XBox 360 UFC Undisputed 2009 in Review
by Steve on 28/05/09 at 12:00 pm
- So I finally get to do a review on one of the coolest games to hit the next gen consoles UFC 2009 Undisputed. I had this game on reserve at the local game store months before it was ever released, and now that I got it at home I can’t stop playing it. Ok so lets get down to the pro’s and con’s the good and the bad. First off the graphics are outstanding all the fighters look very like there real life counterpart, however simple character movements like walking are a little lacking but the fight animation is virtually flawless but with minor clipping errors. Meaning that sometimes you get nailed or even knocked out with a punch or kick that when viewed on replay never actually touched you and looks as if it was just wind off the guys knuckles that hit you, but that is not enough to kill the enjoyment of this awesome game. There are five weight classes ranging from light weight to heavy weight and over 80 MMA characters to choose from. Most of the popular MMA fighting styles are all there from boxing,wrestling,Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, muay thai, kick boxing and judo. Karate however is not a selectable style option but maybe possible in a future download or sequal for all you Lyota Machida fans out there. The game mechanics are awesome and the life bar features in all other fighting games is not a factor in UFC 2009 because a knockout or submission can happen at any time during a fight so you can’t just rush in careless and aggressive and expect a win. The control scheme is pretty complex and the learning curve here is high but was something I expected if they were going to pull off a game that represents MMA best, but once you get a understanding of how all the controls work and get your timing down it gets pretty easy. For me my biggest gripe with the control scheme is that some of the offensive and defensive transitioning controls sometimes feel unresponsive.
The career mode is pretty detailed but could have been executed a little better instead of taking a short cut using in game emails to narrate your progression through the game by having you read every thing, but maybe a cut scene once in a while or a controversial weigh in or create some bad blood between a rival fighter would have been a nice touch, but none the less the career mode is still ok just not as rewarding as it could have been. You work your way through training sessions and real life MMA camps, attend autograph sessions and other events and even earn popular MMA sponsorships along the way. Eventualy you get a title shot and then the pressure is on to defend your belt. Create a character mode is what I was looking forward to the most, nothing makes a game more personal and fun than adding a likeness of your self to the game. The create a character details are pretty good, but could use some more options and the options that are already featured could have been improved, like for instance the tattoo feature is great and the ability to place them almost anywhere makes it that much better however the quality and tattoo options will almost make you not even want a tattoo. The tattoo art work is pretty lame couldn’t imagine anyone having these tattoos in real life, and if you want to select a text type tattoo well then your character is then restricted from online play and I am not sure as to why because the most aggressive text tattoo I saw available was the word “Rage” so I don’t know what the deal with that is. Overall besides the lame tattoo options the rest of the features for creating a character are up to par. I made a Fedor character that looks pretty similar and he is a beast online.
Now online man it is intense, you actually feel a little nervous going in to each fight because you really want to keep a good record which is displayed before every fight. And now here is the part that will just drive you crazy! my record starting out was so great I was so stoked to have such a good record then the cord pullers and the lag switchers started flooding the scene, so as soon as you get them to tap out or when they see there mouth piece go flying across the ring they yank out there Ethernet cords and now the fight no longer counts your record doesn’t improve and you have now just waisted your time and you want kill someone and the worst part about it is there is nothing you can do about it I really hope the games developers design something that protects the legit players from these cheats because now my record is so lopsided because I can accept my loss but when I win %80 of the time the person I beat pulls the plug grrr. Anyway other than the lack of integrity from the online gaming community the online features are great you can track you win loss ratio how many times you got someone to tap and how my K.O.’s you have and even track your friends records to see who is kicking more ass.
Overall this game is the best fighting game to ever hit next gen consoles in my opinion. The gameplay is super smooth and the graphics are top notch. The sound quality and even the play by play coverage from Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are great and give the game that more of an authentic feel when playing, almost like watching a real UFC event. The visual damage on the characters faces throughout a fight is incredible. I would rate this game a strong 9 out of 10 with plenty of room to improve on for a UFC 2 in the future. This is a must have for any UFC fan.
-Steve
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