The game will knock your block off!

After scrapping the Knockout Kings series last year in favor of a more realistic boxing simulator, EA Sports wowed critics and fans alike with Fight Night. This new series brought boxing back to the forefront of sports fans everywhere, with involving game play and all the technique and skill that the "sweet science" is known for. While the intuitive analog punching system was a bit flawed and the boxer roster had left a great deal of classic stars out, there was little else to complain about last year, and made fans drool in anticipation when they learned that EA was following it up. Is there plenty for fans to be happy about? Does a bear do his business in the woods? For those thinking this was just another sports title that has been tweaked, but is really just more of the same, think again. EA has outdone themselves with Fight Night Round 2, and even though the roster still stinks, the game is a Knockout... pun intended!

Visually Fight Night Round 2 is simply stunning. Each fight I have played, I still cannot believe the technology that went into this title. The leap from last year to this year is astounding and everything from the venues to the player models are breathtaking. While the venues and atmosphere is done quite well, the visual effects that stand out most are the player models and the intricate details that EA has delivered. First off, the characters themselves are so finely detailed, sometimes you wonder if they grafted skin onto virtual models. Faces cringe, muscles flex, bodies sweat, body parts work together, clothing moves about, these are just a few of the technical advances EA made with the models. Do not even get me started on the punishment that your boxer goes through. You see bruises, swelling and cuts, which slowly or quickly form depending on the pounding the boxer takes. You really see the effect during knockdown replays or in the corner during you cutman exercises (more on that later). The animations are superb, whether you are dealing out thrashing blows, or covering up for dear life, the game moves at a solid 60fps frame rate and really delivers with the feeling of getting the daylights whooped out of you. While I would have liked to seen more options in the created players entrances and effects, the rest of the created options are stellar, also more on that later. When all is said and done, you couldn't have asked for a better-looking boxing game on this generation of console.

Audio also brings the game to life with some crippling punching effects and manageable commentary. First the bad; I wanted custom soundtracks, especially since the variety of tracks are so vague; it is appalling that this feature was left out for Xbox fans. Secondly, next year, please look into having your play-by-play man read a bunch of real life common names instead of nicknames. Not only does this get annoying, but also confusing when you have two men with the same nickname, you do not know who landed the blow that was mentioned in the commentary. Otherwise, the sounds in FNR2 are excellent. The punching sound effects are varied and even with your eyes closed, you can tell a jab from a more punishing punch like an uppercut. The commentary, with the aforementioned out of the way, still does a good job calling the action. I would also like to hear a two-man team next year, as it would also keep repetition down. Some of the special effect, like when you are watching knockdown replays really add to the game, as you will hear the hard punches with more emphasis and your victim will groan in pain in slow motion... cool stuff. Lastly, I hate the music, and it is not the style either. The selection is just too small and seems as if EA spent all their money on ESPN and the NFL than EA Trax artists. If you are going to skimp on the music, for the love of all that is holy, give us the option of custom soundtracks please! Overall, even with my nitpicking the sounds are still genuinely awesome for the most part.

Of course, the heart of any great sports game, boxing or otherwise is the game play. EA has taken the realistic style of boxing used last years, and perfected it. What's more, the analog system is improved ten fold, so much though that with enough practice, you will give up the archaic style of button mashing and move into the 21st century of boxing with the Total Boxer Control. Not only can you pull of punishing combos, but also you can move about the ring while in control of your punches. Additional this year is the Haymaker control system that allows you to go for that big KO punch, more so than the "specialty punch". Now many gamers have been griping already that the Haymaker is cheap, and if used often enough, you can win many bouts. This may be true against the medium difficulty CPU, but against a savvy human opponent, it could mean trouble in later rounds for the constant user of this punching system. The key is the dodge and parry that has been vastly improved, that you can even pull off the rope a dope against the wild Haymaker punch throwers. The key is practice and timing. That is what makes this game so great. If you go in thinking your opponent is going to throw the big blows, you may end up on the canvas due to a series of quick, well-timed combos, and vise versa. This is even more evident online against other boxers, so you must learn how to defend against all comers to be successful. If you do not have the patience to learn, it can be a quick night for you and your boxer.

Fight Night Round 2 gives gamers a vast amount of options to choose from, yes, even if you have the Game Cube version. There is your typical "Fight Now" mode where you choose from the assortment of boxers from this year's roster. Unfortunately, the roster still lacks any real number of great boxers from the past. No Haggler, Herns, Spinx, or even former heavyweight champ Lewis. What you do get is a decent array of boxers, but not as large as you might like, especially if you want to relive any super fights. If someone on the roster is omitted that you like, create him with EA's new Create a Champ mode. This mode is so detailed; it is like molding a piece of clay. You do not have to rely on assorted palletes and faces to choose from, you can sculpt every part of your boxers face, and even go anywhere from 100 percent fat to 100 percent muscle, or anywhere in between. Even cooler is the fact that if you choose to use your created player in career mode, you can watch as their physic alters between bouts. If you hit the weights, they will become thicker and with more bulk. If you use the combo dummy, your speed and stamina improve, making you cut and lean. The Hard Hits mode puts you in an arcade style of boxing that goes up to 15 rounds if punishment allows, and after each knockdown, the round ends. Online play for Xbox and PS2 owners allow you to hone your skills and show off your talents the best the world has to offer, complete with ranking system. For Game Cube owners, you get to play an already unlocked, full version of Super Punch-out! If you complete that game, you get to box as Little Mac from Super Punch-out in the Fight Night game.

Ultimately, the Career Mode is the meat and potatoes of the game. You can either create a boxer from scratch, or recreate a boxer from the current line up and go through the career. You start at rank 50 and move your way up, but note that even if you are ranked 30 and beat a number 23 guy, that does not put you at 22. This is very nice as it goes by actual wins/KOs vs. whom you have beaten. In addition, you will be able to compete in exhibition fights to win gear and money. You use the money to buy better trainers, cut men, entrance themes, and entourage. Speaking of cut men, the addition of this feature adds a completely new element of strategy, and really makes you want to learn defense more, especially when your boxer's face looks like raw hamburger. You have 30 seconds between rounds to decrease the swelling with a cold compress, or seal a wound shut. Early on this seems easy, but the more you take a pounding, the harder it is to keep your eyes from sealing shut, or to stop cuts bleeding altogether. This can ultimately lead to fights called a TKO due to damage, so it is important that you help your boxers appearance as much as you can between rounds, and to cover up exposed areas during the fight. All this adds to the already great strategy and game play. I should also mention that you have the option to move up and down in weight class, when you are challenged to do so. Keep in mind that moving around out of your original division will affect your appearance. For instance, if you are a middleweight, and you move down to welterweight for a fight, you'll need to make sure your training sessions deal with speed so you aren't so heavy for your fight against a lighter opponent. Training incorrectly for the division switch will throw your boxers condition out of whack and you will have to sculpt your boxer all over again. To say that this is the best career mode for a boxing game to date would be an understatement. Sure, there is still more room for improvement, especially when stat tracking is concerned, but you must leave more for the sequel right?

Overall, if you are a fight fan, whether you liked Fight Night last year or not, you MUST pick up Fight Night Round 2. It's the best boxing game created to date... bar none!