UFC 2009 Undisputed

The most immediately noticeable thing in Undisputed is the absolutely gorgeous character models of the UFC's stars

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Pros

  • Looks spectacular, captures the spirit of UFC

Cons

  • Little short of extra bells and whistles

Bottom Line

It not only manages to deliver the game the UFC faithful have been longing for but UFC 2009 Undisputed adds an entirely unique and excellent experience to the broader fighting game genre, which is why it's also a title that non-MMA fans should look into. Who knows, you might just find yourself becoming a dedicated supporter of this fantastic sport.

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Let's Get Ready To...

Undisputed also sports a deep set of modes to keep even the most ardent UFC fan occupied for a long time. Career mode consists of creating your own fighter and bringing him up from the depths of the UFC talent pool to the championship over a seven year career. The create-a-fighter options are generally as deep as you've come to expect, with discrete fight styles dictating the nature of your offensive and defensive capabilities. A Muay-Thai fighter, for instance, will rely on strong strikes to wear down an opponent while a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter will rely more on takedowns and submission holds. Undisputed does a great job recreating each fighting style, which really opens up a ton of in-fight options. It would have been nice to have more options in terms of cultivating an individual fighter's personality, however; being able to choose prefight staredown poses and post fight celebrations would have been a nice little cherry on top.

Guest trainers and fighters can be brought in to your camp to teach your budding star new techniques. After a few successful sessions, more advanced attacks and transitions are unlocked within your fighting discipline. This is an excellent way of learning all of the options at your disposal-it acts as a cleverly disguised tutorial that's built into the game itself. Like the create-a-fighter options, the career mode is straightforward and fun, though it doesn't have a lot in the way of extra fluff. Some players may prefer the "no frills, all business" approach but others may wish for a more engaging and novelty filled experience outside the Octagon.

Classic Fights mode challenges you to recreate similar endings to significant fights from UFC history. Rachelle Leah introduces the classic fight along with the original prefight hype video; the mode does a good job reminding us why these fights are such important parts of UFC's short history. The reward for completing each challenge is a highlight package of the actual fight but I sort of wish they had included footage of the entire fight instead.

UFCing is UFBelieving

UFC 2009 Undisputed does have a couple of issues that keep it from being a MMA-fan's dream come true but it is still a tremendous title that will make any fan of the sport proud. While it comes up a little short in terms of extra bells and whistles, the developers spent a lot of time refining the gameplay and control scheme, which is what matters most in the end. Instead of a watered-down product that tried too hard to appeal to a mass market audience, Undisputed manages to remain 100% faithful to the product and look spectacular while doing so. It not only manages to deliver the game the UFC faithful have been longing for but adds an entirely unique and excellent experience to the broader fighting game genre, which is why it's also a title that non-MMA fans should look into. Who knows, you might just find yourself becoming a dedicated supporter of this fantastic sport.

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