ast year's Fight Night 2004 wowed gamers with some intense boxing action and unique analog control punching that is destined to imitated by all other competitors.  But, EA isn't simply going to rest on their laurels.  With Fight Night Round 2 they're planning on pulling out all the stops, with revamped controls, upgraded visuals, and a deeper create a boxer and Career Mode.  But, don't just take our word for it.  A bit ago Executive Producer Kudo Tsunoda stopped by the Game Informer offices to show off his upcoming game and we got a chance to pose him a few questions.

Game Informer: Even before you started working on Fight Night Round 2, what were some of the goals you and your team had working from the first game?

Kudo Tsunoda: Not that Fight Night 2004 wasn’t the greatest game ever made, because it was, but obviously there were things that we wanted to improve.  The Total Punch Control system, which gave you analog control over your fists in the game, went over really well.  Consumers loved it, but it did have some limitations.  Number one: you couldn’t really control the power or the speed of your punches, which is a big part of boxing.  That’s something that we’ve improved this year with the EA Sports Haymaker; something that lets you control the power of your punches.  Also due to limitations in our animation and control systems last year, there were some basic things that are key in boxing that you just couldn’t do, like punching and moving at the same time.  Last year when you tried to throw a punch you had to stay stationary on the canvas or couldn’t do things like block and move at the same time or move your upper body and block at the same time.  So while Total Punch Control gave you great control over your fists, it didn’t give you good control over your entire boxer.  That’s the kind of stuff that we really wanted to update.  Giving you more control over your character is something that I really believe in.  The fact that the more control you have and the easier it is to use, the more fun you’re going to have with the game.  We’ve also updated our Career Mode and made it more in-depth, including a deeper create-a-character system.

GI: Explain the EA Sports Haymaker punches? What are those and how to they differ from regular punches?

Tsunoda: Last year in the game you could throw punches using the analog stick.  For instance you could control the fists in the game. If you throw a hook your fist moves out in an arc and in a sweeping motion.   But a Haymaker works a little bit different.  Now, instead of just using the stick to mimic the motion of moving your arm out and throwing a hook, you can now crank the stick back to add extra power to your punch and then follow it through for a more devastating impact.  So, for all your power punches in the game you can now control how much power they have, and the more power you have the longer the punch takes to throw, so it’s easier to counter or avoid them.  But, if it lands, it really devastates your opponent and leads to things like one punch knockouts, flash knockouts, and cuts and damage to your opponent’s face.

GI: What other new features are in the game, besides the Haymakers?

Tsunoda: There are some new boxing related features that play off the new Haymakers in the game.  This year, fights can be stopped due to damage, so if your eye is too swollen or cut, the referee is going to stop the fight.  And, you can use the Haymaker to inflict that kind of damage.  Also, the more damaged and swollen your eyes are, the less quickly you’re going to be able to use defensive moves and blocks.  We also have this great new feature called the EA Sports Cutman.  Now, when between rounds, instead of just seeing an un-interactive movie where your trainer is yelling at you in the corner, you’re actually able to take control of your cut person to use tools to reduce swelling and treat cuts on your face.  So, you get a cool little mini-game in between rounds and you’re trying to balance the damage received by Haymakers and other punches. 

GI: Last year’s Career Mode was a blast.   What sort of new features are you planning for Round 2?

Tsunoda: For sure we’ve tried to give you a lot more control over things in your career, so that the decisions that you’re making actually affect what happens to your boxer.  There’s a whole bunch of new scheduling stuff, being able to customize your corner team, getting new trainers, new cut people, and a ton of new stuff to buy in your Fight Store.  The Store items actually affect what goes on in the ring.  Having good ring entrances or using pyrotechnics or having a big entourage can get the crowd behind you and make your fighter more psyched up in the ring.  So all of those kinds of things have in the ring advantages, plus we’ve added things like special events so you’re not faced with just the same batch of Career Mode fights.  You can get invited to these special events and get sponsors.  Everything is just more in-depth and you have way more control over your boxer’s career now. 

GI: The Career Mode is going to be lengthier this time around isn’t it?

Tsunoda: Yeah.  Last year you were basically forced into retirement after 20 years, which was a pretty anti-climactic way to end your career.  Now, however, your boxer actually ages over the course of his career.  All of the training you do effects how they keep their skills as they age.  You can go to the gym and lift weights or work on the heavy bag and it will affect your boxer’s physique and ratings.  But as you start growing older, as I’m so painfully aware of, the older you get, the harder it is to keep in shape.  You’ll start to get fatter and fat will appear on your body, not to mention that your individual ratings will go down.  So, you won’t get forced into retirement; you can fight as long as you want.  But like any other boxer, the older you are the harder it’s going to be to win and stay in shape.  So eventually you’ll start losing your matches and title if you end up too old to fight.  So, you’re not forced into retiring this time but there’s a trade-off in the fact that it’s going to be much harder to keep winning fights.

GI: Does this new physique system have anything to do with what we’ve heard about being able to switch weight classes mid-career?

Tsunoda: Exactly.  Last year you picked a weight class and had to stick with it for your entire career.  This year you’re training before every single fight and that training affects not only you ratings but also your physique.  If you’re lifting weights you’re getting bulkier with more muscle as well as getting heavier.  If you’re doing speed work your body will slim down and you’ll get lighter.  So you can not only train for fights and customize your physique for each opponent, you can also train to move up and down in weight classes.  So say you want to move up a weight class, you just have to bulk yourself up and get more muscular and heavy.  Or you can slim your boxer down and get lighter and move into a lower weight class.  So, it’s all just more of the depth that we’ve added to our Career Mode play.

