UFC Undisputed 2010: Review

Format: Xbox 360 (version reviewed), PS3, PSP
Hits the Shelves: 28/05/2010
Publisher: THQ
Developer: THQ
Offline Players: 1 – 2
Online Players: 2
Site: UFCUndisputed.com/

UFC Undisputed has definately got to be one of the greatest if not THE greatest fighting game that is out now or due out soon. The graphics look amazing mainly because it supports all HD resolutions (720p/1080i/1080p) and even the character customisation seems spot on. With plenty of time you could probably ‘Create a Fighter’ that looks just like you or someone you know – perhaps your favourite celeb.

If you want a fighter with NEON Pink hair – you can. If you want your fighter to be wearing bright green shorts – you can, almost anything is possible in this game.

I did however feel a tad upset with the ‘Create A Fighter’ feature because despite the fact that some of the biggest cities in England were listed there was no Sheffield – the place where I was born…there is Leeds however, so I chose that. Also when it came to voices there was only 1 british accent out of the 5 and it was more of a ‘mockney’ accent I just feel that they should have atleast done some variations on the british accents as they did with the american ones. Nevermind.

You can choose from various fighting styles to match your tastes then you can learn new ones too, via camps mentioned below. This makes your fighter that ever more challenging as the game learns from your actions. You will notice this when in fights and there is commentry available. For example if you was to end all of your matches in the exact same way, for example using ‘the superman punch’ then the commentators would say something like how you are getting known to use the superman punch to end your fights. The commentators by the way are voiced by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

Now amongts all its great features and stunning graphics it does have a bad point and a point that I feel is worth mentioning. There is no commentary when you enter ‘Career Mode’. I seriously do not understand why there is no commentary of matches at all but feel that this is definately something that should be addressed somehow – maybe a patch?

When you do fights outside of ‘Career Mode’ you get commentary throughout a match, as mentioned above as your stats are read to you. I know its not down to me that there is no commentary as I went through all the options and made sure commentary volume was up but still all I can hear are the crowds cheering and my custom fighter wiping the floor with some unlucky soul’s head.

So shall we head into more detail then?
Ok lets go.

Features

CONTROLS: In UFC 2009 Undisputed,  clinch grappling and ground grappling were handled with multiple control schemes, which could be cumbersome to juggle depending on the fighter’s orientation. This year, we undertook a new design philosophy that allowed us to better align our clinch grappling and ground grappling. In essence, players will now perform clinch pummels and throws using the ultimate fighting control the same way they performed transitions in UFC 2009 Undisputed.

SUBMISSIONS: While we’ve done quite a bit of tinkering with the submission system, the stick rolling method of submission execution and escape (known semiofficially as The Shine) will return. What we did want to change was the button mashing/brute force escape we utilized last year. This enabled fighters with high strength to be just as good at getting out of submissions as fighters with high submission defense. Now all fighters will utilize The Shine, but the parameters that govern the success of getting out of a submission have changed. For UFC Undisputed 2010, the submission calculations will use either a fighter’s submission defense or his current energy level expressed as a percentage–whichever is higher. For example, let’s say a fighter has a submission defense skill of 50. If the fighter has 100 stamina and full (100 percent) energy, the game will look at this energy level, and the fighter will have a great chance of getting out of a submission. If the fighter has 100 stamina and has used the majority of his energy reserves, the game will look at the fighter’s submission defense skill; in this case, shine hard! We feel this system is fairer to players and more representative of how an actual submission struggle would go down.

CAGE SUPPORT: We’ve implemented full cage support in UFC Undisputed 2010, and its effect on gameplay is huge. Our design approach to implementing cage gameplay allowed us to utilize our universal grapple system concept. On the ground, we have a rising hierarchy of positional advantage based on how much threat potential one fighter has in relation to another. In the case of two equally skilled fighters in open guard, for instance, the fighter on top is in a slightly better situation than the fighter on the bottom. We express this by saying the top fighter has a 55/45 advantage over the bottom fighter, expressed in the damage output of his strikes, the lethality of his submissions, etc. Put the same two fighters in the mount position, for instance, and that advantage changes to something much more dramatic, like say a 90/10 in favor of the top fighter. We’ve utilized similar thinking with regard to the cage. Let’s say we have the same two equally skilled fighters in the single collar tie position in the middle of the octagon. We consider this position to be one in which both fighters have equal advantage–a true 50/50 position. If one fighter manages to push his opponent up against the cage, he’ll restrict his movement, limit the force he’s able to generate on his strikes, and make it harder for him to regain energy; thus, shifting the balance in the favor of the free-standing fighter. It’s an elegant system that we feel accurately represents the strategies employed in a real UFC fight.

