Fight Night: Round 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox)

This second edition of the Fight Night series offers many updates over the popular original, making the game well worth the nearly $50 price tag. FIGHT NIGHT: ROUND 2 offers several modes, including a tournament mode that gives you an opportunity to choose from top current and former boxing champions like Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr. and Muhammad Ali.

It's the gameplay that makes Fight Night: Round 2 stand out. Players have complete control of the boxers with the Total Punch Control feature, which allows players to move, block, weave, and land precision punches with the click of a button. As with the first version, beginning players will struggle with complex maneuvers, but even first-timers will be able to easily move around the ring and jab at an opponent.

One of the most noticeable changes is the addition of a cut-man who will help your boxer deal with critical wounds after each round. The new Haymaker feature allows players to unleash a series of lighting-quick punches that are powerful enough to knock opponents to the canvas. The audio is also enhanced -- instead of a DJ spinning tracks, you'll get a boxing announcer working the mike. The background noise is filled with dynamic crowd noise that includes booing, cheering, and trash- talking.

The graphic violence is the only real concern for parents. Much of this is in line with what you would see in an actual boxing match -- swollen eyes reflect the effect of each blow, which is visually amazing but brutal -- but the blood spilled on the mat is over the top. Overall, Fight Night: Round 2 is a great game for the sports fan who loves to be in control of the action, but its tendency to glamorize violence may make it a bad fit for impressionable teens.