A perennial whinge from fans of sport simulations has been the lack of a decent boxing game, one that doesn’t just rely on button-bashing and fantasy gore. Fight Night 2004 was a decent jab at the genre, but its follow-up is a knockout. Not only does it look wonderfully real, but the fight mechanics are pretty much perfect.

Taking its cue from the realistic swing action of the early Tiger Woods golf games, Fight Night: Round 2’s combat mirrors the way that punches are thrown by using the controls intuitively. Combinations become instinctive and defence second nature. Throw in an engrossing career mode, as well as the facility to create your own boxer, and you finally have a heavyweight boxing game.

Paul Connolly

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