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I'll do a somewhat quick run down of what there is to do in UFC Undisputed 3.
You have your standard exhibition mode where you can choose UFC rules or Pride rules. Being a fan of MMA you should already know the differences. Anyways, when choosing Pride for instance it isn't 100% open weight but you can choose Ex: BJ Penn (UFC) vs Anderson Silva (Pride/UFC). Fighters that fought in each organization will be featured in both, for instance Wanderlei Silva has a higher overall rating in Pride than he does in the UFC. And Anderson Silva has a lower overall rating in Pride than he does in the UFC. Also, you can choose either rule set then (UFC/Pride) then choose fighters from either. The entrances and locations are also different and the Pride entrances are badass!
Then you can either create your own event/ tournament or play in actual ones Ex: Play the main card of UFC 115 etc.
Create a fighter is pretty in depth with the customization abilities. The biggest is obviously the face and facial features. Then you have body build, hair, tattoos, stance, fighting back ground, age, height etc.
Career mode, you start out with creating a fighter. Your first few fights you are given instructional tips (from Mike Goldberg) on camps, training, sponsors, choosing fights, rankings etc. As you work your way up in your division (choose while creating your fighter) you earn title shots and options to fight for bigger organizations eventually ending up in the UFC. You are able to move up and down one division to earn multiple title shots as well.
Classic fights modes is pretty cool, Ex: Rampage Jackson vs Wanderlei Silva, you are given certain tasks for the fighter you select during the fight to complete (don't get taken down for 1:00, land 20 strikes, don't take more then 5 strikes etc.) upon completing them you unlock videos and progress towards achievements for your gamerscore.
Highlite reel modeBasically a theater mode where you can create videos of cool KOs, takedowns, submissions or whatever else you can think of. You can share these with all other gamers then they can be rated 0/5-5/5 stars. And you can also make highlites with multiple fighters.
The graphics are excellent, all fighters look very realistic and move and act just like they do in real life. Whether it's JDS's uppercut, Bones Jones spinning elbows, Anderson Silvas front kicks or GSPs ground and decisions (IM JUST KIDDING :P); they are all very realistic.
New improvements and some changes are more usuage of the cage and an entirely new submission set up of 'Chasing the submission', I wasn't a fan of it but you'll get used to it. And there's also different control sets, can't really remember what they were called maybe rookie and veteran but basically rookie is push up or down to advance in transitions and veteran would be flick and rotate to advance.
I'm sure I forgot a few things, but fopefully this review helps!
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The failure of UFC Undisputed 2010 to capitalize on the success of the first entry in the series forced THQ and UFC to reevaluate the viability of their product as a yearly release. The result has been a nearly two year gap that now culminates with the arrival of UFC Undisputed 3. The extra time has paid some substantial dividends but one design decision in particular and troubled online performance remain concerns.UFC Undisputed 3 carries with it a solid amount of content. There is the standard exhibition fights in UFC or Pride, Career, Title, Tournament, and Event modes along with Online which are all pretty straight forward in what they offer.
The Ultimate Fights mode is intriguing in that they attempt to recreate popular fights from the past while including video packages about them. There are tasks set up to complete throughout the fight at specific times and a percentage grade is given based on how much is achieved. It can be tough to fight in that manner though trying to complete the tasks rather than just do what is necessary to win doesn't feel completely natural or even necessarily make sense contextually at a given time. Career mode has stripped out frustrating elements while pushing the focus more on the fights and progression making that much more enjoyable.
Pride is a blast and a valuable addition to the series. Everything from the presentation to the varied rule sets and unique venue make it a lot of fun to play. It won't at all be surprising if fans tend to prefer playing in Pride vs UFC. Presenation has been enhanced elsewhere too and the new camera angle, though not going to feel drastically different, does bring the action much closer and the perspective works well for the fights.