FIGHTER CUSTOMIZATION: For UFC Undisputed 2010, we’ve substantially increased the number of available parts for creation, but we’ve also added a ton of new features and improvements. One of the biggest changes from the previous game is the way we allow players to allocate individual moves for their fighters. Last year, we had base styles, each of which came with a set of predefined moves. This meant that all Brazilian jujitsu ( BJJ) fighters had the same moves and techniques as other BJJ fighters. We wanted to change that this year, so we opened it up and now allow players to assign individual moves to their fighters on a move-by-move basis. There are well over 200 moves that can be assigned, mixed, and matched to create truly unique fighters. Also new this year is the ability to fight orthodox, southpaw, or switch and assign a dominate power hand. Players can also choose their navigation style from a number of different postures to give their fighters more of a distinct look.

SPONSORSHIP & LOGOS: The new system, which we’ve also applied to the placement of tattoos, uses more of a drag-and-drop style interface. Gone are the predefined spots where logos can only be placed and the series of menus that were required to place a logo. This year, it’s as simple as picking shorts, picking a logo, and choosing its location on the shorts. Speaking of clothing, many top brands in MMA are back, along with some new ones, so players will have access to an extensive assortment of new designs and logos. In addition, we are also allowing players to pick or create their own post-fight clothing, which is worn during winner announcement scenes and certain areas in Career mode.

CAREER MODE: Included are several new features to help build up each fight and give them more meaning. An example of this is a new system we’ve added called “Game Is Watching You.” The GIWY system tracks everything players are doing during the fighter’s career and reflects it through commentary during fights. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg will reference the fighter’s previous fights, his training partners, titles held, and other things he does during his career. Opponents will also take notice of performances and adjust their fight styles and strategies to counter strengths and take advantage of weaknesses.

FIGHTING TECHNIQUES: In addition to the six returning fighting techniques (boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, judo, and Brazilian jujitsu), three more have been added: Karate, Greco-Roman wrestling, and Sambo. We’ve also moved away from the concept of one striking fighting technique and one grappling fighting technique in favor of a system that allows fighters to learn individual moves as they see fit. We feel this more accurately represents the type of cross-discipline training that the modern UFC fighter needs in order to compete at the highest levels.

ONLINE FIGHT CAMPS: Fight camps unite many different fighters under a single banner to compete against fighters from other fight camps to unlock new milestones and rewards. Players can use the virtual space of their fight camp to spar and teach each other the ins and outs of the game. Players can even bring in their Career mode fighters for an online training session to train with other players and get an extra career “cred” boost. Those boosts make better fighters and those better fighters make better camps.

NEW MODES: Additions include a Title and Title Defense mode, a Tournament mode and the Classic Fights mode will return with substantial changes.

So Should I buy it?

Short Answer: YES.
Long Answer: Yes. Its hard to find a game these days that will keep you gripped but thankfully this is definately one of them. Mainly because its just impossible to fight against someone who has the same moves as your fighter, the variations available to everyone is just fantastic. Whether you’ve played UFC 2009 or not really doesnt matter because this game is for anyone with fingers and thumbs really. Other than EA’s Fight Night Round 4 I had not played any kind of fighting game which I enjoyed as much as this one and probably will continue to play for months to come if not years…..or until UFC Undisputed 2011 comes out You can hold me to that too by looking at my xbox 360′s own blog as im sure he/she will comment about it. Or by looking at my gamer card on the right of the site. Also if you wanna kick someones head in pretty easy – i’m yer man.

You should be aware of the following though. THQ have recently decided to charge people who buy their titles 2nd hand for online play. This means that if you think that getting the cheaper traded in version is better, its not always the case as you will be charged extra to get online against your buddies. You can read more about that here: THQ to Charge 2nd Hand Users for ONLINE PLAY.