UFC 2009 Undisputed Xbox 360

UFC 2009 Undisputed Product Details

• THQ invites fans to vote on UFC Undisputed 3 cover star

  Mixed martial arts fans are being invited to pick their favourite athlete to appear on the front cover of the upcoming UFC Undisputed 3.

  From now until September 30th 2011, publisher THQ is encouraging fans to get online and cast votes for one of five renowned UFC combatants, who will act as the face of the new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title.

  Gamers can choose between Frankie Edgar, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones or Cain Velasquez, all champions in their respective weight divisions who are keen to claim the honour of becoming a cover star.

  UFC President Dana White said: "We love making our fans a part of the process and we'll leave this one up to them."

  THQ is billing UFC Undisputed 3 as the best MMA title to date, with the game set to feature more than 150 real-life fighters, a simplified control scheme, new moves and improved visuals.

  It is set to make its console debut in January next year.

  Published: 01/09/2011

• UFC 2009 Undisputed Preview

  Mark steps into the Octagon...

  UFC (short for Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a brand that seems tailor-made for gaming. It's got all of the fanfare of pro wrestling together with some seriously no-nonsense action; a huge international following; and the Beat 'Em Up genre is positively crying out for something new and interesting right now (even Street Fighter IV can only do so much on its own). But, for whatever reason, no-one has really been able to fully capture the explosiveness and variety of UFC's signature Mixed Martial Arts battles – until, possibly, now.

  Blown away

  UFC 2009 Undisputed isn't the first UFC title in the history of gaming, but it is the first in a good few years, and by all accounts it's going to blow its predecessors away. Having said that, to begin with at least, it isn't the most pick-up-and-play fighter we've ever come across.

  They take some getting used to, but UFC 2009 Undisputed's controls should make for the most comprehensive MMA experience ever.

  Unlike most fighting games, the controls in UFC 2009 Undisputed are really quite complex, boiling down to two distinct ways of fighting. Standing is easy enough: movement is on the left stick (with faster movement gained by pushing down the stick), the four fascia buttons each make you attack with a different limb, and holding the left trigger makes your strikes stronger, while holding the left bumper initiates special attacks – like leaping roundhouses which make for some spectacular knockouts. Blocking is done with the right trigger for low blocks, and the right bumper for high blocks – meaning you can't just hold down one block button and expect your fighter to be fully defended. In a standing fight, UFC 2009 Undisputed is all about working the openings.

  So far, so fighting game – right? Wrong. Just when you start to get that familiar feeling, UFC 2009 Undisputed has your opponent tackle you to the mat – and basically sit on top of you, pounding you senseless until your mouthguard falls out.

  Reigning down

  A couple of frustrating KOs in, though, and you start to get your head around UFC 2009 Undisputed's analogue stick grappling controls. Flick the right stick and your fighter will try and tackle your rival to the mat – and if they manage that, from there you've a wealth of ways to go. Slight quarter-turns of the right stick move your fighter, and pressing the same stick down executes submission manoeuvres – or, if you manage to get yourself into the potentially match-winning Mount position, you can just reign blows until you render your foe unconscious.

  You will have to be wary though – getting into the most advantageous positions on the mat can take several transitions, all of which are vulnerable to being countered and you potentially on the end of a submission yourself. In all, they take some getting used to, but UFC 2009 Undisputed's controls should make for the most comprehensive MMA experience ever.

  UFC 2009 Undisputed experts will come to define their own personal strategies based on who they've picked and who they're facing.

  The great news for hardcore UFC fans is that UFC 2009 Undisputed doesn't dilute the sport's intricacies in either standing or mat fighting forms. Fighters themselves are lifelike combinations of Boxing, Kick Boxing or Muay Thai for the standing style, and Wrestling, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for takedowns – so the in-game fighters feel noticeably the same as their real-life counterparts, and UFC 2009 Undisputed experts will come to define their own personal strategies based on who they've picked and who they're facing. No two fights in UFC 2009 Undisputed should be the same – and needless to say it all looks absolutely immaculate, rendered in full, bonecrunching HD on next-gen systems.

  Personalise your pugilist

  That bodes well for the many modes in UFC 2009 Undisputed. The complex controls may not make for the most instantly playable post-pub Multiplayer, but online play should be a particularly big draw – while the Career mode, together with its own Create A Fighter option (which THQ are being particularly coy about at the mo), should really let you personalise your pugilist to your favoured forms of fighting.

  Non UFC fans meanwhile might also want to keep UFC 2009 Undisputed on their radar if they're at all interested in checking out a different type of fighting game. Like the brand itself excitement for the game seems to be growing, and hope is high that this could make a big impact amidst the usually quiet early summer videogame release period.

  Preview by: Mark 'Spinning Elbow' Scott
  Version Tested: Xbox 360
  Preview Published: 17.04.09

  Published: 17/04/2009

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