Gameplay wise there isn't much to gripe about at least on the surface. Refs tend to stand up fighters a bit early this was probably done on purpose rather than just becoming an unexpected issue as maybe casual types don't want to be stuck maneuvering on the ground with little success whether they're on the offensive or stuck blocking transitions. Ultimately though the big problem comes down to the flawed submission system which, going back to E3 last year, was the most cited gripe with the game and for good reason.
What amounts to a mini-game of `cat and mouse' not only takes the user's eyes off the fighters in these critical moments but the success of submission attempts remains inconsistent and unrealistic. Against the CPU it seems nearly impossible to submit them at the same time there is little concern that the CPU will actually complete a submission against the user. There has yet to be a situation where either "caught" the opponent with a submission but instead the one in danger almost always escapes easily under the system. It's been the same way in head-to-head (both off and online) fights too with submissions easily escaped by evading in the mini-game.
That alters tactics and strategy greatly. Offensively I find there to be little reason to attempt submissions. Why risk advantageous position when the submission is likely to fail? Conversely I haven't found myself defending against submissions because they're easy to get out of and the result is actually a positive shift of positioning and momentum.
Otherwise the gameplay has proven to be fairly well balanced with counter-strategies to utilize based on any tactic an opponent could be throwing out there. There has yet to be any frustrating element beyond the submission system the clinch is handled much better and the ground game simpler to understand.
Fights have been challenging but fair. Those that I've lost I've never gotten upset about and in fact often been impressed by the outcome. That is usually the best indicator of a good game when the time spent with it is enjoyable regardless of a win or loss.
"Sim" stamina is an addition that the more hardcore crowd will enjoy. It makes a huge difference and forces fights to be much more realistic. Most will probably stick with the default stamina but the option is appreciated regardless.
The new "Amateur" controls have been a refreshing addition and something I quickly got comfortable with using. There is a slight advantage for those using the "Pro Controls" (as there should be) but in terms of simplicity and accessibility the "Amateur" set holds up well. The tutorials also can help get users accustomed to the game to an extent but aren't much more than just an introduction there are even a couple that took a while to complete because they weren't clear enough in what was expected. It's just tedious to go through them one to the next and invest that much time but it's probably worth it in the end.
Online performance continues to threaten the completeness of the product. Most of the fights have been so lag-plagued that they've essentially been complete wastes of time. It has been encouraging that at least there have been a few smooth and responsive fights and they've been recent ones but even then the masses haven't hit the servers yet so things are likely going to get worse before they get better. Quitters aren't getting losses or seeing DNF % rise either which means that'll be a serious problem to address and there's also no real reason not to choose the highest rated fighters so variety in match-ups will be sorely lacking. Since releasing the server has often been unavailable and the number of disconnects high. I'll update further in regards to online play in the near future.
Other notes: There is some sort of issue with installing the game to the hard drive on the 360 that requires being signed out of Xbox Live for it to begin the install. Tapping gloves at the start of the fight is seemingly dangerous as the CPU usually chooses to throw a cheap shot. The refs can be somewhat distracting as they vanish or appear out of thin air at times. They also don't end the fights as quickly as one would expect allowing for some awkward late shots. In replays collision detection looks iffy and there appears to be very little force on the blows. The "Highlight Reel" feature which was previously detailed is a nice addition but the best part comes with the game automatically storing the last 50 rounds of fights.
There is little doubt that UFC Undisputed 3 will be looked back on at the end of the year as one of the strongest efforts amongst the crop of sports games. Hopefully it won't fall into the category of "almost great" because of poor online play so that'll have to be monitored in the days and weeks ahead. Otherwise THQ has delivered a winner with refreshing accessibility, increased authenticity, stronger content, and fun balanced gameplay.
