Fight Night Round 2

Game Informer Magazine (9.25 out of 10)

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.

UGO (UnderGroundOnline) (A-)

With one sluggish performance after another, the boxing genre had long past its prime. Boxing titles relied on traditional gameplay mechanics that confined the player to limited use of their fighter, and made for bouts that were nothing more than mindless, button-mashing sessions.

GamePro (US) (4.5 out of 5)

Round 2 doesn't back down and gets ahead on the scorecard, making Fight Night once again the gold glove favorite.

Game Informer Magazine (9 out of 10)

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.

Worth Playing (9 out of 10)

Superb concept. Flawless execution. Rock-solid controls. A diverse array of characters, and innovative technique application. This title is a total blast to play. It’s a class act of a boxing game all the way, easily worth its sticker price. Keep in mind that I’m simply talking about Super Punch-Out!, which is the extra easter egg packed into the Gamecube’s version of Fight Night Round 2 in lieu of any sort of online play.

Game Over Online (90 out of 100)

However, all that aside, I personally was thrilled to see many of the issues that I brought up from my review last year addressed in Fight Night Round 2. The inclusion of the cutman mini-game between rounds is a great addition, and the Haymaker provides a phenomenal sense of drama with punches that can knock boxers out at any time. I personally can’t wait to see next year’s version, and I think fight fans will agree that EA’s scored another knockout with this title.

Cheat Code Central (4.5 out of 5)

Pound for pound, Round 2 improves upon the series while actually expanding the genre. While the punches lack the power experienced in last years game, EA makes up for it with its innovative total control configuration. Depending on your skill level and your ability to grasp the new controls (if you chose to use them) you may find that Round 2 provides hours of entertainment. The flaws in the game are purely cosmetic and easily overlooked as they have no bearing on performance. Round 2 definitely delivers a knockout punch to the competition. Wait a sec. What competition?

64 Power / big.N / N Games (89 out of 100)

Voll auf die Zwölf - nie war Boxsport besser.

GameSpot (8.9 out of 10)

Last year's Fight Night 2004 reinvigorated boxing video games, as boxing had become a sports genre that many people had written off years ago. After a sequence of mixed results in the Knockout Kings series, EA Sports' Fight Night came along and introduced entirely new mechanics to the boxing genre, creating a fast-moving and free-flowing style that better reflected the pugilistic arts seen on TV. A year later, the second version in the Fight Night series is here, and it does what it has to do: improves on an already winning formula.

Fragland.net (87 out of 100)

Fight Night Round 2 is without a doubt a very fun sports game. It improves on its predecessor on all aspects and especially the control system is very satisfying and realistic. Thanks to the great models, good replays and passing comments, this game will give you hours of gaming fun. If you're looking for a boxing game then look no further. This title has more atmosphere, delivers more realism, and hits harder than any other game in the genre!

Gamesmania.de (87 out of 100)

Fight Night Round 2 ist ein in punkto Gameplay konsequent verbessertes Spiel. Leider wurde die größte Schwäche noch immer nicht ausgemerzt, denn der Karrieremodus wirkt sich auch diesmal nicht sehr positiv auf die Langzeitmotivation aus. Somit bleibt Fight Night Round 2 ein hervorragendes Boxspiel, das aufgrund der fehlenden Online-Unterstützung und dem dünnen Karrieremodus sein Potenzial nicht gänzlich ausschöpft.

Game Vortex (85 out of 100)

Fight Night: Round 2 is a fantastic game that is hampered more by the system it’s played on rather than anything the developers did. If Super Punch-Out!! is enough of a selling point, or you’re limited in system choice, Round 2 is still worth the purchase. On the other hand, if you have the luxury of getting it for another system, do so.

IGN (8.4 out of 10)

As a big supporter of last year's game, I had equally big expectations for EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 -- especially since there was still so much that could be done to make it even better. Regardless of its room for improvement, though, the original had done so much right in its first appearance that it easily remained my favorite athletics title of 2004. The reason it did is because it managed to accomplish something that few other sports titles rarely do: it invented a new mechanic that would change the genre forever from that day forward. With a debut like that, I was curious to see how well the development team could follow up on such a powerful first effort.

4Players.de (83 out of 100)

Einfach Fight Night Round 2 ins Laufwerk schmeißen und ihr sitzt in der ersten Boxreihe. Selbst das Zuschauen macht aufgrund der packenden Zeitlupen und der lebensecht animierten Athleten einen Heidenspaß. Jeder Jab, jeder Haken, jeder Knockout wird von der Kamera in einem fotorealistischen Pixelfest zelebriert - die Präsentation ist fernsehreif, das Kampfgefühl aufgrund des neuen Haltens und Verarztens noch authentischer. Leider kann der Einzelspielermodus nicht ganz an die Faszination der Multiplayerduelle anknüpfen, weil sich die Karriere auf Dauer etwas zu eintönig und für Kenner zu leicht spielt: den gegnerischen Boxern fehlt es an Profil, die KI ist leicht durchschaut, es gibt keine Story-Dramatik. Auch die vereinzelten Clippingfehler in den Wiederholungen sowie die im Vergleich zum Ringrealismus etwas fade Zuschauerkulisse bilden kleine Schwachpunkte. Ein großer ist jedoch das Fehlen des Online-Modus. Warum verwehrt man Europäern diese fette Multiplayer-Delikatesse?

GameSpy ( )

All told, I absolutely love this game. Round 2 addresses the issues I had with the original and contains improvements I wasn't even expecting. Sure there are still some small problems that keep the game from being outstanding, but I'm really impressed with the progress EA Sports is making with the series. It's like watching a great fighter that's just starting his career. He's great now, he's surprising you with his progress, and you'll know he'll end up in the hall of fame. Fight Night Round 2 is another fantastic step in this hall-of-fame series.

Jeuxvideo.com (16 out of 20)

Round 2 est une très bonne surprise dans le sens où il apporte pas mal de petites nouveautés et qu'il gomme les problèmes de Fight Night 2004. Le gameplay est toujours aussi bien pensé et une fois que vous vous serez accommodé au système des deux sticks, vous prendrez un plaisir immense à enchaîner les combats qui sont réalistes, techniques et plutôt difficiles malgré la jouabilité instinctive. Si on pouvait s'attendre à une suite profitant de la renommée du premier épisode, on obtient au final un jeu techniquement supérieur, au gameplay amélioré et à l'intérêt encore plus profond, plutôt positif non ?

Games TM (8 out of 10)

Although the Cube is cursed with the poorest control, the inclusion of SNES classic Super Punch-Out on the Nintendo console may lure gamers to buy for a format that they wouldn't normally consider. (We doubt it, though.) Whichever console gamers prefer, however, this is the best realistic boxing title we've played, and few fight fans will be disappointed.

Jeuxpo.com (7.5 out of 10)

Si le grand public risque d'être un peu déconcerté par le côté simulation trop poussé et la maniabilité non immédiate, Fight Night Round 2 se voulant réaliste, comblera les amateurs du noble Art.