Fight Night Round 2 is the fighting game for the common man. There's a pleasant lack of skimpily clad damsels, odd-haired goofballs, and murderous finishing moves. Sure, you can try to knock your opponent's frontal lobe to the rear, but no matter how much you hit to hurt, no combatant's neck will ever go Linda Blair.
Fight Night keeps it clean, though you are allowed to swing for the franks and beans, at the risk of catching the referee's attention. Blood might splatter from a pugilist's fat lip or damaged eye socket, but even that can be fixed up between rounds by your cut-man. Better than Clint Eastwood's corner work in Million Dollar Baby, the ability to patch up your boxer—you pick a quadrant to fix up, and go to work—will make the difference between going the distance and the ref calling the fight and saddling your record with a TKO.
While Round 2 plays by the rules, it also shows off boxing's most gruesome aspect with some beautifully horrific knockdowns. Get your opponent's knees into a Smucker's-like state, and the camera will go slow-mo and give you a chance to wind up for a finishing blow. While he'll try to clinch and get defensive, if you land a severe wallop, you can watch the cinematic freefall, which includes his whole body going rag-doll and crashing to the canvas, a sight as amusing as it is rewarding.
The only way to avoid being victimized by concussive blows is to defend yourself by keeping your gloves up. While that strategy is fairly obvious, it's rarely a factor in past, button-mashing boxing titles. In this sequel, you can even parry, then surprise your stunned opponent with an effective rash of counter-punches. Grab a packet of smelling salts to offset the nauseating camera, though. Players should get used to it after a few minutes, but that first round is like toughing out a bouncy schooner ride after a wicked vodka hangover.
Beyond the gameplay: Cover-athlete timeline: Favorite Antonio Tarver lost to Glen Johnson. Bernard Hopkins knocked out Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins scores the cover. Timing is everything.
Worth playing for: Knockout blows are fantastic, but better still is punching a guy with a few freebies as he's canvas-bound.
Frustration sets in when: There's no autoload feature for your created boxer, meaning you'll have to search through the Options menu to find your doppelgänger.
Final judgment: Because punching people means you'll get punched back, Fight Night Round 2 lets you blow off steam without an emergency-room visit to set your broken cheekbone. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but the training pays off.