Review: UFC 2009 Undisputed

Ultimate Fighting is the fastest growing sport in the world and so it was always likely that the gaming industry and the UFC would come together to cash in on this new found popularity. Crave were the first tasked in making this happen, but the games lacked any real quality and were met with lukewarm reviews. Now THQ and Yukes have been assigned with picking the franchise up off the mat and ready for another round and while the game certainly has some flaws it has major potential.

In the red corner

UFC 2009 Undisputed is not a game you can just jump into. Not playing the tutorial will result in you seeing stars on a regular basis. The tutorial is very slow paced, but it has to be because there is a lot of information to take in. The standing fight is easy to get to grips with. Punching and kicking are controlled through the X, square, triangle and circle buttons respectfully and clinches and take downs are controlled by the right analogue stick. Many of the fighters have wrestling backgrounds and that's also a major part of the game. When you take an opponent to the ground your aim is to jostle for certain position, using the right analogue stick, from which you can unleash devastating strikes or use the position to submit your opponent. The ground game is quite hard to master and will appeal to the more advanced UFC veterans and with over 80 UFC fighters to try there is plenty of styles available should you fancy a bit of variety.

The fighting on display is very good and only suffers from some small problems. Firstly, the standing game is too slow paced. When both fighters drop gloves and start trading blows it looks like they are taking turns hitting each other. There is no intensity at all and can look rather pathetic at times. Secondly, the AI is too strong on the ground. Even if you have a fantastic wrestler the AI is able to reverse moves and never submit. This stems from the controls. In order to jostle for positions on the ground you need to push the right analogue stick diagonally and rotate it 90 degrees. It can be quite tricky to do, especially when under pressure.

Since there are many different styles of fighting every match always feels completely different and your tactics will always be changing based on your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. The game also has a more realistic approach to knock outs. You can be floored at any time by any punch or kick. If you've been reading about this feature you will know it has received a mixed response. I believe it is a great feature. It means you're always kept on your toes and wary of your opponent at all times. They don't happen as much, but it will be in the back of your mind whenever you move into attack.

In the blue corner

UFC 2009 Undisputed gives you the option to play a single match against the computer, a friend or you can play online. Online play isn't particularly great as it was quite laggy when I played it. Since I usually take my opponent to the ground the lag caused my timing to be completely off and it was impossible all my manoeuvres were down to luck . However, the bulk of your time will probably be spent in the career mode. You begin by creating a fighter and it's your task to train him up and climb up the ranks in order to get a title shot. CRED is another thing you have to manage. It's short for credibility (duh) and is gained by doing interviews and winning fights. Having high CRED unlocks more sponsors and equipment for your gym. A lot of the out of the ring stuff is unnecessary and boring. Doing interviews is a waste of time and it takes away a week of training. You also receive emails from the UFC and other people, but they are completely useless and not worth your time checking them. I never came across one email that was actually worth reading.

Navigating the numerous menus in the career mode is a nightmare. You have to wade through about seven screens just to change trunks and sometimes it all becomes too much and you find yourself ignoring certain tasks. I never bothered changing trunks or adding logos because it happened to frequently and the return just wasn't worth the hassle of doing it.

Yuke's has also included a classic fights mode. This contains all of the UFC greatest fights and puts you in the position of one of the fighters. You are tasked with winning the fight under certain situations, which are similar to the way the fight really ended. There is an introduction to each fight by a lovely looking lady who talks about...something...wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, but after she finishes, whatever it is she says, you are treated to a mini documentary about the fight. It's interesting and certainly a good mode to play should you grow a bit bored of the career mode.

Out for the count

UFC 2009 Undisputed is a good looking game. Every fighter looks almost photo realistic, but Dana White's model is poor. He looks like he's still stuck in the PS2 era. It's quite odd as he's the president of the UFC and you'd expect him to look somewhat similar to his real life counterpart. He looks like he has a melted Lego head for some reason. The animation is fluid for the most part, but not perfect. In the KO replays it shows a close up cinematic of your knock out and it always shows a connection with the jaw, even if you have clipped them on the crown or top of the head. It's not a major problem, but it does ruin the immersion.

The sound in the game is top notch. There is good atmosphere in the arena and the crowd stand to their feet when the action comes thick and fast. The commentating is also great. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan provide some fascinating info about the fighters during matches and all the catchphrases make it into the game. The soundtrack consists of Nu-metal/hardcore rock and while it's not the worst stuff I've heard the soundtrack could have been a lot better. There is only about four or five songs and it would have been a good idea to expand the soundtrack because you spend a good portion of the career mode outside the ring and the songs become very repetitive very quickly.

And it is all over

UFC 2009 Undisputed is a success but not an unqualified one. The core element of the game is solid and all that needs to be done is some polishing. Hopefully, the next instalment in the series will do just that and then we really do have an undisputed champion. Right now UFC 2009 Undisputed is still only a contender.