By Stevie Smith Jan 31, 2008, 12:12 GMT
Leading third-party developer and publisher Electronic Arts has already left its blood-spattered mark on the videogame boxing world with its popular Fight Night series, which most recently saw Fight Night Round 3 taking interactive boxing action to a whole new level of visual realism and bone-crushing gameplay authenticity.
EA announces cartoon boxing with FaceBreaker.
Now though, bobbing and weaving around fan expectations, Electronic Arts has this week shown some nimble and diverse footwork with the announcement of FaceBreaker, a considerably more comic and humorous take on the usually brutal sport.
Currently in development at EA Canada (which also produced Fight Night Round 3), FaceBreaker will arrive giving gamers access to a brand of ring-based action perfectly encapsulated in its title – namely the oddly light-hearted ability to, quite literally, break the face of their opponents. Yes, light hearted.
Exuding exaggerated cell-shaded characters that certainly wouldn’t look out of place in Valve’s recent multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2, EA’s pugilistic pummelfest will utilise "real-time facial deformation" to deliver on the promise of its title and send fighters sprawling from wildly over-the-top cartoon damage.
"Arcade boxing takes me back to my roots in this industry," describes Electronic Arts’ Peter Moore, " …this game signals our shift to adding more approachable fun to our product lineup."
Fictional characters set to appear in FaceBreaker will include Latin lover Romeo, who’s renowned for his pelvic thrusts (though we’re not sure whether that’s an attack move or a pre-fight pose) and Molotov, a fiery oversized Russian demolitions expert who has a fondness for fighting dirty.
FaceBreaker’s appeal will be extended through Game Face Technology, which, much like Rainbow Six: Vegas and Tiger Woods, will allow players to transfer their own photographic likeness into the game before adding it to a personally created character.
Currently, little more is known regarding game modes, gameplay features, or multiplayer aspects, but expect EA to divulge more about this new property in the coming weeks.
FaceBreaker will be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii – the latter edition could well emerge as an absolute gold mine if EA convincingly handles the motion-sensing control method.
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