I remember the first UFC game I had : Ultimate Fighting Championship on the original Playstation. It didn’t have a lot of dept (much like UFC in 2000); simple yet poetic in a strange way (much like the UFC in general) but the games lacked a sense of urgency and fulfillment. Hard fights were hard but the real battle was keeping the match going long enough to turn the tables; most fights lasted 1 round. Since that time MMA fighting, as a whole , has changed and the new UFC 2010 Undisputed pretty much delivers a real MMA experience.
Since that first UFC game over 100 UFC pay-per-views have been held and the sport of MMA has grown from brutal cage fighting to…well, brutal cage fighting which you can now bet on. Really though, MMA is now its own fighting style, a blend of everything that works. Being a wrestler (waaaaay back when) I respect the crap out of MMA fighters. Learning to wrestle is hard enough but adding in boxing, kick boxing, Judo, Karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the mix is just crazy…I can barely get up for work some days and these guys are learning multiple fighting styles at the same time! That’s what the UFC and all MMA is about now. It used to be about seeing if a wrestler could fight a boxer but now it’s more a sport than a car crash of fighting.
A great example is (dare I say it) Brock Lesner. From world class wrestler to Wrestlemaina Main Eventer to UFC Heavyweight Champion! He can fight and regardless of what went down this week with him he’s a great athlete and I expect he’ll leave a toaster size fist imprint on the UFC. (Tip via Joe Rogan- Always talk about a fighter as if they are standing right next to you) …Brock Lesner is also an all American destroying machine and a nice guy with great hair and solid moral standpoints as well.
But let’s get back to the new UFC video game. UFC 2010 Undisputed is amazing . The career mode is still a bit lackluster; a large improvement from 2009 but still needs work. My biggest problem right now is you can’t mid-mix your fighter (for you out there that never played DnD, that means taking points in every stat as you get them so you know a bit of everything, middle maxing your stats) and MMA is all about mid-maxing. That’s the whole sport is to mid-max and them pick one or two things to be just a little better in.
MMA video games have evolved just like the sport. Now winning isn’t just about a quick KO you need to block and time everything. I find this year's (as well as last year's) UFC games to be better than the Fight Night games, which for the record I do love. A few flaws are just due to the fact the games are still rather new; the Fight Nights have had years to adjust and create a great game around the fights where MMA games have had only 10 years or so to adjust. So creating a fighter isn’t as solid and seeing them beef up or slim down isn’t present, but I see that in the future, and frankly it doesn’t bother me right now.
The real shinning statement about UFC 2010 is the controls. It’s a real struggle to grapple and to take a top advantage position. I have never felt more victorious with a video game than a 2 round KO via a kick to the head or a 3 round tapout. I jumped up with my arms in the air like I really just made Tito tap…I felt the world was behind me…then I realized my cat (Thor, yes, as in the God of Thunder) was laughing at me. But add friends (either online or at your place) to the game and you get a great mix of competition, laughter and random knockouts that no one can see coming. This might just be the best party game around as long as it stays on the screen and not in the backyard…that never ends well. UFC 2010 is frankly amazing and a total buy. AND, the PSP version is expected out soon, too. That can only lead to more fun.
-B
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