Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2

Michael Jackson throws a jab. That's the image that sold Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, Midway's 2000 follow-up to its arcade boxer, and it's the one people still bring up. The King of Pop joined the roster as an unlockable fighter, alongside Shaquille O'Neal and a cast of returning bruisers and new comic creations. It was a strange, effective marketing hook for a game that otherwise stuck close to its predecessor's formula.

The sequel arrived on five platforms, starting with Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 on October 23, 2000. Nintendo 64 and PlayStation ports followed, and a Game Boy Advance version landed in June 2001, right in the handheld's North American launch window. That spread made Round 2 an early showcase title for the PS2 and GBA, even if it didn't push either system's hardware.

Under the celebrity skin, the fighting system stayed arcade-first. You fill a Rumble meter by landing punches, then cash it in for a flurry that can turn a round. New to this version were party modes with mini-games, a create-a-boxer option, and extra arenas. The ESRB handed it a Teen rating for mild violence and suggestive themes, which tells you plenty about the tone: cartoonish, loud, and rarely serious. [edit]

Round 2 keeps the arcade rhythm of the original: quick jabs, heavy hooks, and a meter that rewards aggression. Land enough punches and the Rumble gauge fills, letting you unleash a rapid-fire combo that can swing a fight. The roster leans into caricature. You get returning series regulars plus new fighters built around broad gimmicks, and the celebrity additions, Michael Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal, are the ones everyone remembers. Jackson appears as a secret character in most versions, complete with recorded voice lines and taunts that fans have clipped and shared for years.

Beyond the standard arcade ladder, the game adds party modes with mini-games, a create-a-boxer feature, and more arenas than the 1999 release. Multiplayer supports head-to-head versus play on consoles, which became the main reason to keep a copy around for retro sessions. The PlayStation version trims the roster to 20 fighters, while other versions list 23. There's no downloadable content or expansion; everything shipped on the disc, a sign of the era. [edit]

There's no narrative campaign here, just a lineup of fighters with exaggerated backstories. The closest thing to a plot is the arcade ladder, where you climb through opponents to become champion. The celebrity fighters get the most attention: Michael Jackson's inclusion turned into the game's defining pop-culture moment, and his voice clips have circulated online for decades, including a dedicated compilation that surfaced as recently as February 2026. Shaquille O'Neal, fresh off his NBA fame, adds another recognizable face to the cartoon cast. Beyond that, the fighters are archetypes, not characters with arcs. [edit]