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UFC Undisputed 3
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Before I make a single critical statement about UFC Undisputed 3, I think it’s important to make clear that I’m a massive fan of The Ultimate Fighting Championship. If I’m not surfing the internet for the latest and greatest news about the video game industry, you could safely assume that I’m watching a UFC weigh-in or reading up about a hot prospect getting ready to make his octagon debut. It’s by far my favorite sport, so as you’d assume, I’ve been looking forward to THQ and Yukes’ latest MMA simulation.
Does that make me a fanboy? Absolutely. I’ll sit down and argue with anyone about why my favorite fighter is better than theirs – even if, at times, my logic isn’t where it should be. What this doesn’t make me is apt to showering the game with love without being fair and honest. If the next Uncharted game releases and turns out to be a hot pile of dung, I’m going to honest about it – even though it’s one of my favorite franchises of all time. It’s the same deal with UFC Undisputed 3, and I want to make that apparent. Thankfully, the game is not a pile of dung. Quite the contrary – UFC Undisputed 3 is the best MMA game to ever hit a console. There’s a staggering amount of content on the disc, and almost every feature is polished to a beautiful glimmer. This is an authentic, satisfying representation of this surging sport, and it doesn’t take an MMA aficionado to see its quality.
Jumping into MMA without any previous knowledge of the sport is tough. This isn’t boxing – there’s a great deal happening both on the feet and when the fight’s taken to the mat. This same complexity has held back the previous Undisputed titles in the past, as while the control scheme felt intuitive, it took quite some time to become comfortable with it. That’s a problem when friends just want to pick up a controller and play, and it’s a problem that’s been intelligently addressed. The minor and major transition system with the right stick for both the clinch and the ground game is still present, but an amateur option that asks the player to just press up or down to advance position is also available. Intricate transitions, many of which are new to Undisputed 3, can be as simple as a single flick of the stick with this new-fangled, user-friendly system. Rookies can get a feel for each aspect of the game this way – preventing excessive frustration and eventually building up to the more multifarious method.
Fighting against the cage is a legitimate tactic this time around.
What takes place on the feet remains largely unchanged, and that’s good thing. Two fighters can still put fist to face without any knowledge of blocks or parries, and that’s a fun way to play the game. Yet, it’s when signature moves and a strong defense are learned that the game really starts to shine. Throwing 20 unanswered jabs is great thanks to the solid hit detection and beautiful animations, but winging two blows to the body, a well-timed leg kick, and an over-hand right that sends your opponent barreling to the canvas is inexplicably gratifying. MMA, when done right, is a chess game where carefully time strikes and quick grabs conquer a flurry of random looping hooks, and Undisputed 3 captures this perfectly.
What the game also emulates well is the UFC’s presentation. While previous titles in the series lacked the noise and intensity of an actual UFC event, Undisputed 3 has incorporated walk-ins, more expressive fighters, and a crowd that actually seems to give a damn about what’s taking place in the octagon. Commentators, too, are sharp and quick to the punch. If you get tagged with a shot, Joe Rogan will tell you exactly what type of punch just connected with your face and why it happened. The phrases do eventually repeat a little more than you’d like, but it’s difficult to get around that after spending dozens of hours in the cage. The fighters themselves also see a large graphical improvement. Character models are sharper and more life-like than ever before, making the moment when a heavy head kick lands all the more brutal and effective.
The submission system has been totally revamped, and while it may be mechanically superior, it also manages to work against the HUD-less aesthetic that the game pulls off so impressively. After getting a fighter to the ground and clicking in the right stick to grab a limb, a giant octagon consumes the screen. Your goal is to line up your either red or blue bar with your opponents bar long enough to sink in the submission. The fighter caught in the hold must try to travel in the opposite direction of the opposing bar long enough to break free and return to a dominant position. The size of the bars all depends on the attributes of the fighter, as well as the current physical condition of the fighter, but in general it’s pretty difficult to complete the maneuver. That’s a good thing, too – you don’t want fights lasting 20 seconds and ending with an arm that resembles modern art. It’s more intuitive and clear, but it’s also clunky to look at. If you’re like me and keep all stamina indicators off (which is the default), a massive octagon parading across the screen is not only jarring, but ugly. So much care has been put into making Undisputed 3 a genuine MMA experience that it’s a shame that a more visually appealing fix couldn’t be found.
It's like the giant octagon isn't even there, right? Right?
