This is a must-have for any mixed martial arts (MMA) fan. But it’s also all-around great if you’ve been having a bad day. When I’d gained enough confidence duking it out in Exhibition Mode, I turned on Championship Mode and chose my fighter. Lose thrice in a row and you get thrown out. So it was a moment of great satisfaction when I took Vitor Belfort for a run at the crown and, on my second try, succeeded in putting the belt around the Brazilian striker nicknamed “The Phenom.” Beating the beejezus out of jiujitsu fighter Demian Maia with my fists and elbows to take the Middleweight division crown was very tasty butter on my toast!
Wanderlei Silva, in Pride Mode entrance
Never mind that, in the real Ultimate Fighting Chamopionship (UFC), Belfort is already past his prime and has lost twice in a row. Never mind that the damage he’d sustained in his early years during the vicious combat under Japan’s PRIDE league showed on his face and his battle scars. As far as THQ’s UFC Undisputed 3 for the Playstation3 was concerned, he could still have a very glorious second chance as a champ again.
Better combat, easier controls Released early this year, looks like the developers listened to the complaints regarding the previous game and made this one easier to get into without having to know what the hell a major or minor grappling transition is. The improvements include:
- A brand new visual, mini-game submission system that doesn’t rely on how fast you can rotate the right stick.
- Addition of PRIDE Mode lets you relive the ultra-violent rules of Japan’s old league.
- A very detailed and comprehensive tutorial that covers the basic aspects of how to fight in an MMA cage, but dense enough for those willing to put in the time.
- Career Mode now comes with improved focus on fights and fight preparation instead of numerical juggling.
- Timed requirements to complete Ultimate Fights mode.
With over 150 fighters spread across several weight classes, this is exactly why the UFC and the “Undisputed” series sit atop the throne of the MMA games. Not even actual console fighting franchises like “Mortal Kombat” or “Tekken” have 100 fighters, for one. I’ve already played the “Electronic Arts (EA) MMA”, which features fighters from the less popular American Strikeforce league (albeit that company’s ALSO owned by the UFC’s Zuffa proprietors) and, while EA has outdone itself with the more intuitive gameplay and controls, it simply doesn’t have enough superstars in its roster. “Undisputed 3’s” thrust to a lower barrier to access for casual gamers, who usually threw down their controllers in frustration at the confusing controls of the previous UFC game, is a win win for long time MMA fans as well. Despite this, the 20 minutes install time on PS3 for this game was so long, a fight could have ended by the time I got to play. Not only did it require over 3 gigabytes of drive space, the loading times are pretty slow and can be tedious, especially when you have to click through several levels of walk ins and fighters intros before you could throw a single kick.
Rampage Jackson (left) vs Shogun Rua (right) in PRIDE Mode
Worth the load time It CAN be boring, but the sheer depth and number of things to do here is worth the wait and the price. From the look and feel of the fighters, to how they move and their special attacks, this one gets it right. The simplified controls for the grappling and ground game are now a big help. Those who remember trying to get their friends into the game will also vividly recall how their interest waned when, frustratingly, they found out how abominably hard it was to complete a submission. Not anymore. Talk about tap outs? Submissions, while still not easy to pull off are not longer hard, as a visual component of an octagon now accompanies the struggle to twist limbs or get a choke. It’s no longer a hit or miss affair of how fast you could turn the right stick around, instead you need to overlap to get one, or evade the overlap to defend. Result? Getting a tap is now an “Oh yes!” moment that you earned without doubt. When you ratchet up the difficulty level to Advanced or higher, you can really feel the edge that fighters with a solid jiujitsu or wrestling background have over those who just specialize in striking. While the sheer number and breadth of the UFC already makes this game solid, the real gem here is the inclusion of the PRIDE Mode. Long defunct, Japan’s organization was the coveted league to be at in the 1990s, not only for the pageantry and huge prize purses, but also for the level of superstar competition it fielded. If you’ve never seen a PRIDE fight then you missed out on some very golden and truly vicious combat. In PRIDE, head kicks to downed (or prone) fighters were allowed. So were groin kicks, head butts, foot stomps, and knees. Ever been kicked in the head while you’re on the mat? imagine trying to recover from that. With the inclusion of PRIDE Mode, it’s like two different games in one. The novelty of it is sheer, brutal fun. And the soccer kicks? They’re golden! Many of the fighters who came out of PRIDE are also in the UFC, but they somehow move and fight differently in this mode. Also, all the superstars of Japan’s heyday are here, including Dan Frye, Murillo Bustamante, and Murillo Ninja Rua (Shogun Rua’s older brother).
Packed with fight modes There’s a lot to discover in this packed and very deep game than a short review like this can cove. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of very good surprises in every solo game mode. Remember my win in the Championship Mode? One nit pick though is that, after you complete that mode and your fighter thus becomes available in Title Defense Mode (as contenders now try to knock you off the throne), the lengthy Mode doesn’t have a save option. If you turn off your console then your progress starts back to zero. It’s a small thing but can be frustrating since it needs you to complete almost more than a dozen fights to stay on top.
Dominic Cruz out grapples Urijah Faber
Oh, and for those looking for eye candy, well, the ring girls like Arianny Celeste ARE here and can be seen giving flying kisses between rounds, but they’re not as pleasing to look at since the Havok Engine focused on getting the movement right rather than investing in skin tone or texture. So they’re less, uhm, fetching. Also try out Career Mode if you feel like customizing your own fighter and building him from the bottom up. You’ll get to know your trainer and see that there’s a great level of interaction between him and your fighter. Another fun thing is the revamped Ultimate Fights Mode where, depending on which fighter you pick, you're now prompted to complete specific goals of these classic fights as the combat progresses to unlock prizes. It’s a great way to take a trip down memory lane on the flying knee of nostalgia. I hear even the online multi-player experience where you can of course go up against your friends, or get additional fighters available as DLC packs (goodies include a .99 cent Alistair Overeem, a submissions pack and an ultimate fights pack which might still be free at the PS Store) is smooth. There’s also a season pass for the UFC’s fights (around US$17), and options to upload your own videos for other players’ edification. Despite the small kinks, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Perhaps the best thing about “Undisputed3” is its potential to entice casual players, who weren’t fans to begin with, interested enough in the game that it could very well be a starting point for them to dig the sport that they subsequently become converts. Then they’ll want to watch the real events, deepen their love for MMA, pick their own favorite fighters and get to know their strengths and story. This is how they’ll become true fans of what truly is the world’s modern gladiatorial combat sport. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to bring down the giant Brock Lesnar again through Mexican striker Cain Velasquez.
— TJD, GMA News
All photos from UFC.COM
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