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Overall, UFC UNIDSPUTED 3 improved over its predecessors and is still the best MMA game out there. If you liked the previous games, it's definitely for you. If you didn't like the previous games, well then the gameplay is nearly identical.What's new
New submission system-Instead of shining (rotating the analog stick as quickly as possible), there is a new minigame. Upon initiating a submission by pushing in the analog stick, an octagon appears on screen. Both players are given a "bar". The player trying to submit attempts to trace his bar over the player's bar being submitted while the other player moves his bar trying to avoid from being traced. If the player can keep his bar over the others long enough, the submission will be successful. There is an onscreen display of how successful the submission is. The better your UFC fighter is at subs in skills, the longer you will have to sink in the sub, or vice versa. I like the new system better than the prior system. It takes more skill to sink in a sub and you can actually tell whether it should or should not work. I am looking forward to having a callus free hand from not having to shine but it is definitely going to take some getting used too.
Pride Mode-The third installment features PRIDE mode. Pride (a MMA league based in Japan) was bought out by Zuffa a few years ago but the game brings the ring fighting back to life. In PRIDE mode Foot stomps and knees to the head of grounded opponents are allowed. Yes please. Bas Rutten delivers some pretty funny commentating. Old Pride fights like Mark Hunt, dan sevren,Kevin Randleman.
Ring entrances
Bantam and featherweight divisions
Leg TKOs
Amateur controls-instead of rolling the right analog stick to transition, the player just hits up or down.
Career Mode-You can play through with UFC fighters now. The overall feel of career mode is different but extremely repetitive. There aren't as many menus and stats to implement. Instead, there is a focus on the actual fights. To me this is kind of a bad thing. I make my CAFs for online. It is a slow a tedious process to make a good online CAF when you have 2 times to improve your fighter before a boring fight with the computer.
Cutscenes with real UFC fighters are pretty cool
You can design your own logos
Online-Fight camps are back and improved. They have added the ability to share your fights with other online players.
Review
Graphics-The fighters look great as they are again based on real rendering-you can see your punches and kick show damage on your opponents pretty quickly.
Controls-If you liked previous versions of the game, then you will be accustomed to the controls. Noobs can try out the amateur controls. Myself, I like the normal controls. It's not a perfect system, but I prefer it to any other MMA game out there
Sound-The commentary gets old pretty quick but again it is improved. Bas Rutten and Stephen QUadros are added for pride mode.
Career mode-Some improvements but overall very tedious to create a good online CAF.
Online-much less lag than in previous games. Problem is there a ton of disconnects. I'd say one in three fights disconnect for me and I have cable internet. I have no problem with other games online like COD.
Honest reviews on UFC Undisputed 3
Warning: This is NOT a Button Masher! You need to practice!!! But after putting in the hours, the game becomes fun and feels rewarding because you earn every win. I'd recommend the UFC games for fans of the sport and fans of fighting games. There's a good deal of strategy here and the game is so realistic that you'll actually be able to get more enjoyment out of watching the UFC if you learn how to play this game. You'll have a better understanding of the strategies and how the techniques work together.Concept: 9/10
Sports games fall on a continuum of Difficult Simulation and Fun Arcade Game. This UFC Game is right in the Middle. It's got all of the current weight classes, fighters, personalities, graphics, introductions, from the sport, so it feels really authentic. The gameplay is complicated and takes about a week to learn. But, MMA is complicated because it combines punches, kicks, wrestling body control, and jujitsu submissions. All of these disciplines play pretty well and after you learn how to play, the game is fun.
Game Modes:
Exhibition 1 fight pick a weight class, 2 fighters, and go at it.
Title take a famous UFC fighter and fight your way through the contenders to become the champ.
Title Defense Once you are the champ, fight the best of the best to keep your title.
Career Mode Create and Manage your fighter, train to become better in certain aspects of MMA, and fight your way to the top.
VS Mode fight a buddy (Offline ONLY)
Gameplay: 8/10
It feels like there are so many ways to lose in an MMA fight. You can get beaten down for 3 rounds and lose a decision. You can get beaten down severely and get KO'ed. You can get hit with a flurry of powerful strikes in rapid succession and get a flash KO. You can get thrown onto the ground, dominated, and KO'ed. You can get thrown to the ground and submitted. But all of these techniques can be used on your opponent, too. Knowing when to use the techniques is as important as knowing how to use them.
