UFC Undisputed 2010 review

Here’s the good news: Yukes have answered our prayers and delivered a more compelling story to accompany the career mode in UFC Undisputed 2010. Now you get to fight through amateur bouts, up through the World Fighting Association and into the big leagues of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Above: You can now spring from one submission into another

You’ll also find a more user-friendly feel to the grappling as opposed to the mash-the-pad-until-something-happens system from the original. It’s all on the right stick now, so there’s no bashing your buttons to break from a choke – just rotate the stick clockwise. The thing is, it comes at a price – mainly a lot of irksome things left over from UFC 2009…

We don’t want to discredit the sterling work that the devs have put into this sequel, because overall it feels more like a visceral reboot than a flaky update, but certain things like animations, commentary and some ground-game aspects are unchanged. Here’s one for you – whenever you knock a gassed opponent (that bit when the screen all goes grey for a few seconds) on his ass there’s only one animation for finishing him with punches. Sure it all feels pretty meaty as you stand over your prone foe and rain down fists of justice to his noggin, but after the first few times it starts to grate.

Above: The new sway system makes for some fantastic counter-punches

Then there’s the commentary from the official UFC men, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. It creates an authenticity for your bouts but they’ll repeat lines of script over and over again to the point where you sort of want to switch it off. And although said grappling has been made easier, some mat-based tussles can be incredibly frustrating for beginners. These things, and more, shall be hereby known as the Smackdown vs Raw effect – where big changes are made elsewhere but key issues remain the same.

Aside from these niggles, UFC Undisputed 2010 is a riot. It’s a pure gaming example of one of the fastest growing sports in the world and, ultimately, a great way to knock the stuffing out of people while feeling like a big man. An improved roster now packs in over 100 fighters to choose from including Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell and ex-WWE turned pantomime villain, Brock Lesner. There’s also the introduction of the UK’s Dan Hardy and illegal fight star, Kimbo Slice.