Issue 12 of Stencil Mag

As well as the extensive new modes, UFCU3 also offers the option of Pride rules – with real pride commentators Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros , you can stomp on people and football kick them in the head when they’re down. Those Japanese sure have funny ideas when it comes to rules. However it came as a nice change of pace.

The game continually offers little rewards of fighter videos and interviews, which I welcomed as a nice break from the action. Furthermore ‘Points’ are rewarded for every fight, which can then be spent in the game ‘shop’ to buy extra fighters and clothes used in creation modes.

The roster is extensive with over 150 fighters including everyone you could think of, even legends such as Dan Severn and of course fan favourites such as GSP, Jon Jones and Machida.

The Game-play in UFCU3 is very limited, that is not to say it lacks depth, it’s just limited to the Octagon with very little in the way of content outside of the fights. However I think this is a good thing; it allows UFCU3 to be the most technical fighting game ever made.

Thankfully there is an extensive tutorial - which I hate to say is a necessity, as the game does not give up its complexities easily. However, the ‘juice is worth the squeeze’, as Forrest Griffin would say.

Regardless of your skill level, never forget that the game does have an element of the ‘lucky punch’ which makes playing a friend an interesting, but ultimately practice makes perfect. Especially when it comes to the almost needlessly complicated new submission and groundwork controls that in the beginning were a mystery to me. Having said that, with time, you will come to realise that the game controls are very intuitive, sure it’s confusing at times – the learning curb is steep and expect to have some frustrating losses along the way, just like a real fighter.

In terms of Sound & Visuals the game is the real deal, and offers a very authentic UFC experience - from the fighter info to the announcers, it certainly captures the atmosphere perfectly. Fighter likeness is pretty spot-on and they’ve even replicated stances and mannerisms adding to that already polished presentation. It really is a fan’s dream come true.

If you fancy yourself a bit of a pro you can always test your skills online, and even join a fighters camp with friends. My only fear is that with the game’s learning curb, will people be put off by the online community, or even worse will they get bored before they get good? It seems this is a risk Yuke’s and THQ are willing to take. The website linked above, is well worth a look to see how the UFC community is embracing Undisputed 3, I especially enjoyed the ‘knock out of the week’ section of the site.

I can honestly say that UFCU3 has all the trademarks of a game that will get old…. and simply sit on the shelf collecting dust. That is, unless you have a group of friends that love UFC as much as you do, in that case let the punches fly and the good times roll.

In terms of an MMA game, you wont find better, however in terms of a perfect game… it is lacking in scope, except for the scope that is in the fights itself, this game could take forever to master and do we really have the time?