AFL Evolution 2

"AFL Evolution 2 is a sports game offering single-player, local and multi-player modes for up to 8 players. The game boasts enhanced gameplay mechanics, smart AI, and official licenses for over 90 teams from AFL, AFLW, and various state leagues. Expanded career features and an improved FanHub for customization options adds to its appeal."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

Reviews

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 326 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

AFL Evolution 2 is considered the best AFL game available, with improved gameplay mechanics and graphics compared to its predecessor.
The game offers a fun experience for AFL fans, with a variety of customization options and a solid career mode.
Many players appreciate the effort put into the game by Australian developers, noting that it captures the spirit of AFL well despite its flaws.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and poor AI, making gameplay frustrating and unbalanced, especially in marking contests.
Commentary and audio quality are criticized for being awkward and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
The PC port is considered poorly optimized, with controls that are clunky and difficult to use, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

gameplay
62 mentions
35 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting improvements over previous iterations, particularly in terms of smoothness and AI mechanics. However, issues such as clunky controls, character merging, and graphical shortcomings detract from the overall experience. While some find the gameplay enjoyable and challenging, others express frustration with its mechanics and hope for future enhancements.
- “Actually quite a fun game, mechanics are challenging and fun. The graphics are not the best, but the overall experience is good, bringing back memories of playing AFL Live on PS2!”
- “Massive improvement from the first evolution. I feel like the gameplay is very fair, and if you mess up a marking contest, it's genuinely your fault.”
- “Gameplay feels a lot more free-flowing, but I wish there were some more layers (precision taps?) to ruck contests as it can become a flat-out stoppage game at times.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are subpar, with characters merging through each other to mark or running in the same direction after they pick up the ball for a good 2-3 seconds.”
- “The controls are very clunky and the mechanics of this game are awful.”
- “My excitement dampened a little upon release; the game felt like it was a step back compared to Evolution 1, with a few bugs, choppy gameplay, and the FPS making the game rough to play.”
graphics
26 mentions
23 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting significant improvements over previous versions, while others criticize them as "woeful" or reminiscent of "potato graphics." Despite the visual shortcomings, many users appreciate the smooth gameplay and overall fun experience, suggesting that the graphics do not detract significantly from the game's enjoyment. However, there is a consensus that further polish and attention to detail in graphics and commentary would enhance the overall quality.
- “Runs so well on PC, smooth gameplay, better graphics and commentary improved from the first AFL Evo.”
- “The graphics are a lot cleaner, animations and general gameplay are much smoother.”
- “Nice graphics improvements from AFL Evo 1.”
- “The graphics are pretty woeful.”
- “If you can ignore the obvious potato graphics and the horrendous commentating, which is basically sound bytes chopped together poorly, the gameplay is pretty decent and fun.”
- “But if you guys make another AFL game, please put more effort into the commentating, crowds, and overall graphics quality (some players look atrocious).”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of AFL Evolution 2 is widely criticized, with many users noting significant glitches and buggy AI that detract from the overall experience. However, some players find that these issues add a unique charm to the game, making it enjoyable despite its flaws.
- “Footy is a hard game to virtualize and the AI is buggy.”
- “Most buggy piece of shit to ever be released still sucks.”
- “Although Tice said there are a lot of negatives with AFL Evolution 2, I still find the game pretty enjoyable; the glitches and weirdness even add to the fun in some ways.”
optimization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, as users with high-end hardware, such as a 3080 GPU and overclocked 2700x CPU, report struggling to achieve smooth performance at 4K resolution. Many have resorted to lowering settings to medium to significantly improve frame rates, sacrificing visual quality in the process.
- “I had to turn the performance category to medium, which seemed to turn off some fancy visuals but gave a massive boost to FPS.”
- “The optimization options are great, allowing players to balance visuals and performance effectively.”
- “I appreciate how the game lets you customize settings to enhance performance without sacrificing too much visual quality.”
- “With a 3080 and a 2700X overclocked at 3.5 GHz, I should be crushing this game in 4K; however, this is not the case as it is not optimized.”
- “Had to turn the performance category to medium, which seemed to turn off some fancy visuals but gave a massive boost to FPS.”
- “With a 3080 and a 2700X overclocked at 3.5 GHz, I should be crushing this game in 4K; however, this is not the case as it is not optimized.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its fun and immersive representation of the sport, effectively capturing its essence and excitement.
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of brilliant and absurdly dopey AI interactions, leading to moments that are both clever and hilariously unexpected.
- “Sometimes the AI is brilliant; other times, it's so dopey that it's hilarious.”
music
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered unremarkable, with some players opting to mute it entirely in favor of their own playlists.
- “I almost prefer to just mute the game and listen to music instead while playing it.”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Users generally agree that the game's replayability is limited, lasting around 10-20 hours before it begins to diminish significantly.
- “Replayability would last about 10-20 hours at max before it is diminished.”