Striking: 9/10
Standing and trading punches and kicks. You can target your opponent's head for a KO, the body to drain your opponent's stamina, or the legs to slow them down and nullify their takedowns. You get BONUS damage for excellent timing. If you catch an opponent coming in and beat them to the punch, you do more damage. If you dodge their attack and counter, you also deal Bonus damage. This takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it's pretty fun. You can also catch kicks by grabbing your opponent's leg and counter punch them in the face. Not only is this rewarding, but it also deals bonus damage. On the easier difficulties, the game is almost 100% striking. It's a good way to learn. As you play harder difficulties, the AI starts incorporating other aspects of MMA like grappling, transitions, clinches, ground and pound, and submissions.
Grappling: 8/10
You can grab your opponent in a clinch, deliver knees, elbows, and punches, or throw them onto the ground. Once you're on the ground, you can move the R Stick in semi-circles to change your position. You can pull the right stick to "block" or cancel an opponent's transitions and keep them where they are. You can grapple from the top and bottom while delivering punches and kicks to ground and pound your enemies. Certain positions on the ground yield better results. For example, if you are in your opponent's guard, you can't punch very hard because you can only swing your arms. If you get on top of them in a full mount, you can deliver haymakers to their body and head and go for a KO. Grappling is pretty easy once you learn the positions and how to block your opponent's transitions. But it takes a while to "get it."
Submissions: 8/10
When you are grappling, you can click the R stick to go for an arm bar, choke, etc... This brings up an Octagon with a Player 1 BAR and a Player 2 Bar. The length and speed of the bar is determined by your grappling skill and current stamina. Each Player can move their bar around the octagon shaped track. (like 2 trains) In order to submit your opponent, you just have to overlap part of their bar with part of yours. This is easy when you both have large bars. To make an opponent TAP OUT, you have to keep your bar over theirs and a gauge starts to fill. But you have a limited amount of time to fill it, otherwise your opponent escapes from the submission attempt. The bars can pass through each other, so you can try to move away, or move through the other Player's bar to escape. It's kinda fun, and very suspenseful.
Training: 7/10
In career mode, there are training exercises to boost your stats. These are 2 minute mini-games where you practice your moves. Depending on how well you did, you get stat boosts for your next fight! But training in opposite disciplines may actually lower your stats in the opposite discipline. So if you are a striker who wants to learn grappling or submissions, your punch and kick stats may drop a little bit. When training, it's important to be well rounded, but not abandon your most effective techniques. Most of the games are easy, but you don't get to practice them. They just throw you into them and you have to do your best in 2 minutes. It's frustrating at first, but gets easier later on.
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics look pretty good and authentic to the UFC. The venues, octagons, and crowds look great. The fighters all look like their real life counterparts, but they could look a bit better. When the fighters take damage, their face swells, they bleed, sweat, and their body and legs turn reddish-purple from the repeated hits.
Sound: 7/10
The music is great and the commentary is from Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. Most of the time, the commentary is on the mark, but sometimes, they'll say something strange.
Multiplayer: NONE
The THQ servers are down because THQ went bankrupt. There was online support, but not anymore.
Maturity: Teen
If you like the sport, you've seen blood and fighting. There's no profanity or anything that you wouldn't expect while watching a UFC.
Replay Value: 8/10
Since the game takes a while to learn and even longer to master, you'll be playing it for a long time. However, the lack of an online multiplayer mode really hurts. I'd recommend going through the tutorial, then a bunch of exhibition fights first. Then take a pre-made fighter and fight your way to the title. Once you are familiar with ALL aspects of MMA, try the Career Mode.
Overall: 8.5/10
If you are willing to put in the hours, the game is fun! Because it's so difficult, every win feels great! You can enjoy the UFC game for at least a month, even without online mode. I'd recommend it if you are a fan or casual observer of the UFC.
Unfortunately, THQ is no more and EA bought the UFC license. Hopefully the EA Curse won't affect the UFC and hopefully, they'll make great games.
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