In the world of boxing games, the Fight Night series is by far the best on the market. Now Nintendo fans can enjoy the world of realistic boxing as the series makes its way to the GameCube in Fight Night Round 2. Few companies have as much experience making sports titles as EA, and they once again prove that, at least in boxing, they do it better than anyone else.
That's not incredibly surprising considering they've had plenty of practice; 5 of the ten boxing games available on the current generation of game consoles enter the ring with the EA logo. According to GameRankings.com, there isn't a boxing title that scores above 80% that isn't delivered by the hands of EA Sports. It means something when I say that Fight Night Round 2 is the best boxing game EA has ever released on the GameCube.
- Ups:
Excellent controls. Dodging and counter punching becomes addictive. Zone specific damage. Very realistic.
- Downs:
Knockdown animations have less personality than Fight Night 2004. Buttons sometimes seem easier to use than the Total Control System.
- View Screen Shots
- Profile for Parents: Fight Night: Round 2
Realism Is In:
One of the best games of all time was Super Punch-Out on the Super Nintendo. Little Mac, your four foot main character, spent his days punching and ducking against a range of mostly fictional characters. It was great fun, but realistic it wasn't. With Fight Night Round 2, there's very little to connect this game to the early console days except an included copy of Super Punch-Out on the Fight Night game disc. Fight Night aims for realism, placing the control of your fighter squarely into your hands down to the smallest manageable detail without overwhelming you. Not only can you customize the look of your character, but also with zone specific damage, you can up certain areas of his skill to best match your fighting style.Controls:
Probably the most noticeable element of the Fight Night series is the Total Control System. Instead of mapping punches to the buttons, they're mapped to the second analog stick - the little yellow guy. Pushing upward will allow you to jab, while pushing first right, then up will have your character swinging a wide hook – slower, but much more powerful. Down, and then all the way to the top unleashes either a left or right uppercut depending on the direction you slide the analog stick. Once you get used to it, you'll find yourself weaving, ducking, and popping your opponent silly. Personally, I still found it easier to use the buttons to control most of my attacks, but it's mainly because I suck. I'm just no good at managing both analog sticks simultaneously with any precision. I had this same problem on the Xbox in Fight Night 2004, where I consistently scored better using the buttons, and consistently found myself at the mercy of any friend that had mastered the analog stick instead. In the case of the GameCube version of Fight Night, the small size of the analog stick is a detriment, making the control sensitive to any miscalculations on your part. In general, though, the system is very innovative and very effective.Character Creation:
The character creation in Fight Night Round 2 actually feels a bit more limited than its predecessor. You can still select from a wide range of facial hair and ear size, complete with tweaking the size of your skull, but at the same time I had a much more difficult time creating a character that actually looked like me. My old Xbox save from FN2004 is near spot on, so I can watch myself be destroyed in realistic detail, while my Round 2 fighter looks like me only from a long, long ways away. Still, it's fun to play around with the ability to create a fighter; you know you're a nerd when you spend an hour with your friends recreating the match-up between the 90 lbs. Little Mac and the 400 lbs. Bear Hugger. How these two qualified in the same class in Super Punch-Out! is beyond me.