- All-new Punch Control mechanics for throwing multiple punches - Block, bob and weave with complete precision and control.
- Create and train the ultimate champion by transforming his skills and physique.
- Total control of your boxer with 360-degree sticking and moving - punch and block while dancing around the ring.
- Unleash the power of the Haymaker - a crushing blow that will knock your nent out, if you can connect.
Product description
-------------------
Fight Night Round 2 continues delivering the innovative boxing
gameplay with deeper gameplay and all-new options. Knock your
nents out using devastating combos and the new Haymaker
option. Then go outside the ring for training, while managing
your boxer to make him successful and wealthy. The new EA SPORTS
Cutman minimizes damage on fighters by helping them heal critical
wounds between rounds. Active cut-man helps you recover from
swelling eyes between rounds Dynamic Punch Impacts - stunning
visuals reflect the effect of each blow, from swollen eyes to
broken ribs
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 nents 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 nent 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 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
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