The two gladiators that step into the ring are poised and ready to strike; they ball their hands into tight fists and flex the muscles of their legs as the two men suddenly charge ahead.  Watching this act, you would expect the two men to abide by the simple code of sportsmanship like the gladiators of a boxing ring.  Instead, the two fighters let loose kicks, martial arts-styled hand chops and wrestling-styled submission moves as the other fighter knees his opponent in the ribs.  This is what it’s like to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout and UFC Tapout 2 gives you the chance to show the world what you’re made of . . . just keep from getting your gym shorts all bloody.

Like UFC 1, this game features real UFC fighting champions like Ricco Rodriguez or Murilo Bustamante. These gladiators clash in an arena where every kind of fighting style is allowed and where many of the rules you’ve come to know in sports like boxing are thrown out the window.  Whether your fighter is a master of street fighting skills or the Brazilian capoeira, these fighters can use whatever it is they know to win a fight (of course, Mike Tyson-styled ear biting is out of the question).

Little has changed from the previous game, though, which can be seen as both a blessing and a disappointment.  For one thing, those who have played the first game will not find anything surprisingly new here with the exception of a few adjustments here and there in the graphics and tightening of the controls.  And for those who haven’t had the chance to play it the first time, the adjustments make for the UFC fighting game to own.  For starters, the game modes are plentiful: Champion Road, Legend Mode, Arcade Mode, Tournament Mode, Exhibition Mode and Career Mode.

Career Mode allows gamers to create their own fighter with everything from what fighting styles he should possess and what color shorts he can wear.  You can build your created fighter’s stamina, strength, punching or grappling by going through a series of challenges.  As your points go up, you can take your fighter through some fights as you make it up your particular weight division (e.g. heavyweight, lightweight or even welterweight).  This mode does a brilliant job of putting you through the realistic rigors of climbing your way to the top.

The other modes are basically similar to one another, with the exception of Champion Road, which comes complete with fighter introductions and an actual ring announcer.  And the best part is that you can import your created fighter and use him in all of the game modes.  In Tournament Mode, you compete in an eight-man tournament to win the championship.  Then, in Legend Mode, you will have to defend your title against a series of challengers.  All of this sounds good, but in the end, you’re not given much hype when you finish a career or become a champion.  Makes you wonder if it was worth taking all those beating, right?

Control-wise, though, the game is still as solid as ever and fighting is still a highly enjoyable treat.  Aside from the punches and kicks, you master a few submission moves that will have you on top of an opponent and slamming your fist into his face while he sends some sharp jabs to your ribs.  You can counter an opponent’s grapple by sending your knee directly to his mid-section.  This is fast and intense fighting that hardly ever goes beyond the first round because of it.  Since each fighter has his own style, you’ll find a different move set for each fighter.

Visually UFC Tapout 2 is actually impressive, especially the realism factor that is quite astonishing when it comes to the fighter models.  Since these are actual fighters, they are modeled accordingly and resemble their real life counterparts nicely.  Muscles flex realistically and the faces of the fighters are expressive enough that you’ll wince with pain when another fighter slams his fist into his jaw.  However, all is not perfect graphic-wise.  The crowd looks flat and two-dimensional (except in the fighter introduction in Champion Road where they’re a bit more fleshed out).  The arenas themselves are boring to look at as well.

The game’s soundtrack features some pretty loud and pumping trash-metal that sets the mood perfectly, but if it’s not your cup of tea you can always rip your own tunes and use them here in the game.  The walls of sounds that surround you are not great, though.  The audience cheers are decent enough, and listening to them call out the name of their favorite fighter is great, but it doesn’t make quite an impact.  The ring announcer, Bruce Buffer (brother of boxing ring announcer Michael “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” Buffer) just doesn’t really pump you up as much with his repetitive announcing.  What is impressive, though, is the sound of a fist connecting with flesh . . . it’s so good it hurts listening to it. 

UFC Tapout 2 is not a major departure from the previous game, in fact, much of it feels the same, but the minor improvements do make this a more involving fighting game.  The game’s only bad point is that the game doesn’t really capture the whole UFC experience with its bland introductions and repetitive announcer comments.  Otherwise, if you’re looking for an amusing all-out brawl, this game everything you could ever ask for.

Gameplay: 8.5
Thankfully the controls remain relatively the same from the first game and this, of course, is a good thing since the controls were responsive and easy to get into.  Once you get the hang of unleashing a few basic moves like high kicks and punch counters, you can move on to putting each fighter’s discipline (wrestling or tae kwon do) into action.

Graphics: 7.8
The fighter models are outstanding and their movements are so realistic that they won’t fail to impress gamers.  The bodies are neatly detailed and would have looked even more great if specific bruising could be seen ala-Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.  You see flecks of blood sprinkle the canvas but strangely enough not in the faces themselves like in the real thing.

Arenas are packed with fans but sadly they are not as rendered to 3D perfection as they are when your fighter makes his dramatic entrance to the ring.  There is also no real difference between the arena in each venue.  Unlike boxing games where the arena changes depending on where you are, the fighting Octagon is plain and, well, boring.

Sound: 7.0
The hard-hitting soundtrack is exactly what you would expect from this type of brawler and it’s great if you love really loud headbanging tunes.  If you don’t, you can always use your own music thanks to the Xbox hard drive.  The crowd noises is not as rich as those seen in other fighting games, but it is adequate enough to give you the impression that you’re fighting in an arena full of fans . . . most of which who will call you by your first name to cheer you on.  The ring announcer, though, never offers new introductions or adds something new to important championship title fights.

Still, the actual fighting sounds realistic enough with fists pounding into flesh or bodies slamming against the canvas.  The cries of pain sound real enough as well.

Difficulty: Medium
Depending on the division fight or weight class you go up against, the CPU fighters do a great job of blocking, countering attacks or grapple you down to the mat.  The higher up in the division you climb, the stronger and more skilled the opponent is . . . and this is where the game becomes a true challenge. 

Concept: 7.8
You have to love a game that mixes various fighting styles and implements them throughout the round.  While this isn’t anything-goes kind of fighting game, watching another fighter pummel an opponent to the ground is a startling sight.  If you’ve ever watched a UFC fight, you’ll know that the fighters really work each another over, usually with bloody results.  Career mode also allows you to create your own fighter and work on his stamina, punches and grappling skills (RPG style) before taking him through various fighting tournaments.

Multiplayer: 8.2
An eight-player Tournament mode allows up to two players simultaneously and, since there are thirty-five fighters to chose from, gamers will enjoy challenging each another using UFC favorites.  Like the majority of fighting games out there, it’s more enjoyable fighting against a friend, and since there are dozens of fighting styles featured here, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Overall: 8.0
Although very little has changed since UFC 1, fighting fans will find a lot to like about UFC Tapout 2.  It is, at heart, one of the best unconventional brawling titles out there.  UFC fans, though, will be disappointed by the fact that the game hardly ever “beefs” up the televised-style presentation to make the fights seem as memorable as they are in real life.  Still, the realism and fun this game offers is worth the purchase price.