Overview
With the massive success of UFC Undisputed 2009, the Yukes developed MMA game probably scared off any competition [have you played EA's MMA? Me neither] with the excellently designed gameplay. THQ hit a Royal Flush by grabbing Yukes to develop a game for the ever-growing popular sport. UFC Undisputed 2010 is back and it looks to pick up where 2009 left off and take it further. Much further.
Gameplay and Features
When you pop the disc in, prepare to be overwhelmed when looking at the presentation. It is grand and offers way more in terms of menus and options. Graphics have improved overall and I found the fighters movements less clunky and smoother. Other than the presentation and player movement the graphics may have been tweaked but I can’t say it looks much better than the previous title. That said, the previous title’s graphics were great. Fighters were well and realistically modeled in great detail, really impressive and equally so now if not better. The cages are no longer static, with fighters being able to push each other into the cage while standing or in the clinch which makes the visual cage physics more realistic. The sound and sfx are very much like the previous title – realistic and amplify the savage blows generously although strangely the fighters do not voice any indication of pain. I take more notice of the commentary than therefore and so conclude it must be better. I love the commentary which is typical American sports presenter style, they voice allot of excitement which just adds to the atmosphere.
There is now a huge roster of fighters – 100+ fighters spanning across the weight classes. I bought the PS3 version because the previous title made a fanboy out of me and the PS3 version of 2010 offers gamers three exclusive UFC legends – Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, and Jenz Pulver as well as some exclusive videos. So in true fanboy style, I had to have it all. You now have a much larger arsenal of moves to work with and be prepared for another steep learning curb just to get up to speed with the new moves. Moves flow more seamlessly and are complimented by the animations, the former for realism and the latter for impact. Another change I noticed with the fighter’s is that there seems to be less focus on their fighting style. You will remember with 2009, the fighters were clearly labeled in the selection screen in what styles they fight. In 2010 not only are they not labeled all over the show, but with the great deal of new moves they seem to not conform fully to a certain style. The result, for me at least, is I have not been pigeon-holed into certain styles and can use a span of fighters effectively now. With 2009, if I was not using a BJJ/Kick boxer, I would probably not do so well. To add on the bigger move range, fighters can now also move their upper bodies more freely. You can sway to avoid a high standing attack way more smoothly than before and even when you are pinning or being pinned against the cage.
There are many welcomed new game modes and I was pleasantly shocked with the big step forward in this respect. You can again re-visit and play classic fights or you can play tournaments with real fighters. Then while the career mode is similar to before, it has been given more depth to help progress your fighter. The create-a-fighter system is clearly taken from the extensive CAW system from THQ’s Smackdown vs. RAW series, so now you have more options to work with to create your authentic fighter right down to his voice, albeit you don’t get much to choose from. So overall the singleplayer experience is way more deep an experience than before and if you bought the game for offline only, you would still very much be getting your money’s worth.
To continue with the ‘more’ and ‘bigger’ theme for the sequel, the online modes do not disappoint in terms of what’s on offer. A cool new addition to online is the ‘online camp’ mode which allows you to form a camp or club, like fighters of all disciplines belong to in reality, which is great for the social aspect. On to the real reason most buy the game – online ranked matches. Again, there is more depth here from modes to being able to see a fighter’s entire stats before deciding which player suits you best to fight against. While I am thrilled that I can see the person’s DNF percentage, if that person quits your fight, yes they get the negative DNF mark, but you still don’t get the win. I think that is rubbish! EA got this spot on with their recent World Cup 2010 game where if someone quits, they get a loss and DNF mark but importantly you get the win for not being a sad looser that quits. [Excuse my tone]
All this matters little at this point because I cannot understand why not many reviews indicate just how broken the online component is at this time. I struggled to heck trying to connect to a fight until I found the only daft way around this. You basically search for a fight with parameters that will be difficult to find until it allows you to create a fight as the host. Then you sit tight and wait for someone to join you. But if you read up on the subject you will learn that ‘quick match’ at this point is just not working. The game servers need a serious looking into and a patch is desperately needed.
What I loved
MMA action done to near perfection
Stunning new moves
Huge roster of fighters
Hours upon hours of singleplayer action
New modes online and offline
Very good gift and sfx
Near perfect game play
What I disliked
The most important aspect of the game for me is broken at this time
Steep learning curb
Conclusion
There is no doubt that this franchise comes from enormous talent. With the launch of this sport into a game, I thought it will either work or totally suck. UFC Undisputed is a runaway success in design and extremely fun to play while being technical and a rewarding difficulty to work through. And with 2010 it is in every way a huge step forwards from the title the smashed into the sport-game arena. I am simply amazed at just how much more content and depth Yukes have given us fans with 2010. I would absolutely love to give this game full marks…
…but while I can play this for weeks, possibly even months in singleplayer mode, like most I bought it for online play which simply. Does. Not. Work.
UFC Unisputed 2010 is also available on Xbox 360. For more visit the game’s official site.
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