example Frazier used to tap his gloves together.

*Fighters wiping blood out of the eyes during a round would be cool as well.




Punch Styles

The one thing that annoys me most about the game is that everyone uses the same style of punches; some guys may be quicker or more powerful but the animation is the same.

The game needs to have several options for each punch. A Liston jab looks different from an Ali jab and an Ali uppercut is massively different from a Tyson uppercut and it should be that way in the game. There needs to be a lot of different animations for each punch (ie. Jab, hook & uppercut).
This would allow the game to more accurately reflect the true style of each boxer and let CAB makers reflect a real life boxer’s style better. All you need to do is a bit of extra mo-cap work – get a few different guys in and have them study tapes.

Footwork

The footwork in the game needs a bit of work, right now everyone seems to use their feet in the same way. There needs to be a wide choice of footwork to give the game more realism – if a fighter is up on their toes a lot (like a young Ali) then they should be like that, if they are more flat footed in the ring then they should have the footwork to match.

Taunting
Taunting should be used in the game properly, not just the signature punches we have right now which are a bit generic. I know everyone is going to say that the taunting is annoying but that is the point it is supposed to be frustrating and throw you off your game. I think a decent taunting would give a decent psychological element to the game. Each fighter has their own unique things they do when they are well on top of a fight and each fighter should have this in the game – some should even have nothing at all.

Also, little extra things like taunts (but not) would help. I mean things like if your fighting a guy who doesn’t engage too often you could have an animation that tells them to come forward and fight or a fighter shaking his head after receiving a big punch to act as if he wasn’t really hurt etc. Things like this would help add a little realism to the game.