There’s a detailed, interactive tutorial for anyone green to the game, but a great crash course on the mechanics and the sport itself waits for you in the career mode. Choosing an existing fighter to go from unknown to champion is an option, yet it’s not nearly as satisfying as creating a natural born killer from scratch and building him up. The character creator tools are nice and broad – giving you the option of altering the character’s appearance, origin and fighting style. Wrestlers, kickboxers, judo specialists – there are a breadth of choices, but don’t forget that this is mixed martial arts. Choosing a wrestler from the start won’t lock you into anything permanent, as in-between scheduled bouts, actions must be spent to teach your fighter new moves, sharpen specific attributes, or create a game plan. So, if you decide you really don’t like shooting in for takedowns, a few standup drills will allow your created fighter to stand and bang with the best of ‘em. After training comes the fights, and from the fights comes cred, which acts as the game’s currency. Articles of clothing can be purchased from your sponsors, as well as new training partners for your camp. There’s a lot going on during your fighter’s illustrious career, but that doesn’t stop this mode from feeling tight and focused. Most importantly, while it’s great as showing anyone just jumping into the franchise the tricks of the trade, it never feels like an uninspired lecture setting you up for the online scene. For many, this will be the market feature.
The single-player fun doesn’t stop there. Title mode and Title Defense mode return from previous titles, along with the more demanding Ultimate Fights feature. Title mode is essentially a classic arcade ladder found in your standard fighting game – you pick a fighter, start at the bottom of the food chain, and continuously battle until the belt’s wrapped around your waist. Title defenses can be made, and while it’s simple, this feature is a nice alternative for anyone who quickly grows tired of the career’s training sequences and only yearns for combat. Ultimate Fights tasks you with recreating classic matchups with an almost ridiculous level of accuracy. It isn’t as easy as “knock your opponent out in the third round” or “win a decision.” If Rampage Jackson landed three looping hooks to Chuck Liddell’s head in the opening frame, you must do that same within a specific time period. That’s absolutely fine when it’s a simple technique, but when you’re required to bait the man standing in front of you in, sprawl so that his face is facing the mat, and land three unanswered strikes to the head, fights become trying. There’s plenty of fun to be had and the reward of seeing the actual UFC fight in action is great, but some instances push the difficulty just a little too far.
Pride and all of its blue-tinted glory.
If you’re a UFC fanatic like me, you’ll spot a classic match-up in the Ultimate Fights list like Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva and recall every single frame. Yet, the biggest new features of Undisputed 3 may even teach a few fans a thing or two about the most seasoned fighter’s pasts. Pride FC, the once dominant but now defunct Japanese organization, makes its debut this year, and with it comes a strong addition to the existing roster and a slightly altered rule set. In Pride, fighters are allowed to knee to the head, stomp an opponent’s face, and most importantly, punt a grounded fighter’s dome like a football. These are fun alterations, but the most impressive aspect of the new organization is the presentation. Every strange, techno-riddled detail can be found within the Pride ring, along with the original soundtrack straight from The Land of the Rising Sun and the melodious tones of Bas Rutten.
There are enough offline options to keep anyone busy for months, but let’s not forget the competitive, online features. Fight Camps return, letting you team up with other fighters to train and build a reputation. Milestones are earned from impressive achievements, while banners help to bring some diversity to your rowdy bunch of rumblers. All of your personal and team highlights can be shared among friends, too, so that everyone in the world knows how much of badass you truly are. Yet, there’s just nothing quite like showing your skills in a ranked match. After the matchmaking intelligently pairs you with a fighter of similar skill level, it’s nothing but he and you in that cage. The crowd roaring, strikes being thrown with reckless abandon, Mike Goldberg spouting statistics about your fighter – it’s a legitimate rush. The entire roster, including the recently added bantamweight and featherweight divisions, are playable online, along with your own personal created fighter.
While flash knockouts still happen, more fights are ended via TKO.
Online play is terribly addicting, which makes the current connection issues an absolute shame. While I had few problems in my first few bouts, it wasn’t long before the servers were completely shut down for maintenance. That’s fine on the first day, understandable on the second, but now a week after release, I find it odd to not be able to access a big part of the game for hours at a time. When matches can be made, it’s not even a guarantee you’ll be able to see them through to the end. I’ve been disconnected from games dozens of times, and certain fights were so riddled with lag that everything appeared to be moving in slow motion.
The connectivity is a disappointment, but doesn’t shatter what’s one of the most responsive and rewarding sports titles ever to be released. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from jumping out of my chair, pumping my arms in the air, and declaring myself as the greatest MMA star to ever walk the planet after viciously knocking my opponent out. A silly record telling the story of your wins and losses becomes something you truly care about, and once you get a winning streak started, it’s damn near impossible to put that controller down. After sinking in my first online submission and finding myself aggressively hugging my roommate, I realized how special UFC Undisputed 3 really was. Just don’t make the same mistake I did – let go when he taps.
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