In comparison to other mainstream sports, boxing is perhaps underrepresented in video games. It seems that the sport can't support an annual franchise even though yearly iterations are the norm for FIFA, NFL, NHL, NBA (until recently, at least), MLB and now even mixed martial arts games.

Difficulty seems imbalanced across game modes; No physical manual and in-game guidance isn't particularly clear

Boxing fans have been lucky since 2004. Not one single Fight Night title has brought fans disappointment. Delivering groundbreaking features and pairing them with breathtaking visuals in the last two entries, it seemed almost unreal to imagine what the next chapter would bring.

Sports series rarely require anything as outlandish as a story mode to keep it from stagnating. Fight Night Champion 's rise-and-fall boxing tale is a refreshing and welcome addition to the franchise.

Champion Mode's clever match variables; Simplified controls mean faster fights; Easy to pull off crushing; satisfying combos

Champion Mode's atrocious final boss; Disappointing multiplayer suite

Make no bones about it, this is Rocky retold in digital form. But however familiar the punches, it's how they are thrown that makes the difference between victory and defeat. Champion executes its game-plan with a skilful touch, weaving the enjoyable yarn around a deep and tactical boxing sim.

There was a time when I wouldn't have taken a second glance at Fight Night Champion. But ever since Eurogamer asked me to transfer my arcade fighter fanaticism to a preview of UFC Undisputed 2009, I've realised that strategic stamina control can be just as intense as setting up cross-ups and frame...

Like an unknown fighter from the wrong side of the tracks, Fight Night Champion has seemingly come from nowhere to take on the big boys of the gaming industry. Not content with being the best in its own small corner of the industry, Fight Night Champion steps out of the sports genre altogether and...

Storytelling in a sports game; Yes; indeed; Smooth online experience; Improved control mechanics; Multiple modes to play

Fight Night Champion lives up to its boastful billing, and is easily the best installment in EA Sports' celebrated boxing sim series. Read the full review here!

Excellent feel and flow to the combat; visual tweaks make this the best-looking entry by a wide margin; Champion mode is a solid new twist on the formula

It's always a tricky thing when a developer decides to radically change the formula that made previous entries into a series a hit, but...

Absolutely tons to do online and off; An actually decent storyline; Deep character creation/upgrades

Fastest Fight Night yet; Dumbed-down corner recovery; Stick/button control scheme

At the end of the day, Fight Night Champion is a brutal, bloody, and realistic romp through the world of boxing. EA Sports did a fantastic job of telling an actual sports story instead of just giving us a sports game to play.

The compelling narrative; The sharp; brutal graphics; The revamped control scheme

The near-worthless Legacy Mode; The lack of things to do outside of Champion Mode; The boring training mini-games

Regardless of how much time you've spent with the Fight Night Champion demo, or with previous Fight Night games, your first act in EA Sports' latest boxing sim is to pick yourself up off the floor after getting knocked down.

Story-driven Champion mode is a great addition; Superb-looking fighters who take realistic damage; Flash KOs and knockdowns keep fights from being predictable; Spamming punches is no longer an effective fight strategy; Intuitive controls

Legacy mode's training minigames aren't much fun; Referee occasionally comes between the camera and the action