Electronic Arts' Fight Night games are many things -- some of the most visually-impressive titles in existence, the only boxing games that have been taken seriously in recent years, and some of EA Sports' best reviewed games.
But if there's one thing they're not, it's "funny." Since EA Chicago and EA Canada (who took over the franchise starting with Fight Night Round 3 on PS3) have established Fight Night as serious boxing brand, the company saw a gap in the market with room for a more lighthearted boxing game. Enter Facebreaker for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, in development at EA Canada.
Looking somewhat like a cross between Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and Team Fortress 2, Facebreaker is a cartooney boxing game that will literally let players break each others' faces (one of the features touted by EA is "real-time facial deformation"). According to EA's Peter Moore in a press release, "Arcade boxing takes me back to my roots in this industry, and this game signals our shift to adding more approachable fun to our product lineup."
Rather than use real boxers, the developers created fictional characters such as Romeo, "a Latin lover known for his pelvic thrusts," and Molotov, "an oversized Russian demolitions expert with a penchant for fighting dirty." Players will also be able to use the Game Face technology seen in games like Tiger Woods to transfer personal photos and make themselves into characters in the game.
For detailed information and more screenshots of Facebreaker, look for an exclusive preview in the March 2008 issue of EGM, heading to subscribers soon and stores in about two weeks.
