Gamer’s Verdict: UFC Undisputed 3
The NFL has the “Madden” franchise. Major League Baseball has “The Show.” Mixed martial arts now has “UFC Undisputed.”
Ever since I started following MMA, I have craved a video game experience that was “as real as it gets.” After two attempts at mimicking the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s brand of fighting, THQ finally got it right.
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As a hardcore MMA fan, I found the previous incarnations of “Undisputed” to be frustrating and disappointing. When I opened my copy of the first “Undisputed,” I chose to fight a middleweight bout between Demian Maia and Drew McFedries. My goal was simple. Fighting as the Brazilian, I wanted to submit the Miletich Fighting Systems product. On paper and in real life, it seemed like the most obvious conclusion to that hypothetical matchup.
After more than a dozen attempts, it became clear this was not
going to happen. To increase the likelihood of a submission, I
lowered the difficulty level; still no luck. Finally, after hours
of game play, the submission finally came. However, the only way it
became attainable was by turning Maia into a Thai boxer, decimating
McFedries’ body with kicks and spinning the analog stick so much
that my thumb and hand became raw.
The year in between “Undisputed” releases proved productive for THQ. The main focus seemed to be the overhaul on the submission system. When EA Sports released its “MMA” game, submissions were one of the bright sports. In the EA game, the focus on the floor was to move a cursor into a “sweet spot.” With EA’s MMA aspirations seemingly dead in the water, THQ took a page out of its book and made the path to submission in “Undisputed 3” almost identical. The only difference is the sweet spot rotates around the shape of an octagon.
As soon as I got my copy of “Undisputed 3,” I ran it through the same submission test as its predecessors. I picked former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and matched him with onetime K-1 World Grand Prix winner Mark Hunt. As a gamer, I looked for a challenge and set the difficulty level to advanced. After 1:45, I watched virtual referee Kevin Mulhall raise Nogueira’s hand in victory after an armbar halted the contest.
Though improvements have been made, the submission side of the game still needs some tinkering. When trying for a finish from the bottom, it seems as though nearly every fighter looks for it from his full guard. The thought of a fighter getting a win from this position so frequently seems somewhat ambitious. Also, if you fail in such an attempt, the fighter on top automatically passes the guard. It would be nice to see a variation in submission offense from here. Also, should the fighter on the bottom fail to secure the submission, the ability to use the kimura to sweep rather than finish would be a welcomed addition.
“UFC Undisputed 3” offers an expansive career mode, and while it does not differ much from previous releases, it does provide your fighter three promotional platforms on which to compete. When fighting for the first time, you will be asked to prove yourself in the Zuffa LLC-owned World Fighting Alliance organization. Competition here is definitely below that which is found in the UFC, as you face computer-created opponents or possibly a fighter who was recently cut from the big show.
After a few wins, the UFC comes calling, but if you are competing at a higher difficulty level, you might not want to answer it too early. After five WFA fights, I was offered a UFC bout and, foolishly, accepted it. After a first-round drubbing at the hands of Chris Lytle, I realized I was in over my head. Not long after, I received my virtual pink slip and headed back to the WFA. Once I recouped and sufficiently learned and refined my skills, I made it back to the UFC and eventually captured the welterweight title.
While fighting in the UFC, I was given the chance to compete in Pride. The game play between the two organizations does not feel much different, but you do fight with Pride rules. Knees to the head on the ground will force you to rethink double-leg takedowns. Plus, the longer endurance round helps diminish the chances of a fight going the distance.
In the future, designers might also look to improve the manner in which decisions are presented. Currently, Bruce Buffer takes the center of the cage and reads the score, with no presentation. If it is 30-27 across the board, he reads it as such. Also, there does not seem to be much dissention among the judges. I have yet to encounter a split decision in more than 100 matches.
All-out brawls are always fun in video games, and “UFC Undisputed 3” will deliver a button-mashing war whenever you want. However, if it goes more than a round or two, you may find yourself a bit disappointed.
After a fantastic 23-minute battle between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, “The Spider” delivered a knockout. Fighting as Sonnen, I felt like I was in control of the bout and close to capturing gold. Unfortunately, when a fight ends in a stoppage, the game does not display the scorecards, so there is no way of ever knowing whether or not you were up in the fight. Fair warning: if you are fighting as Silva or Jon Jones, you risk becoming dizzied by the rotation of repeated spinning back fists and kicks.
For the hardcore MMA fan and game, “UFC Undisputed 3” looks like a knockout, and it has breathed new life into the franchise.
