By Will Gray
Today has finally arrived, not in anticipation of a diapered angel type creature shooting people with arrows but the day UFC Undisputed 3 arrives in the hands of MMA and video games fans across the world. THQ revitalized the UFC gaming franchise with “UFC Undisputed 2009” which introduced an overhauled system that showcased the five basic weight classes and a healthy roster of fighters; the follow up was “UFC 2010”, a rushed, almost mirror image of the predecessor that had some tweaks but was the same game.
Fans voiced their feelings and let the developers and Zuffa know what they wanted and expected in the next game. Not some yearly manufactured big mac type of a game but rather sometime unique and improved upon year by year.
UFC Undisputed 3 is nothing like the first two games and in a good way. The striking has improved, numerous unlockables have been added (fighters, modes, sponsors, etc) and the submission system is revamped. The addition of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions helps boost the roster to a vast selection of fighters as well.
Fight Hub TV was able to receive an advance copy and here is the breakdown for THQ’s “UFC Undisputed 3”.
So let us begin with the opening sequence. A intro movie blends clips of real fights in the past with gameplay footage and we are introduced to familiar faces (BJ Penn, Anderson Silva) and see fighters in action new to the game (Benson Henderson, Dominick Cruz). Getting into the fights, there is a lot to choose from. You can just start fighting in the exhibition mode or begin a career. Wanting to fight, we looked at the exhibition mode and immediately were given a choice: UFC or PRIDE?
PRIDE MODE
Wow. I instantly almost shed a tear of remembrance to what many believe was the greatest MMA organization that ever was once I selected this option. THQ did a superb job mimicking everything PRIDE, from the entrances, Lenne Hardt announcing your name, Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros calling the action and the ref with the head cam; everything is there and the fighting is just as authentic. We did notice that while in this mode the crowd responds much different than the UFC mode. It seemed and this may just be me going off of 3 hours of sleep from playing but cheers only come at key moments (submission attempts, knockdowns) and not just every time you land a shot.
The authenticity of the audience only is elevated when you start implementing PRIDE rules: head stomps, soccer kicks, knees to the head – all here. Fighting as Shogun Rua against Rampage Jackson, it was awesome to see how fluid the striking system is. I hit Jackson with a right hook that knocked him down and connected with a soccer kick to rock him. Being able to time and set up combos that can connect while an opponent is moving away or towards you is amazing and THQ has established a synergy with the fighters and it helps dictate the pace.
Familiar faces in the Saitima Super Arena are on the roster: Paulo Fihlo, Don Frye, Bob Sapp, Kevin Randleman, Ninja Rua, Takanori Gomi and many more. To be honest, what would of made PRIDE mode a 100% PRIDE experience would have been the inclusion of fighters such as Josh Barnett, Sakuraba, Aleksander Emelianenko, Fujita and of course Fedor Emelianenko.
UFC MODE
Leaving the “Land of the Rising Sun” I went back to exhibition mode and started up the bread and butter of Undisputed 3, UFC mode. Everything is the same as before in regards to event venues and referees (you now can choose Josh Rosenthal or Kevin Mulhal), the fighter roster is the same in your higher weight classes with a few additions; the best being my Burger King eating brethren Roy Nelson.
The lightweight class has seen additions like Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone which are great fighters but another WEC face could have been nice – Jamie Varner. While he may not be the most likable personality, “C4” is a great boxer and wrestler who has gone to war with some of the greats in his career. The best additions in the game lie in the most entertaining divisions: featherweight and bantamweight. Selectable fighters like Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Jose Aldo, Mark Hominick, Antonio Banuelos and many more will make for hours of gameplay.
Taking these fighters on in numerous exhibitions is a possibility or you can select any of them and start your own career, in their path. Beginning in the WFA (World Fighting Alliance) then moving into the PRIDE organization, the last step is the UFC, where if you are able to, you can compete for the UFC title in your class. This allows you to take your favorite fighter through their career in how you dictate it, gaining camp alliances (AKA, Wolfslair, Jackson’s MMA) and sponsors along the way.
Check back in later to read the second part to the Fight Hub TV review of UFC Undisputed 3.
