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Ultimate Fighting Championship (DC) ReviewBackground Info
Presentation/Graphics : 98
The Octagon, the ring where you fight, provides a beautiful atmosphere while you're pummeling your opponent. Since UFC has such an incredible frame rate, you can pummel your opponent without a single glitch. I think that the more games that are put out that have an outstanding framerate, a glitch-free game will not be a luxury, but a normality.
The wrestler introductions in UCF are the best I have ever seen in any game. In other wrestling games, the intro scenes are appreciated, but I usually skip over them or turn them off after the first day of gameplay. For some reason, I never did skip over or turn off the wrestler intros. I think they are the best part of the game. Not only is the cut scene cool, it is very detailed. Bruce Buffer comes out to announce the fighter's physical attributes, his hometown, and even his nickname. At the end of the intro, the ref comes out and yells, “Let's Get It On!” If your eyes are sore for candy, UFC will provide you with sufficient relief.
Presentation/Audio : 70
Interface/Options : 85
You can also play a tournament with eight fighters of your choice. There is an exhibition mode for a single match, or you can practice your moves in training mode. The training mode is very useful. There you can learn all the moves necessary to earn that gold belt. You can practice fighting in any position, offensive or defensive.
There are three difficult modes that will challenge gamers at every skill level. On rookie mode I have been able to dominate opposing fighters in less than a minute, and also have had five round battles. The same goes for the next two levels, contender and heavy hitter. You never know how the fight is going to turn out to be, just like in real life Ultimate Fighting Championships.
UFC has plenty to keep you busy. Even the most skilled player will have troubles attaining a gold belt. The heavy hitter difficulty mode is very tricky. If you make a mental mistake during a match on heavy hitter mode, you will probably lose. UFC is one of those games that is easy to learn, but difficult to master. The multi-player (human to human, not online) aspect is very fun in this game. UFC is a nice change of pace from the wrestling games that are out today.
Gameplay : 98
On the back of the jewel case, it states that there are thousands of moves and combos, including strikes, counters, and submissions. After playing the game extensively, there is no doubt that that statement is true. The button combinations seem endless. There are probably twenty or thirty unique submission moves alone!
As aforementioned, the game can be as simple as you want it to be. When I first started the game, I would jab a little here, and then kick a little there, then go for the grapple. I never once thought of trying to block my opponent's advances. I just saw my target and blindly went after it. This method worked the entire time I was on rookie mode, but as soon as I moved up to the next difficult level I was completely dominated. I had to learn to read my opponent and be patient. After a while I waited for my opponent to make a mistake and then I made my move. When you're playing defensively offensive, you can fight with anyone.
I'm a big baseball fan and when concerning one on one battle between your fighter and the CPU's, I think it is very similar to a batter facing a pitcher during a baseball game. You can be as aggressive as you want to be. Sometimes you are successful and other times you will strike out. If you can catch your opponent off guard and do the unexpected you will have success. If you can throw your opponent to the ground, you will be able to inflict the most damaging move in the game; punches to the face while having them pinned to the ground.
Just when you think you have discovered all your moves for a particular fighter, you'll accidentally press a sequence of buttons and do something really spectacular. I had taken a liking to Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge. I had played almost all my games with him and thought I had learned all of his moves. Then, while I was in practice mode, he busted out a new submission that made me yearn for more. If you don't feel like finding out a particular fighter's moves by trial and error, you can press start and select moves list. The moves list will tell you all the moves your fighter can do.
The meter bars are very simple to read. Your life bar is red, but can be regenerated. You can regenerate your life bar by laying back and not being hit. Your stamina bar is blue. The lower your stamina bar is, the less powerful your moves will be and you become more susceptible to a knockout. The life bar is very important, but you really need to pay attention to the stamina bar. If your stamina bar is low you need to back off and try to block your opponents attacks. You can really be pounding into a guy, but if your stamina is low your hits will not inflict much damage.
UFC is the deepest fighting game that I have ever played. The potential moves seem endless. What adds to the fun is that almost every offensive move has a defensive move to counter it. So if you ever get bored with the game, you can try to win fights by only having your fighter complete reverses.
Replay Value : 95
Overall : 96
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