GI: What about creating a boxer?  Any new features planned for that?

Tsunoda: This year we’ve gone about creating a boxer in a way that you’ve never seen before in a video game.  The goal of the feature from the start was to give gamers the power of having the artist development tools at their disposal.  When an artist makes a character model they use a wire mesh and then pull and push points to sort of mold the character into what they want it to look like, just like you would with a piece of clay.  The last game featured a menu system where you had to go through and choose different body types and use sliders to tweak and alter your physique a bit.  This year, however, you’ll have much more freedom.  You’ll be able to sculpt all of your boxer’s features, such as their head, face, and physique.  One analog stick will add muscle content while the other will add fat content.  So instead of choosing different body types you’re able to get an infinite range of body types by adding different amounts of muscle and fat.  You can also go into the specific face features and sculpt them using the analog sticks, so you can actually make a nose look the way that you want it to, instead of having to choose form a number of pre-made types.  You’re actually able to get in and edit the wire frames of each body type.  It’s a much more visual process, like molding a piece of clay, instead of just having a bunch of pre-set choices that the developers give you.  Plus, it’s a lot faster of an interface to use.

GI: As far as new boxers, who can we expect to make an appearance in Round 2?

Tsunoda: We’re always looking to add to our stable of boxers in the game.  Last year I thought that we had a really good heavyweight division, but we didn’t really have many of the bigger names in the lightweight division.  But, we’ve tried hard to really get a diverse range of boxers across all of the weight divisions.  We’ve got Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was omitted from the game last year but is undefeated and one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world.  We’ve also got Diego Corrales, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Juan Lazcano, and Manny Pacquiao.  And just like last year, we try to get a good mix of legends, current champs, and also big up and comers, like Miguel Cotto. 

GI: How about online?  What do you have planned for when we take to the game to the ‘Net?

Tsunoda: The biggest thing that we’re happy about this year is that you can go online on both the PS2 and Xbox; last year it was only online for the PS2.  And, it’s boxing, a sport that’s perfect for online gaming.  We’ve spent a lot of time trying to get that career mode feel while online, so you can do things like fight through the rankings and win a title.  We’re really trying hard to get that offline career mode play in the online experience. 

GI: Any plans for downloadable content for either the PS2 or Xbox?

Tsunoda: There are things you can bring from your offline career into the online environment, like created boxers.  But yeah, there’s going to be some sort of things that you’ll be able to download off the online environment.

GI: Like new boxers?

Tsunoda: Yeah, something like that.

GI: Any other plans for special console-specific features?  We’ve heard rumblings on the message boards about a possible GameCube exclusive bonus…

Tsunoda: Since we didn’t have a GameCube version available for customers last year, we’ve tried to add some special content just for them.  So yeah, there’s some cool stuff in the GameCube version, but I’m not really at liberty to say what it is right now.  But, big news about it will be coming out soon.  But, since it’s been all over the Internet already, it’s probably not hard for you guys to figure it out on your own.

GI: What makes this “the” boxing game to have?

Tsunoda: To me, it’s not just “the” boxing game to have.  The core of the game to me is the awesome head-to-head multiplayer competition. I’ve been working on the game for two years and it’s still really fun for me to play.  There’s stuff in the game that, just having so much control over your character, you constantly find new ways to approach the game and how to fight in it.  There are an infinite number of ways to play the game.  And in head-to-head competition, it never gets stale.  There are always new ways to fight and new tactics to use and that’s one of the things that I really enjoy about the game.  It’s not just the best boxing game - anybody who wants a really robust multiplayer experience, and whether you’re used to fighting or sports game, will be able to pick it up.  Either way it’s just fun to play. 

GI: OK, let’s talk about next-generation consoles?  Any comments and will we be seeing Fight Night on the next round of consoles?

Tsunoda: I’m really excited about the next generation of consoles coming out.  I’ve heard from a lot of developers from around the industry people are saying that you shouldn’t get your hopes up too much for say Xbox 2, and that developers won’t be able to get everything in that’s new in the first wave of software that comes out.  But as far as what’s going on with Fight Night stuff I think our game is perfectly situated to have the industry leading next-gen version.  All I can tell you from stuff that we’re already looking at is that Fight Night is definitely going to the premier next-gen game on the Xbox 2 when it comes out.  We’re kicking ass this year with what we’ve been able to do, but definitely keep your eye out for the game on Xbox 2.  But then again, this year’s game we’ve managed to get in a lot of features that you’d probably expect to be in the next-gen version, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to blow-out the next-gen titles, too.

GI: So, it’s already in production then?

Tsunoda: I can’t comment on that stuff quite yet, but I can tell you that obviously it’s an EA game, so it’s not like we’re not going to do next-generation titles.  But Fight Night is perfectly situated as far as our development path and the way that the game is constructed to really have better graphics, better gameplay, and more features.  So, I’m sure you’ll be seeing it on next-gen consoles at some point. 

Since this interview took place awhile ago, Mr. Tsunoda wasn't yet able to talk about the "special" GameCube exclusive content.  Well, today EA officially announced the bonus, which will be a port of the popular SNES game Super Punch-Out!! as well as the appearance of the game's main hero Little Mac as a playable character.

Click here to learn more about the newly announced bonus as well as view the first screens showing off both Little Mac in Fight Night Round 2 and screens from the classic Super Punch-Out!!.