Being a huge MMA fan, the announcement of UFC 2009: Undisputed got me all antsy in the pantsy. The prospect of a true mixed martial arts game was exciting, but was also met with trepidation. Could THQ pull off what amounted to only an okay fighting game before? When Undisputed showed up at my door, the game immediately went in my consoles and has not left. It’s that damn good.
Undisputed sports some of the best graphics seen in a fighting game, which says a lot given the intense graphics of the current generation Fight Night games. The character models, collision detection, damage, and sweat all look amazing. The presentation is top notch as well, with commentary and camera angles that make you feel like you are actually watching a live UFC event. The fighting mechanics are very in depth both standing and on the ground, which was lacking in previous UFC titles. I highly recommend going through the Tutorial modes to get a feel for all the transitions, reversals, and ground maneuvers. The Career mode is setup very well, along with Create a Fighter, to work your way from the the minors to become a champion and UFC Hall of Famer.
There is very little I can say about UFC 2009: Undisputed that I did not like. The menu system is a bit slow and clunky, so hopefully THQ puts in a bit of work there for future titles. In the 20-30 online fights I’ve had, about 5 of them had a bit of lag which was frustrating, but that could have do with the peer-to-peer connection on Xbox Live. Otherwise, not much wrong with this title. I’d like to see Career mode get fleshed out a bit more in future iterations to incorporate themes from The Ultimate Fighter and possibly see fighter introductions and walk-ups, but that’s about it.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is the best real fighting game I’ve played (those that don’t include throwing fireballs or turning into dragons). THQ stepped up the plate and delivered a near flawless rendition of UFC fighting. If you’re a fan of fighting games, UFC, or just want to have fun with a game, I encourage you to run out to your local game store and pick this one up right away.
5 ninja stars is right. it is refreshing to get a game that is so polished and well put together. Maybe with such a great game out ESPN will stop snubbing mma and actually cover it in a decent capacity.
i love the this game! Just wish that you could rebuild the real fighters and use them in career mode. i was hoping to build up my character to get bj penn’s boxing skills/movement. still a great game though!
the problem is evans is too caward, he is afraid of machida, he does not want to attack, he stays far from machida and he wants to run instead of fighting.I am confident Jackson is better than evans. Jackson always attacks,he will beat machida. Lidell is good too, he never runs, he always attacks, he can beat machida also. evans, when machida hit him he fell, he should have stayed down and protected himself until the second round over. If he did, you never know what that woud be.