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Ever since Dana White has taken over the UFC it has blossomed as the gladiators of this generation have damn near overtaken the popularity of Boxing. Following in the steps of Dana White THQ and Yuke’s Media Creations have stepped in to take over the reigns of developing the latest UFC video game counter part. The question is can THQ make as big an improvement to UFC video games as Dana has done to the sport of MMA?

As soon as you hit the power button on your system with UFC Undisputed in the tray the adrenaline filled, hectic balls to the wall feel of MMA fighting is there to greet you. The menu system in this game has a great look which could have really added to the presentation of this game. Though the menu looks great it is severely hindered by the slow clunky movement as you navigate that begs the question. “Why in the Hell is this menu moving slower than brains function after a left hook from Rampage Jackson.” Besides that, the presentation in this game is top notch. Once you finally get to the game the feeling that you are watching an actual UFC fight slap you cross the face like a knee from Anderson Silva. The only negative here for some would be that there is NO ring entrance, which we all would have only watched once for each fighter any way. Once you hit the Octagon the authenticity of the fighters is there to greet you as you notice the time that was put in to catch every minor detail of the fighters as they mug the camera and do all the pre-fight rituals as the sound of MMA Announcing “Bruce Buffer” lends his voice for the vocals. Once the fight begins you get to experience some of the best commentary video games have to offer. “I smoke Rocks” Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are there to give you plenty useful and useless information on all the fighters on the UFC Undisputed roster. Along with the great info on the fighters Rogan and Goldberg also present us with dynamic on point commentary on the action that happens through out the fight.

The game play in UFC Undisputed is where this game shines brightest. This game is equipped with six fighting disciplines, 3 striking and 3 grappling. The 3 striking disciplines include boxing, Muay Thai, and kick boxing while the grappling disciplines include wrestling, judo, and Brazilian jujitsu. While this may not seem like many each fighter is fitted with one striking and one grappling discipline which makes a nice amount of combinations causing each fight to be unique. Another addition is that some of the mega UFC stars also have their very on moves that are distinctly unique to them. For instance Matt Hughes has a distinct power slam while Forest Griffin has the ability to catch a foot and throw a punch at the same time. Some people may be inclined to keep it on their feet and adapt to the striking game, while it will take a seasoned veteran to take it to the ground as a back and forth battle of positioning will ultimately decide the victor. While playing just remember one golden rule, “KEEP YOUR HANDS UP”, for there is nothing sweeter than a flash knockout while catching some one with a counter.

The graphics in this game are not to be out done. These are some of the best graphics in a fighting game to date and can easily stand along side any other graphic marvel in this generation. Just about all the fighters can be recognized instantly and are spitting images of their real life counter parts. Sweat, spit, and blood all show up for the fight and are done flawlessly. Yuke’s really took their time to make sure each chest hair and rippling muscle (no homo) was put in its correct place with different levels of cauliflower ear to match. My only gripe here is that some of the less known fighters faces seem to be made out of play dough. Besides that, the arena’s also look nice with accurate referees and and sexy ass ring girls to boot.

This game includes a very complex controls scheme that demands at least a 30 minute learning curve. When it comes to the striking game the controls are straight forward as each face button is tied to an appendage. X and Y control the left and right punches while A & B control kicks. The left trigger is a modifier that controls high or low kicks while the right trigger blocks. While that seems simple enough the real beef in this game is contained on the ground. Once you get yo back on the mat the science of this sport really shines. From the ground you use the analog stick to either improve you position offensively or defensively. This is accomplished by Half Circles and 3 Quarter circles of the right analog stick with LB being the modifier depending on your grappling discipline. The ground game is played as sort of a pyramid as offensively you try to work your way to the top which would be a “Mount” which usually ends with your hand being raised in victory.

The mode selection in UFC Undisputed bolsters an adequate amount of options. There is a great tutorial mode that any one who wants the master the game should definitely take advantage of. Another option that is available is legendary match mode which puts you in the middle of a legendary match from UFC past. In this mode you must choose a fighter and make sure that your match ends the same way that it did in real life. What adds to this feature is that its shows off real life video of the fighters hyping up the event as they tell each other just how they feel about them. Once the match is over if you have ended it the same way it ended in real life you are awarded with the unlocking of another video clip from the original fight. Another mode that also shines in the game is the career mode. In the career mode you create a fighter, pick a weight class and take him throughout the ranks of the UFC. The career mode gives you various choices to make as in when to train, how to train, and who to train with which all adds to the makeup of your character.

My biggest problem in this game lies in the Online play. Through out my play online lag free games are the exception as lag is waiting around every corner to slap you with a quick “Baby J” Penn jab . The ranking system seems to be descent as the moves you perform within each match carry weight determining how many points you get to improve your ranking and the amount of fans. While I have continuously barraged the online play with left and right knees from the Muay Thai clinch I have not even touched the surface with the largest bone head move ever seen in 2009 as far as online play goes. Some one please tell me how the hell THQ and Yuke’s Media Creation let this game leave the show room floor with as huge a flaw as mma ears with cauliflower. While playing an online game at any point in the game some one can just turn off their Xbox with out receiving a lost. WTF? This destroys the online experience as just as soon as I bless some one with the right hand of fellowship and they start seeing tweety birds the game will get turned off with out them receiving a lost nor me receiving a win.

THQ and Yuke’s Media Creations have came together and made the best UFC game to date. While this game is not perfect as the online play definitely lacks, it is definitely worth buying as it will offer you and your friends countless hours of ass whoopin fun. THQ and Yuke’s have tapped out the competition with their Dana White like makeover of the MMA video game genre.

Written By Randy Ledet Jr.

What's good world! This "The 7 Dawg", CEO of TheKoalition.com. I'm from Louisiana reppin "The Southern University". I'm a huge sports gamer so hit me up on Xbox Live "The 7 Dawg" or on my PSN "The7Dawg" Roo to the Ques and I'm gone alright alright!!

1. KRyPT says:

   May 30, 2009 at 5:39 am

   great review, im not a UFC fan at all but you seem to know exactly what you’re talking about

   the disconnection situation NEEDS to be sorted though, i wont even consider playing this game online unless its patched

   Reply
2. chris says:

   August 3, 2009 at 12:57 pm

   does anybody know the song played at the title screen

   Reply

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