At a time when the fighting game
genre lacks variety, innovation, or anything fresh, you wouldn’t think that a
real-world license could help turn things around. In most cases, a license is
something you slap on the front of the box. It does not dictate how a game is
developed, how it should play, or the kinds of people it should entertain.
UFC 2009 Undisputed might be the one
exception to all three of those rules. First and foremost, it was made to
attract as many UFC enthusiasts as possible. But in trying to produce a game
that lives up to the expectations of those fans, Yuke’s and THQ have created one
of the best and most original fighting games of the PS3/360 generation.
Engine Officially Revved
Think of the difficulty of trying to
master Tekken’s moves for the first time. Slow the game down a bit, and move the
fighters closer together, mirroring that of a wrestling experience. Make the
right analog stick an essential (but not ridiculous) part of the combat system.
Throw in several grapple moves to enhance the wrestling effect, and layer every
move with several block, counter and/or reversal options – enough to overwhelm
anyone expecting the usual pound-or-be-pounded, button-mash-or-get-mashed
fighting game style. Include several distinct fighting styles (Boxing,
Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu) and merge them in a way
that makes every character blend together. Merge them not for simplicity but for
fluidity so that the game has an even flow.
Think of all that and you’ll begin
to understand the true beauty of UFC 2009 Undisputed. Smackdown vs. Raw is the
only series you could compare it to, and that’s only because the character
movements are similar. Other than that, it’s hard to find any distinct
similarities. Even boxing, a fighting style that has been tackled by countless
fighting games, is notably different.
A New Level of Seamlessness
Each style is linked with four types
of combat: standing, clinch, ground and submission. From there, the complexities
of UFC 2009 Undisputed grow to unexpected levels. Standing (basically normal)
combat is the one area where players will attempt to button mash and
occasionally succeed. Left and right kicks and punches are assigned to the face
buttons, which default to high attacks. To attack a lower part of your opponent,
you’ll need to press the modifier (L1) button. Now you have another four
attacks. While tapping one of the face buttons, you can push the left stick
toward your opponent to modify the attack once more – your moves become stronger
but are unleashed more slowly.
Of course, you aren’t the only one
throwing punches. The enemy AI isn’t skilled enough to drive us crazy, but it
isn’t dumb enough to give players a free ride either. Thus, you’ll need to
defend yourself. That’s where the high and low strike counters come in, which
are executed with a flick of the right stick (up and down, respectively). Timing
is everything, though it must be said that it didn’t take more than a minute to
successfully perform my first counter. This might have more to do with my
history of fighting games (nearly 20 years of playing them) than the game’s
simplicity. But if you’re patient, it shouldn’t be too challenging.
Counters can lead to a clinch (sort
of a standing hold move where you can inflict minor damage while keeping your
opponent at bay) or a takedown (exactly as it sounds: you’re taking your
opponent down to the ground). Both clinches and takedowns have counters, and
both can be fought off after a successful execution. Takedowns are vital to your
success but are difficult to initiate – mark my words: your opponents won’t go
down easily.
When they do, there are several ways
to make them feel pain. While kneeling over your opponent, you can punch him
repeatedly until he finds a way to break free. He may retaliate (just because
he’s down doesn’t mean he can’t punch back), and he may block some of your
punches. But in this scenario, you’re the one with the advantage. From there,
you can adjust your position by performing one of several fairly easy rolling
and zigzag motions with the right stick. If done correctly, you’ll be in
somewhat of a laying clinch position. Now you can push and pull your opponent’s
appendages, causing extreme amounts of pain – and possibly a victory by
submission.
It Looks Good Too
UFC 2009 Undisputed isn’t just a
game with a great engine: it also looks like it belongs on the current
generation of consoles. Aside from the occasional and very brief frame rate
lockup (which could be a loading glitch), the game is beautiful. The character
models are incredibly detailed, rivaling those of the recent NBA 2K games.
Sweat, blood, scrapes, cuts and other realistic effects are subtly present. Most
impressively, every movement is seamless – visually and physically. You won’t
spot any awkward animations or unrealistic transitions. Every part of it is
insanely refined.
When you’re finished drooling over
the graphics, you’ll be entertained by the usual array of game modes: Career,
Exhibition, Online, Tutorial (annoyingly simplistic at first but it’s a must if
you want to learn every move), Classic Fights and Create a Fighter. The Classic
Fights mode lets you relive old UFC competitions, while the Create a Fighter
mode is your typical by-the-books offering. Since this is a fighting game,
online play is limited to two players, but that does not make it any less fun.
Career mode is awesome because, in addition to cutting out all the useless story
crap that so many sports and fighting games offer, the fighting, training and
sparring implementations are really well done.
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Gameplay: 8.8
UFC 2009 Undisputed is one amazing, hard-to-resist fighting game that does
something none of the big-name sequels have been able to accomplish on PS3 and
Xbox 360: it provides a fun and significantly different battle engine that
requires you to learn something new.
Graphics: 9.0
If Street Fighter IV is the best-looking fighting game from an artistic
standpoint, UFC 2009 Undisputed wins the crown for being the most realistic.
Sound: 7.0
Repetitive commentary and music that will only appeal to those who like this
kind of rock.
Difficulty: Medium
Not every battle is difficult to overcome, but this is definitely not a
run-of-the-mill, button-mash-till-you-win kind of fighting game.
Concept: 8.5
While not an entirely new kind of game, UFC 2009 Undisputed is vastly
different from its competitors. Its attempt at merging several fighting styles
proved to be successful and incomparably seamless.
Multiplayer: 8.5
Two-player battles (online or offline) ensure this game will live on long
after you’ve finished the Career mode.
Overall: 8.8
A must-play fighter for any fan of the genre, UFC or both.
