• ID = PS0693
• STYLE = Boxing
• DEV. = Midway Home Entertainment
• PUB. = Midway Home Entertainment
• R-DATE = Oct-25-2000
• ESRB = T / For Teen
• PLAYERS = 1-2 players
• LIST PRICE = $29.99
  

Has the King of Pop become the Prince of Pugilism? As a sequel to 1999's surprise knockout, Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2 features Michael Jackson alongside NBA heavyweight Shaquille O'Neal and a mix of new and returning contestants for some over-the-top fisticuffs. The game combines authentic boxing action with outrageous costumes, special moves, taunts, and rumble flurries that are all unique to each character.

Throw some quick jabs in the arcade mode or do it Rocky-style via the enhanced championship mode, where you'll manage your boxer's training regimen and schedule fights. Adding to the realism are photographers, corner men with spit buckets, beautiful ring girls that announce each new round, and Michael Buffer with his famous "Let's get ready to rumble!" call.

Unparalleled battle action against Afro Thunder, the acclaimed King of the Ring, continues. Are you up to the challenge?

This sequel to Midway's exciting boxing game is so realistic on Sony's Playstation-2 that you can feel the heat and smell the sweat as punches bear down on raw flesh.

Ready2Rumble 2 offers a spectrum of new features plus 13 outrageous new boxers and 10 returning contenders.

5 New characters help bring the thrills to the max (including an appearance by a celebrity you may love to hit).

Wait till you see the facial expressions and body contortions as fists pound into muscles, organs and bones.

Body fluids fly and you're caught up in the middle of forceful competition that dates back to primal survival.

Have you got what it takes? Are you fit enough to survive? Some fighters don't believe you can...

Description 2:
Are you ready to rummmmble?! Well, you'd better be, because READY 2 RUMBLE BOXING: Round 2 is the kind of first-class arcade-style boxing romp only Midway can deliver. The original READY 2 RUMBLE BOXING offered a fast and furious slant to the sport of boxing, with cartoon-like characters and over-the-top action. READY 2 RUMBLE BOXING: Round 2 continues in this tradition, but has added a number of new enhancements.

Smoke and lighting now enrich the ambiance, and the character definition has been amped up to take advantage of the PlayStation 2's awesome capabilities. The original 11 R2R boxers are all here, plus an additional seven contenders. And, if you can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, you'll find even more hidden characters. Feint, parry, and grapple your way to victory with READY 2 RUMBLE BOXING: Round 2's brand new countering system and improved collision detection!

• Pick from 24 Boxers.
• New and improved 1-player boxing action.
• New One Punch Knocks Outs.
• New Mini-Games, Championship Mode and Team Battle.
• Hidden celebrity characters including the King of Pop Michael Jackson.
• Arcade-style boxing.
• Cartoon-like characters.
• Over-the-top action.
• Smoke and lighting now enrich the ambiance.
• 18 contenders.

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After it'd made a huge splash when the Dreamcast was released, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was one of the first big hits on the system. Midway is hoping that it'll have the same type of success with the launch of the PlayStation2 come November, when this game is scheduled to be released.

The secret ingredient that made Ready 2 Rumble Boxing so popular with both avid gamers and budding gaming enthusiasts was the likeable yet outlandish assortment or characters. Midway has repeated that formula by adding as many as a dozen new characters, with Shaquille O'Neal, Freke Deke, Robox RE SE4, Johnny Blood, Mama Tua, and even reclusive pop star Michael Jackson leading the wacky pack of fictional and semifictional boxers.

A few of your favorite characters from the first game return in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, which features updated, customizable costumes. Each character also has his or her own special moves, including a bounce in the female boxers that mimics the real-life gravitational forces at play that are found in the female characters in Tecmo's Dead or Alive.

In terms of gameplay, Midway has gone back to the gym and reworked the Championship mode. This time around, your fighting schedule is based around a calendar of matches, as opposed to being based solely on your prize winnings. As you win your way through the championship mode, new gym equipment will be available for you to use to build your skills. Some new training events have been added, including stair climbing and rope jumping.

The most interesting part of the Championship mode includes the addition of a wrestling-style backstory that sees backstage shenanigans and feuds between the fighters. The new Team Battle mode lets you choose up to eight team members for an actual rumble with an opposing group of pugilists from the game. Several new camera angles have been added, which ups the total number to nine. Also, players can expect to suffer from computer-generated blurry vision after one too many blows to the head.

As a result of these additions, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 should be a knockout (pun most certainly intended) on the PlayStation2. --Todd Mowatt

All Characters: go to the character select screen and press Left, Left, Right, R2, Left, Right, R1, R1, R2, and then you will hear a bell sound and the characters will be unlocked