Some may say that Electronic Arts is very well known because of its dominance in the video game industry, which is true to say the least. While Electronic Arts is inevitably considered a massive company in the video game industry, it is most well known for its sports franchises. Electronic Arts introduced gamers to the Madden football games, the NBA Street franchise, the NFL Street series, and many more sports franchises such as SSX and FIFA. Clearly the dominant force in sports games today, Electronic Arts is still creating new sports games to add to the EA Sports division and is poised to deliver the best sports experience for gamers and sports fans alike.

In March of 2004 Electronic Arts introduced boxing to the growing list of sports franchises that the company had created. EA Sports’ Fight Night 2004 delivered an unparalleled boxing experience to Xbox and Playstation 2 owners. Fight Night 2004 was praised by top publications as the most realistic boxing game ever created. The reason behind this was because of the graphical presentation that Fight Night 2004 presented. What was so realistic about Fight Night 2004 were the finely tuned details, such as swelling, cuts, and bruises that looked very real in design. But not only did Fight Night 2004 excel in its looks, but also in the gameplay it implemented which crafted a unique experience. Featuring a long career mode and many other features, Fight Night 2004 was a very deep game in most respects. In short, Fight Night 2004 was yet another successful sports game for EA Sports that stayed true to the sport by acting off of boxing realism.

Well, here we are in early 2005. EA is releasing another year’s onslaught of sports titles, many of which have advanced upon their predecessor. This statement couldn’t be truer for the sequel to Fight Night 2004. Fight Night Round 2 is that sequel, and has surpassed its predecessor in many ways. The graphics are sharper and more realistic, and Fight Night Round 2 offers a much more rewarding experience for players by implementing new features that would make any gamer or boxing wiz alike drool. Fight Night Round 2 makes its appearance on the GameCube, Xbox, and Playstation 2 this year, delivering the ultimate boxing experience to GameCube owners in particular for the first time. Making a huge stride forward in besting its predecessor, Fight Night Round 2 is a great follow up to last years Fight Night 2004 and is yet another great accomplishment for EA Sports.

Features

• The sequel to last years Fight Night 2004 boxing title.
  
• Game modes include the ‘Career Mode’, ‘Hard Hits’, and ‘My Gym’.
  
• Take a created boxer or legend through his career in the lengthy ‘Career Mode’.
  
• Train your boxer to his limits in the ‘Hard Hits’ game mode.
  
• Pump up your boxer in the ‘My Gym’ game mode.
  
• Create your own customized boxer in the ‘Create Champ’ mode and play with him in the various game modes.
  
• The ‘EA Sports Cutman’ feature gives you an active role between rounds to help heal your boxer in order to keep him in the ring.
  
• Multiplayer support for up to 2 players simultaneously.
  
• Includes the classic SNES game Super Punch-Out!!.
  
• Supports Dolby Pro Logic 2.
  

Presentation
Few games have come close to the amount of polish that EA Sports has put into Fight Night Round 2. When you first start up Fight Night Round 2 you are greeted with an animated menu system that is very unique and fresh to look at. EA Sports took the same menu aspect that we have seen from the Madden franchise and pitted a boxer in the right portion of the menu screen, fully animated to the point where he looks realistic. In other words, the menu system is fun to look at. The menus are easy to navigate, but it would have helped if each menu tab explained what lies within.


The detail in Fight Night Round 2 is unparalleled.

There are a wealthy amount of features in Fight Night Round 2 to invest your time into, and EA Sports has made strides to implement new innovative features that will test your boxer’s skills. The animation in Fight Night Round 2 is superb, and lends to the feeling of realism. There is nothing more enjoyable your face getting beat in, later to watch a replay of your boxer’s head swerving to one side and his lower jaw thrusting outward. Everything seems more glossy and polished than Fight Night 2004, which is to be expected from a sequel. The character detail and injury detail, along with the soundtrack presented help to surround the player in near to life environment. Fight Night Round 2 features a considerable number of rings to bout in, and the new camera and features help to bring together an overall strong and undoubtedly polished presentation.