The Ultimate Fighting Championship videogame franchise, much like the real-life sport its games are based on, has had a chequered history and has passed through multiple hands since its inception. The first game, which was developed by Crave Entertainment & Anchor Inc. for the Sega Dreamcast console set the standard: Smooth, blazingly fast matches, easy- to-pick-up gameplay and a full roster of the most current and popular UFC fighters. There was simply no other game like it on the console, and no other fighting game at the time could match it for its realism and authenticity. Well-received both critically and at the sales counter, Ultimate Fighting Championship game was eventually ported to the Playstation and Gameboy Colour. However, the next two games in the franchise, Tapout and Tapout 2, while bringing even more effects (such as blood) and detail to the solid gameplay of the first title, did little to expand upon the series. Now, nearly nine years after the release of the first UFC game, THQ and Yuke’s Media Creations are on the verge of bringing forth a title which promises to rejuvenate the series with a deeper yet intuitive combat system, hyper-realistic graphics and effects, and even cuter, more impossibly endowed Octagon-girls, and after some eyes-on time last weekend in Montreal with a near complete build as well as some hands-on with the upcoming demo, I can say that UFC 2009: Undisputed looks to be making good on that promise.
The first thing that players will immediately take notice of is the improved details of the fighters themselves, as fighters in previous UFC games have looked a little…well…pale. All the fighter models which we were able to glimpse in the latest build, including those of Chuck Liddell, Marucio “Shogun” Rua, Anderson Silva, Thales Leites, Cheick Kongo, and local Canadian hero Georges St. Pierre all sported realistic skin tones and textures, making those of the models in Tapout 2 look like mannequins by comparison. As with most sports games featuring real-life athletes, it is arguable as to how accurate some models represent their flesh-and-blood counterparts: Shogun and Liddell are dead-ringers, while G.S.P. and Kongo could go either way (however, the two latter fighters were present at the preview event playing their virtual selves and seemed to have no complaints). Thales Leites looked the least like himself, but after his horrible performance at UFC 97 last Saturday, it is unlikely that anyone will want to play him anyway. More impressive are the new effects: Fighters’ bodies glisten with sweat, realistic blood runs from forehead cuts down faces and chests or spatters onto the octagon floor from punches, permanently staining the surface; cheeks and other body areas visibly “ripple” when they absorb the shock of powerful blows, and cuts and bruises remain for the duration of the fight. Fighters also begin to breathe heavily and reveal physical exhaustion in their posture as they exert themselves, making it easier to determine when one should go on the attack or on the defensive. However, one of the most impressive effects in Undisputed is one that will likely go unnoticed by most, but prove to be the most appreciated by long-time fans of the UFC games: there is an absolute lack of clipping whatsoever between fighters’ character models. This means that bodies and/or extremities never merge or pass through each other during clinches or strikes, allowing fight situations to be represented more realistically. Additionally, glancing punches and kicks can slip off the surface of a fighter’s head or body, so not every hit will result in the same amount of damage or stun a fighter in the same way every time.
Of course, THQ’s overhaul to the UFC franchise is not purely cosmetic. Major changes have been made to the gameplay that both newcomers and experienced players will be able to appreciate. While the basic attack scheme has remained the same (the four face buttons A, B, X, and Y represent the left punch, right punch, left kick and right kick à la Tekken), several tweaks have been made to the standing game. Pressing an attack button while holding LB will perform a high attack, while holding LT while attacking will perform a low attack. Similarly, RB will perform a high block and RT will perform a low block, and each of the latter two buttons will also perform a “body clinch” or “strike clinch” respectively when pressed while moving towards an opponent. Also, there are now three different ranges that will determine the nature of a fighter’s attack: the “sprint range”, the “striking range” and the “probing range”, with “probing range” being the closest. Depending on how far a fighter is from his opponent, different moves will be executed. For example, Shogun, who uses Muay Thai Kickboxing for his ground game, will perform a lunging knee attack to his opponent’s head if his high right kick is executed from more than a metre away, but the same command will result in a quick side-kick to the body if performed up close to his opponent. The above tools alone are enough for the casual player to jump right in and have fun with the game, and combined with the roster of over 80 fighters, each with their own distinct standing and grapple techniques derived from six different martial arts (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), the game offers many hours of exciting and unpredictable matches in the standing game alone. However, true fighting fans will want to take the extra time to explore Undisputed’s deeper ground game in order to get the full experience.
Just like in the real sport, a fight can go to the ground at anytime from a knockdown or clinch, and once there both offensive and defensive players can utilize the new “Ultimate Fight Control” scheme in order to transition between positions and battle to gain the upper hand over each other. Using the right analog stick (RS), offensive players can use quarter-circle motions for minor transitions and “just-over” quarter-circle motions for major transitions, all with the aim of getting their fighter in position to either rain a barrage of strikes down on their opponent’s head or body, or perform a devastating submission hold that will force their opponent to tap out. Likewise, the grounded fighter can use minor and major transitions to reverse such attempts and either turn the tables on their oppressors with an attack or hold of their own or escape to their feet to continue the standing game. It is this unpredictable nature of the ground game that will likely keep players practicing for hours in training mode with each fighter so they can master all the advanced techniques and escapes for their favourites.
Speaking of unpredictability, the stamina system in Undisputed still remains true to the “as real as it gets” mantra of the UFC. By default, health indicators are turned off, and in place of “lifebars” that represent the totality of a fighter’s consciousness in other fighting games, a more realistic stamina system is utilized where life is essentially limitless but the energy is not. As Undisputed’s producer, Neven Dravinksi describes it, stamina is the “gas tank” of your fighter while your energy is the gas within it that powers your fighter’s moves. As your fighter takes more damage from your opponent’s strikes , your stamina tank’s capacity is permanently reduced, in turn reducing the total amount of energy your fighter has to perform attacks. In addition, if you attack your opponent relentlessly without giving your fighter the opportunity to rest (either by backing off or taking a breather during a body clinch), your energy will deplete faster, making it harder to recover from a powerful blow or fight your way out of a submission hold attempt. So balancing your attacks and your defense is key if you want to survive. As previously mentioned, when a fighter is on the ropes, you can see it – he will begin to pant heavily, his posture will droop, his guard will lower and his face will show signs of exhaustion. And if a blow to the head causes your fighter’s mouthpiece to fly out, put down the controller and go get a pillow because it’s naptime for you.
All the journalists at the Montreal preview event had about two to three hours of total playtime with the demo and just about everyone came away in agreement that Undisputed is far and away the most accurate videogame representation of the sport to date. While it still lacks some of the pomp and circumstance of a live UFC event (such as individual fighter walks to the Octagon), the immersion is definitely there in the roar of the crowds, the appearances of real-life personalities such as UFC President Dan White, announcer Bruce Buffer and referee Mario Yamazaki, color commentary by real UFC announcers, UFC pay-per-view visual assets and Octagon product placement by UFC partners (such as Harley Davidson Motorcycles). More importantly, THQ has wisely decided to focus on ensuring that the gameplay in Undisputed will pass muster for the UFC’s demanding fans, both newcomers and veterans alike, and the result is very promising. I look forward to getting even more hands-on time with the demo when it drops onto the Xbox Live Marketplace on April 23rd so I can perfect my Shogun ground game and lay waste to all comers when the full game ships on May 19th. See you then!
Preview By: Khari Taylor
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