Fight Night Round 2 (2005)

Developer: EA Sports, EA Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation 2
Genres: Fighting, Sport
Rating: 4.1 of 5, 14 player ratings

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The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A deliberate, hard-hitting boxing experience where every punch thrown with the analog stick feels weighty and earned, pulling you through a scrappy career climb with sweat and blood flying in slow-motion.

competitivevisceralmethodicalgrittysatisfyingintensegroundedrewarding

About

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.

What players say

Widely hailed as the benchmark boxing game of its era, with responsive, nuanced controls and the brutal Haymaker punch that give every bout a satisfying sense of weight and mastery.

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More by Electronic Arts

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.