Ding ding, Round Two, let’s get ready to rumble. Here we are with the second instalment of the Fight Night series from EA. Anyone who does not know what a boxing game will involve probably can’t read, therefore if you are reading this I will not insult your intelligence and explain the rules and premise of boxing. That out of the way, this game has everything a boxing fan wants in a game. It has loads of real life boxers past and present, all with their own styles and skills. There are enough locations to keep fans happy ranging from real life venues to fantasy fairgrounds.

There are a couple of different modes, the main one being the career mode, which enables a player to take their chosen fighter from new kid on the block amateur, to world champion. This mode can be played with either a real life boxer, starting their career from scratch or a boxer that can be built from the now obligatory EA game face character builder. The only gripe I have with taking a real boxer through his career is that for example I took Mohammed Ali from amateur through the ranks and up into the professional class. The problem I have is that any real boxing fan will know that Ali started out as Cassias Clay, and was well into his pro career before changing his name after finding Islam. So when you go into your first fight with Clay, and you are introduced as Mohammed Ali “The Greatest”, it is unrealistic, and I feel like EA who are usually very accurate with their titles, rushed this a bit. Which would be forgivable if this was the first title, but not for the second instalment. That moan out of the way Ea have taken the best boxing game on any system and made it better. All of the good bits from the first one are still there, and now they have added some more.

The Controls are the main reason this game is so good. Instead of a button bashing exercise, this game uses the left and right thumb sticks to create a more skilful playing experience. To start with it is a bit difficult to adjust to, but like anything that is good, once you persevere the rewards are worth the effort. The left thumb stick is for moving the boxer, and the right is for throwing the punches. This method used in conjunction with the shoulder buttons gives you a full range of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. A new feature to Round 2 is the haymaker. This is the biggest punch in a boxer’s arsenal, which basically is a full wound up punch to the opponent, which uses a big chunk of a boxer’s energy and as such should be used sparingly and strategically. If used in the right moment, this will put your opponent in big trouble and may lead to a knockdown. The knockdown moment has been tweaked, and now as a boxer is in trouble, the game goes into slow motion mode, which actually increases the suspense. Whilst in this mode the boxer who is in trouble, now has a chance to cling to his opponent, which if timed right, will buy him some time to gather his head, and regroup.

Another new and well-received addition is the mini game between rounds. This is where you have control of the cut man. During the rest between rounds, the cut man will fix up the boxers face; this is done by choosing which side of the face to fix-up, and then moving the analogue stick in a certain way. Many mini games are there for their own sake; however this one enhances game play, and adds strategy to the fight. There is also the training before a fight, which is not much of a change from Fight Night, and there is the ability to skip and use auto-train. Last but not least is the fact that nearly all of the boxers have their own styles of fighting, and it is unpredictable before a fight to know how they will act. Will they be an attacking fighter, or cagey? If any Ea people are reading this, when you next create Round 3, a nice feature would be to add the ability to view footage of boxers so you could do your homework before the fight, and go in with a game plan. I feel that would add more realism.

Graphics:

The first Fight Night was an example to others programmers in how to make realistic moving characters, and Round 2 goes even further. The boxers look so real; you can see the pain on their faces when they are hit. The bodies are created to move with the punches. Seeing your opponents face as you connect with an uppercut in slow motion replay is a great feeling. This is not for the squeamish as there is a lot of blood, but that’s boxing, and anyone complaining of this should go buy a pokemon game instead.

The venues have been touched up, for example the new fairground location has moving rides in the backdrop, which does not affect the fight directly, but adds to the bigger picture. I feel that as far as boxing goes, this is as far as or very near to as far graphically as we will get on this X-Box. In the first instalment of this game, you could buy things for your boxer, such as new clothes and ring effects e.g. dancing girls and fireworks, which apart from being pretty were very superficial. This time these things do make a difference, for example paying for ring girls to walk you into the ring, gives your boxer an added bonus of him having more chance of getting up after a knockdown.

Sound:

Not much change from the first one really, which was fine. There is a new commentator, Joe Tessitorer, which is an improvement. The contacts still all sound sharp and painful. There is the usual ensemble of rap tunes for boxers to walk to the ring to.

Longevity:

There are enough boxers here for you to take to the top of their game, or you can create your own. All the main weights are represented, although it would be nice to see some real belts to be won, and the ability to unify titles. Two player mode is available and can be great fun. This title is live enabled, although I have yet to try this aspect so I won’t presume of it’s worth.

Round up:

This is the best boxing game on any system ever. It is not perfect and has not got the options and scenarios of the Tiger Woods series has for golfing, but as a stand-alone game it is very good. If you own Fight Night, and thought is was ok, do not buy this, as you will think it is ok too. If you love Fight Night, then you will love this, and is a must buy game. As an Ex-boxer, a current fight fan and X-box gimp, I can wholeheartedly recommend this Title. “The winner by knockout and still X-Box champion of the world Fight Night Round 2”.