The WhatsNext verdict
If you want a boxing game where reading opponents, placing punches, and feeling the impact are the main event, Fight Night Round 2 still delivers. It is best suited to players willing to learn its demanding controls and tolerate a repetitive career climb.
What it does best
Every punch has weight, timing, and consequence
What might put you off
The controls take practice before they feel natural
Career mode loses variety and balance over time
The setup
What you are walking into
EA's Fight Night returns in its second installment. Once again, you can create a new boxer and start a career that begins as an amateur in a shady gym somewhere in Queens, NY and fight your way up to the top. Alternatively, you could relive the careers of some legendary boxers. Of course, you could go for a simple match with either a computer or a live opponent. Round 2 offers many new features, like fancy particle effects that show blood and sweat spraying into the camera in ultra slow-motion. The "Total Boxer Control", which lets you throw punches by making certain movements with the analog stick, has been improved. There are also many ways to customize the appearance of your character, up to the shaping of the cranium and ears. The soundtrack consists of a dozen contemporary (but unfortunately edited) hip-hop tracks.
Where it lives
Genre
Vibe
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