Written by: Mark

 

 

 

Having been a massive Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fan since I saw my first event way back in 1994 I have seen so many evolutions since the very early days when the sport was considered by many to be nothing more than a barbaric blood sport in which two combatants were locked inside of a cage and left to fight it out with very little in terms of rules.

 

In the last 18 years the sport has evolved massively and has gained worldwide popularity thanks in no small part to rule changes, increased media coverage and acceptance in many countries in which it was initially vilified. At the forefront of this evolution was the organisation which first brought the sport to public attention the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and has since gone on to become a globally recognised brand with some clever marketing strategies which has seen tens of thousands become participants of the sport of MMA and millions worldwide become the more casual fans.

 

Such is the increase in popularity that it is no surprise that the UFC would bring the sport out on the video game format and have had two previous releases over the past three years which have if I am honest been somewhat of a mixed bag in terms of overall quality.

 

Now after a two year break we have the latest in the series entitled "UFC Undisputed 3" and hopes are high of a game which could strike a perfect balance between all aspects of MMA and bring us fans of the sport a game which we could be proud of.

 

 

It does not take long in playing the game to realise just how visually stunning everything is. These range from real fighter likenesses, realistic arenas and more impressively the whole television style presentation of events, build ups and fighter introductions. All of which have such a real life feel that you could be mistaken into thinking that you are involved in the real thing.

 

Sound also lives up to the high overall presentation standards with music score inspirational and fight commentary again superb. Interspersed in between fights and training are numerous real life videos of UFC fights and interviews with fighters and whilst some may wish to skip these I honestly found that they accompanied the overall feel of the game very well indeed and just added to the glossiness of presentation.

 

 

To ensure that the latest UFC game will offer months of gameplay the developers have absolutely packed the game with content, so much so that there are modes they you may not even get around to playing.

 

 

At the forefront of the content undoubtedly is the incredibly in depth career mode which sees you design your own fighter and embark on a career in which you start in smaller organisations with the aim of working your way up to the premier cards in the UFC. Along the way you undertake various training routines which involve either strength, conditioning, technical or sparring sessions and each sees you participate in a mini game to work on improving your fighters skills. In several other games these training routines more often than not can be skipped as they have little effect on proceedings but in UFC Undisputed 3 you can genuinely feel a benefit from playing and as such can see a marked improvement on your abilities.

 

To accompany the already packed career are the returning fight camps which can be taken online where you can chat with friends in your camps and arrange matches/tournaments etc and once again these work well. Stores are available throughout to purchase clothing and equipment for your fighter from virtual points gained and game plans can be accessed where you can work on individual aspects in preparation for your next scheduled fight through sparring matches where you are given set goals.

 

Now the real impressive feature is the amount of fighters which stands at a staggering one hundred and fifty spread across various weight classes including the new bantamweight and featherweight classes and this will ensure that there will be plenty of choice and is sure to include your favourite fighter. This is particularly impressive as all look and have mannerisms of their real life counterparts which highlights the amount of care put into the game.

 

Other game modes include exhibitions, tournaments and events, classic matches, title mode and multiplayer and again each of these offer nice variety and ensures that there is an awful lot of value in the package.

 

 

With this being the third UFC title released one wondered just what new inclusions could be added to take the series forward and let’s just say that this game has many and shows a great deal of progression.

 

 

These new features include Pride mode which enables you to take a step away from the UFC octagon and rules and participate in the Japanese famous Pride fights which take place in rings and feature different rule sets and often more brutal fights. Due to the differences this never feels like it’s been added to pad out the package and makes this a very welcome inclusion indeed and particularly for long term fans of the sport.

 

Other new features include changes which have an effect on gameplay including new controls, stamina gauges, statistics, fighter introductions, KO animations and most importantly a new submission mode which aims to iron out issues with the submission side of the game which was evident in previous games.