BOXING blockbuster Fight Night Champion packs a punch which puts the other games released this week in the shade.

Platform: PS3

Genre: Boxing/Sport

Price: �49.99

EA Sports’ Fight Night series has lead the way in the boxing game genre for years - their dominance of pugilistic gaming stretches all the way back to Knockout Kings on the original Playstation.

And one of the best parts of those games has always been the initial creation of your champion-in-waiting.

But this has been replaced in FNC with a story-driven approach that gamers will be more familiar with in action titles than sports games.

It’s a bold move, but one that pays off spectacularly as you pull on the gloves of Andre Bishop and instantly find yourself immersed in his story and his struggle to rule the boxing world.

Expertly crafted cut-scenes play out between the in-ring action, which also moves the genre on by introducing Full Spectrum Punch Control, with each stick direction directly corresponding to a particular route of attack.

It’s another departure from the boxing game norm that hardcore fans may find surprising, but spend the full six to eight hours in Champion mode and you’ll wonder why all boxing titles weren’t made this way.

EA have thrown a haymaker with this release - and it looks like being a knockout success.

Score: 93%