Cheats: PSP PS3 X360

Thanks to UFC mixed martial arts have become bigger than ever. Fights featuring elite like Brock Lesnar, George Rush St. Pierre, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and BJ Penn (just to name a few) have, for the most part, taken over pay-per-view sports leaving boxing and pro wrestling to figure out just how to get their audience back. Last year when THQ released UFC Undisputed players were pleasantly surprised to play the first good MMA game ever to hit the market. But does UFC Undisputed 2010 follow up enough to earn your hard earned cash? Find out in our review.

Mixed martial arts has truly evolved over the past decade from a glorified bar fight to a legit sport with true athletes competing to be the best martial artists in the world. Not only has it become a legitimate sport, but mixed martial arts have truly changed the way people view overall martial arts. No longer can a person win a fight with just jiu-jitsu, wrestling or boxing. To compete in today’s fight game, a fighter must be well versed in everything. The level that martial arts have changed in the past five to ten years is truly remarkable.

Game Info

Publisher: THQ Developer: Yuke Media Creations Genre Fighting Simulation Players: 1-2 Rating: T Realse Date: May 25,2010

Video game companies tried their best to make games that simulated the emerging sport going back all the way to the Sega Dreamcast, XBox and Playstation consoles with titles such as UFC Tapout and UFC Tapout 2. But to put it bluntly, these games failed miserably. Even PRIDE FC, which was for many years considered the best MMA game had a lot of issues. Things changed last year when THQ released UFC Undisputed 2009. Great graphics, gameplay that properly simulated the sport and even accurate commentary. There were a few complaints about last year’s first entry into the series such as difficulty with ground transitions but I can say that both gamers and MMA fans alike were very pleased with THQ’s first go-around. Now a year has passed and THQ is taking to the Octagon again with UFC 2010. But is it a champion or will it go the way of Kimbo Slice and Paul Daley?

Like last year, UFC 2010 comes in hitting hard with over 100 fighters from various weight divisions including Heavyweight, Lightheavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight and Lightweight. Each fighter has various combinations of styles and unlike last year’s game they actually feel like their real life counterparts. Gameplay is pretty similar to last year. Your X and Y buttons punch. The punch you do depends on whether you’re standing, pressing forward, backwards or holding the left bumper to execute a special technique (such as a superman punch). A and B are the kicks and as with the punch buttons act according to the direction or trigger you hold. Takedowns are done by holding the left trigger and pressing forward towards your opponent. Blocking high is done by holding the right trigger and blocking low by holding the right bumper. The ground game has thankfully been simplified from last year, making it much easier to get out of various holds without having to remember so many combinations. Some fighters are now able to do one submission after another on the ground, making for a frantic pace. Also, rather than button mashing to get out of an attempted submission players now rotate the right stick (I actually miss the button mashing). New this year is also southpaw stances, pinning opponents against the cage and taking them down against the cage (via suplex) as well as the ability to dodge oncoming punches. What I’ve described is really just the bare minimum of how gameplay works and all the new additions. Truthfully, how advanced a player gets is up to them. There’s a lot to it, but like last year once you figure it all out it’s very rewarding.

Screenshots

Graphically, UFC 2010 looks even better than the previous installment. Character models look cleaner and far more life-like. Animations are much more fluid than in than in the previous installment. There are also a ton of new moves (well over 100) all of which look like the real deal. If you compare last years game to this years game you will instantly see the difference. One of my biggest complaints about last years game was that many of the punches looked weak. While there are still some weak-looking punch animations, much of this has been remedied so that attacks look far more impactful. There are some strange glitches every now and then that will remind you that you’re playing a video game, but the level of realism realized is something THQ should indeed be very proud of and something that those who played last year’s game will appreciate.

This year’s UFC 2010 offers a good variety of game modes. the traditional Exhibition match, title fight where you go through the game fighting game style with one fighter until you win the belt, a title defense mode where you have to keep your belt after completing the title mode, a configurable tournament bracket (Japanese tournament style) and the Event Mode where you create your own UFC event. The “ultimate fights” mode from last years game also returns where you’ll play fights in a certain way in order to unlock additional content. Career mode returns and is similar to last year. Here you create your fighters with the game’s vast array of options and then compete in a few gym-style matches before turning pro. You can decide a voice for your fighter and even decide what you want him to say after winning a match. You’ll be able to decide what moves and style you want your created fighter to have in a pain-staking detail (and level these moves up) that fans of the sport will really appreciate. Sadly, for the casual UFC fan it all may feel a bit overwhelming. THQ still needs to learn to chill with the ridiculous number of stats that end up making the mode feel more like a chore than anything else. This isn’t an RPG and managing everything before actually getting to fight can become cumbersome very quickly.

The games online mode shines brightly, not only allowing you to compete in one-on-one matches with no lag but also with the ability to create and join fight camps. Within these camps you can do battle or train with others. So if you’re having issues with takedowns, have no fear! A member of your camp can help you with that. Just remember that you’ll need to input the access code that comes with the game to access any of the online modes. Those who get the game used or rent it will have to purchase a code if they plan to play online.

UFC Undisputed 2010 provides something for both casual and the die-hard MMA fan as well as those who want to play solo or online with others. It improves on last years release in just about every way possible. If you’re a fan of UFC and MMA then upgrading to UFC Undisputed 2010 is no a brainer. For those jumping in for the first time, you won’t be disappointed.

-Jason Glasco

GRAPHICS & DESIGN:	9
SOUND:	8.5
GAMEPLAY:	9
FUNFACTOR/TILT:	8
OVERALL SCORE:	8.5/10