You can still attempt a ridiculous rapid-punch session, but the penalty of exhausting your fighter quickly is severe. It's nice to know you are definitely throwing an uppercut rather than hoping you made the right movements with the thumbstick to pull one off. The altered punching system not only speeds up the flow of a bout, but also puts the emphasis of your fighting skills on your strategy. Now, every punch is thrown by flicking the stick quickly in a specific direction.

Gone is the old punching system that required complex analogue stick moves, such as half-circle moves for uppercuts.

Not only can you see the impact of punches, but some gameplay tweaks give you better control over their delivery.

Fight Night Champion, the fifth entry in the series, does an excellent job of enhancing the experience in the ring.