8.8

UFC Undisputed 2010 PS3

The UFC (United Fighting Championship) is extremely popular in the United States and some of this popularity has flowed onto other countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. It’s basically the extreme sports of the boxing world that allows its competitors to use a variety of combat styles as they attempt to beat the absolute living daylights out of their opponents. If you’re still a little confused, go rent Blood Sport on DVD or even better, one of the many many UFC DVD’s available... even movies!

With that said, the UFC franchise has been around in the console world for a few years now and THQ have the exclusive rights to it, so you pretty much know from the get go that you’ll be in for a treat. Just imagine a wrestling game where you can beat the absolute crap out of each other and you're pretty much in the right mind zone then. The gaming mechanics have greatly tweaked from previous instalments but the biggest highlight for me is the new updated roster and the combat engine which has received another fine tuning that makes it more fluid.

This means that the combat is not as stiff as previous instalments and players move almost like their real-world counterparts, thanks to the new sway system and posture system. This allows you to move more akin to a boxer, rather than just stand there and the posture system allows you to get up close and personal when your fighting on the ground. So in turn, it allows for more strategy when fighting AI or online opponents plus more damage.

The game contains a variety of gameplay modes from exhibition fights to multiplayer any my personal favourite, the career mode. Other fun modes include a Tournament Mode, Ultimate Fight Mode and a Title mode that has the player attempting to beat a set number of opponents. There is even an unlockable mode called Title Defence that ups the ante in terms of difficulty. You have to smile when the fights start because it’s so much like the real UFC that at times, it’s like watching TV. All the crazy introductions and music really helps get you immersed into this atmosphere, thanks to the wonderful graphics.

As mentioned, the combat mechanics have been tweaked again which allow for new manoeuvres to mimic the various combat styles such as boxing to Jujitsu as you wiggle the analog stick, press the buttons on the D-pad and shoulder buttons. These tweaks are not an afterthought have been implemented well with the controller.

This translates to more accessible counterattacks as you attempt to grapple, block, subdue and defeat your opponents or force them into submission. Nothing is more satisfying than trying to force submission by your opponent as you struggle in an almost godly battle to get the upper hand. Very cool indeed. Add in new cage positions and you have everything you need for dare I say... one of the console worlds' most realistic fighters.

The way you create your own fighters has also been revised, allowing for a considerable amount of more customisation options for the gamer. The new customisation option of UFC seems to have been borrowed from the Smackdown vs. RAW series but even so, it gives the player more ownership of the character that they play and let’s just say that I’ve seen some hideous and extremely good creations. From tattoos, introductions and even with the ability to create your own hybrid fighting system, it’s easy to get quite caught up in this part of he game.

In career mode, you begin as an amateur fighter who could basically get his ass handed to him by any UFC competitor. However as you progress, compete in fights and train, your statistics slowly begin to build as you make a name for yourself in the fighting world until you get scouted by Dana White for the UFC. That’s what makes this game so fun is that rather than play a real-world fighter which is fun, you can make your own name in this virtual UFC that makes the end result a much more satisfying experience.

The only downside of the career mode is that you need to keep your fighter fit and healthy by ensuring that you train and rest adequately between fights which happens around midway through your career as you’re not a young buck anymore. You can even engage in press workouts and even pre-fight interviews, thanks to Rachelle Leah which assists in getting your name out there and of course a fan base. The game even sets up a friend and rival system amongst your competitors that almost makes you feel like you are part of something bigger and better, even though the majority is smoke and mirrors.

And then when you think it can’t get any better, you are slammed with a very healthy online mode as you fight ranked and unranked matches. You can even create an almost UFC guild type of experience. Add in a great lobby option and lots of statistic via the leader boards and you could be playing this game for a considerable amount of time online.

Graphically, UFC Undisputed is a visually impressive game. The realistic models who actually looks like their real-world counterparts is truly amazing, even though they still have that Zombie-esq facial appearance. But apart from that, they all move with a realistic grace as they punch, kick and pummel the sh*t out of each other. We even see the sexy Octagon girls and real-world commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg who lend their voices to the title. Great graphics and almost just as good sound effects, voices and musical score.

Let's sum it! UFC 2010 Undisputed is easily one of the world's most realistic fighting games that offers great replay value, sturdy combat engine and an overall entertaining experience that is oozing with UFC references from start to finish! Recommended to all fighters!)