Playing UFC
There’s little question that MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion have seen incredibly growth in the last few years with TV shows and now monthly pay-per-views. Success in the UFC is through technical knowledge of fighting, not pure rage or a hard right hand alone. Going into this game, I knew that to execute all of the techniques good fighters in MMA use, I would have to get a grip on the controls. The controls would be the biggest challenge to master as there is an awful lot of mechanics and techniques from standing offense to grappling that you need to learn to succeed.
That said, Yuke’s has done a good job of including an in depth tutorial mode. I would recommend spending at least your first hour of play in this mode simply because there is a lot to learn. The tutorial is broken up in the practice matches and demostrations, where you watch the CPU execute a manuever and then you match it by following the on screen prompts. Within the tutorial you’ll learn the full suite of moves from standing offense and defense, double underhook O and D, grappling, submission, transitions, takedowns, running, throws, counters, etc. Many maneuvers have two types, like strong and weak for strikes and throws for example. Most techniques control fairly well, but some are difficult and a little unpredictable or unreliable. So while your basic strikes from a stand position work and moving around with clicks and flicks of the left stick are fine, transitions on the ground are a bear. As soon as I saw the controls pop up on screen for what was required to transition on the ground, I was concerned. To execute transitions — which are a way for you to go from one ground technique to another so that you can get an advantage or better advantage over your opponent — you have to make half-circles and other movements with the right stick. Now, this is coming from someone that has trouble consistently executing similiar moves in 2D fighters — but for me, using the right stick for this type of control is more about chance than it is about consistency, and that made the experience less enjoyable and engaging.
Other controls in UFC 2009 Undisputed are less troublesome, but still feel like they aren’t quite refined. Part of this could be with how the game feels, though. As I’ve often said with wrestling games from the past several years, namely the ones from THQ, the action just feels, and looks, slow and clunky. It’s not to say the framerate is bad, but by design the action is so much slower than what you would expect and what I think would be more fun. Even for a sim, which this game is trying to be, the action is just too slow to look or feel lifelike.
Speaking of speed, the brevity of some fights due to knockouts is just a little on the high side. Also, there’s nothing quite like beating the heck out of a CPU opponent for a few rounds only to catch an unlucky blow to the head that ends the match; but, that’s the way it can go in the real UFC too, so it’s just part of the experience. That said, KO’s are fairly common and may mar the experience for some die hard UFC fans that aren’t used to seeing so many KOs. Also, scoring KOs online often leads to your opponent quickly disconnecting to avoid a loss in their online record, which is pretty annoying but is likely to be patched.
Create A Fighter, Career Mode, And More
When I thought I was ready for the big show, I decided to create a fighter and start a fresh career. You can use either templates of other fighters or start from scratch and customize all sorts of features from body type to tattoos to clothing to fighting style. Expect your typical gamut of options to choose from, with the exception of clothing which is restricted to different types of shorts and logos only (more of which you can unlock). Fighting and Grappling styles include arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing, with Muay Thai being the most interesting to me. Depending on your styles, what strikes, submissions, and throws you do varies. For a Muay Thai fighter for example, he’ll use his elbows and knees to bash. You also begin with an allotment of points to spend on your fighters’ abilities that include offense and defense in all of the major postures (standing, grappling, takedowns). You can save up to 100 fighters, which should be far more than any one console will have.
The career mode is fairly deep and begins with an in-game cutscene to get you started. Within minutes you’ll have your first fight lined up and, win or lose, the career mode continues into its other aspects that include training, sponsors, and emails to UFC personnel who are looking to help you find fights and promote the sport. In between fights, you can train your fighter in a variety of ways like with cardio and strength exercises and you can allocate points to your skills to continue to improve. You will also want to keep an eye on your Stamina level and give yourself some time to Rest which is another selectable option. Frankly, this ‘in between fights’ system reminded me of The Con on PSP, so if you’ve played that, you’ll be comfortable with this system in no time.
Career mode can take you through years of fighting, and it can be pretty addictive but also frustrating. Players also have the option to take the action online or locally with a friend. Additionally, you can do some Exhibition matches from the main menu or relive some of UFC’s Greatest Fights, complete with cutscenes and video leading up to the events.
As far as the sights and sounds of UFC 2009 Undisputed, you can expect a solid technical presentation, but not one that is really outstanding. Accurate commentary from long time UFC commentators is included, and that’s a plus. I especially liked how Yuke’s put their commentary in with the menu system — so while you’re browsing menus, you’ll hear exciting commentary and sound clips from past UFC events, a great way to set the atmosphere. It’s too bad the commentary doesn’t carry this same tone into the game. Other effects are fine, but lack a certain umph that I think could have helped the overall feel of the game. The music is another collection of eye-rolling radio rock that I really wish sports titles would just do completely without.
Visually, UFC does alright for itself when it comes to fight time. I really liked the load screen as odd as that sounds, but the basic graphical design of it was very good. Where I thought the visuals really lacked was in the Career mode’s menu and background; you’re witness to an overview of a gym with lots of NPCs working out, but the graphics here look very hollow and dated. Not a big deal since it doesn’t represent the nice visuals of the real in-game action, but notable still.
Ultimately, while I think UFC needs a few tweaks in the controls and a general speed boost, Yuke’s has done a good job with this first UFC game. It’s certainly worth your attention for a rental, and I suspect a good number of gamers will pick this one up for their collections.