Fight Night Round 2 - PlayStation 2 - 9356

Review As much as certain events have made gamers a little bitter at EA's business tactics, Fight Night: Round 2 does illustrate what the company is very good at: taking a good thing and making it even better. It's obvious that the developers, while continuing to fine-tune the all-analog gameplay, have placed a focus on creating a more compelling career mode. Largely, they've been very successful. The new create-a-boxer is very comprehensive, allowing you to morph almost every aspect of your pugilist's appearance on the fly. A new type of match mode, available as a standalone option called Hard Hit Mode, makes an appearance on your schedule as special events. In these events, a round doesn't end until someone is knocked down, lending a more brutal, over-the-top feel to the contest. Thankfully, these are optional and, while they can unlock new items in the store, they don't usually count against your ranking. For hardcore fans, you'll be pleased to note that you can now change weight classes mid-career as you age and that each pro's career is made so you're fighting era-appropriate foes. On the gameplay side, the most important new aspect is the Haymakers – powerful blows that allow you to pre-load a punch for extra impact. Of course, using them is risky, but their power makes them an important tool in winning the belt. Although the initial matches are a bit easier than in last year's, the difficulty stiffened once my rank climbed to the mid-30s. The AI seems a bit savvier, and opponents will grapple when you've got them nearly knocked out to buy for time. I find it a little strange that rival boxers have an almost Jason Vorhees-like ability to rise from the mat, sometimes recovering from as many as four knockdowns in two rounds, but that's a minor quibble. Another nice addition is the "woozy" camera angles that appear when you or an opponent is nearly knocked down. It's a small touch, but a very dramatic one, just one more of the many little things that EA did right in making Fight Night: Round 2. The sum of these is a game that might just be the best boxing video game to date. Concept: After revolutionizing the genre, EA makes an effort to give boxing fans a more well-rounded experience Graphics: Improves on last year's already great visuals – the facial injuries and sweat are eerily real Sound: Great selection of rough n' ready rap, including the reunited Geto Boys (Yay!) Playability: If anything, the all-analog control is even more fluid this time around Entertainment: A better career mode and more depth make for a better overall game Replay: High Rated: 9.25 out of 10 Editor: Matt Helgeson Issue: March 2005 2nd Opinion: With my right and left hands (one is "Sorrow," the other "Pity") I have brutalized flesh and shortened the lives of men. This is my career. This is Fight Night Round 2. Footwork, punches, and your defense are now all seamlessly integrated into an irresistibly fluid dance of timely parries and devastating counter-blows. It looks so real you can feel your brain slapping against the inside of your skull. Also more lifelike is the career mode, in which your fighter will actually age, necessitating training and the best equipment. But, nothing makes you feel quite as alive as being in the ring, where sweat and bloody spray are the champagne of victory. Absolutely glorious. Rated: 9 out of 10 Editor: Matthew Kato Subscribe to Game Informer -- Amazon.com Product description The sequel to EA Sports' Fight Night 2004 maintains the original's analog control scheme and introduces a variety of new features. Now you have access to even more punches, including a new "haymaker" punch that is just powerful enough to knock down your opponent. Every hit counts in this game, as injuries reduce a fighter's ability to defend himself. Your cut man can tend to your injuries in between rounds to help you survive your opponent's devastating punches.
ASIN: B00075GLU6
VSKU: DBV.B00075GLU6.A
Condition: Acceptable