UFC Undisputed 3 Review [PS3]

Firstly I must say that I am new to the UFC Undisputed series. I€™m mentioning this as I will probably talk about aspects of the game that have been present since day one. While this isn€™t the best angle at which to tackle a review, especially for a recurring series, it does make this a more accessible review for newcomers like myself. UFC Undisputed 3 is a cross between a technical sports title and a fighting game. The fighting elements are massively technical, focusing on the subtle power plays that happen during MMA bouts. At the same time, the fighting is still as fun (if not as fast) as a good Tekken or Street Fighter. What sets UFC aside from a traditional beat €˜em up is the lack of narrative. Where fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter create a contrived back story for the various characters, UFC focuses on creating your own fighter and following his career or recreating a real life fighters career. The character creator is by far the most interesting thing going on here for me. You can create a fighter to look largely how you want. If like me, you tried to re-create your self (albeit in far better shape) then you will find the options restrictive. There are only so many eye shapes and hair options and the parameters for facial reconstruction never let you take the settings to extremes. On the other hand, there is enough freedom to create a fighter that fits your taste. The look of your fighter isn€™t what makes the character creator great however, it is the ability to completely customise your fighter€™s style and move set. As a martial artist, this is a dream come true. You start off by choosing your base style. This determines your default stance and moves. From there you can customise every move you make, from your punching to your submission moves. I created my style based on Karate because I was creating myself and I study Karate so that just felt right. But if Muay Thai is your cup of tea, or a bit of BJJ then you can start off with that. Picking a style is only the beginning, from there you can change any techniques you dislike (I opted for more powerful kicks) and choose your fighting orientation (orthodox/south paw etc). Now, this is far from limitless. You can only pick from the fighting styles that are commonly seen in UFC, so you wont be able to make a Wing Chun or Tae Kwon Do fighter or anything like that. You are also restricted to the more effective (and legal) moves that UFC fighters use so even if you chose a Karate set up like me, you wont be using any traditional martial arts here. Still, it is an achievement that there are so many options available from the start, let alone as your career develops and you unlock new moves. The flip side to the volume of customisations is that the same control scheme is used for each fighter. There is not going to be any random combos to learn here, strikes are mapped to the face button and given context by the shoulder buttons and throws, grappling and locking is all handled by the right analogue stick. The system is amazingly deep, filled with contextual move sets and a huge range of counter offensive options. The result is that once you have mastered the system, you can play with any fighter. This may sound like each fighter will play the same but they wont. Each fighter has a set of stats that govern how effective they are in each fighting scenario. Some fighters are extremely proficient in Jujitsu so their ground work stats are very high. This means that submissions are more likely to succeed and changing position gives you a far greater advantage. You are also harder to escape from once on the ground. The flip side is that you will be weak against opponents who are masters of striking styles such as Muay Thai. Their punches and kicks do more damage and they are harder to knock out. Some fighters take a jack of all trades approach and fair well with beginners but can be easily outclassed in any area by a master. Outside of the ring there are various training mini games and sparing scenarios that, upon completing, level up your characters. Training increases your chances of winning your next fight, which is after all the aim of the game. Winning fights earns you €˜cred€™ which is the currency of the game. Cred can be used to buy sponsorship items (which increase the amount of cred you earn) and train in camps (which lead to new moves and leveling up existing techniques) as well as other things and governs how fast you can progress. Obviously, you gain more cred for winning against strong opponents which encourages you to fight the best. The system seems a little tacky but works well in practise, as it caps progression while encouraging grinding By forcing you to grind training and camp sessions and fight lesser opponents you feel a greater achievement when you eventually reach the big leagues. Graphically UFC 3 is certainly not ugly, but lacks any truly pretty visuals. Lighting effects are not very realistic (all lights have identical glare for example) and the environments are as you would expect, enclosed and dark. The fighters look pretty good though they lack any expression. Their bodies also feel chiseled out of stone rather than fleshy and living. I realise that a UFC fighter is going to be pretty solid, but everyone has soft parts. Adding injuries throughout the rounds is a nice touch and gives an indication of how you are faring in the trading of blows but it would be good if there was spraying sweat and spit as these hulks destroyed each other. Generally speaking, the graphics are functional and the presentation is sufficient but this isn€™t going to blow anyone away with looks alone. In terms of animation, the fighting is precise and accurate, with excellent impact detection but fighters are slightly mechanical in their delivery. Granted, certain fighter's trademark moves are available such as slight variations on kicks or stances but, every punch you throw will look the same each time you throw it. It would have been great if as you fought on, you became slower and less technical. Still, it is a minor criticism of an excellent system. The music in UFC 3 is what can only be described as OTT. If it isn€™t pounding guitar riffs it€™s epic horn lines. It is certainly true of the type of music these guys roll out to but it can be a bit over bearing, especially when using the menus for a long time. The other OTT element is the enthusiastic commentators (who I assume are the real life commentators for UFC) who are loud and proud to be American. It is one of those elements that would be weird to remove but can grate after a while, especially when going through the early tutorial heavy sections of the game. All in all, UFC Undisputed 3 has a huge amount to offer. The career mode is expansive, the title mode lets you further develop your fighter and exhibition mode gives you an instant fix. There is a huge roster of fighters available to play with in each weight class (including retired UFC heroes) so you can play as your favourite or whoever you like the look of to your hearts content. Along with that is online play and of course local multiplayer so there is enough to keep you fighting until next years instalment. I couldn€™t tell you how well UFC 3 fares against previous titles in the series. What I can tell you is if, like me, you are new to the franchise, this is a great place to start. Even if you are not that into MMA or UFC, it is a great technical fighter that puts you in control of your gaming experience. In all my years of Tekken, Soul Blade, Street Fighter or Dead or Alive I have never related to a character as much as Ed €˜The Hurricane€™ Moorhouse. Watching a fantasy version of yourself lay eight shades of shit into all that come before you is a huge joy that few fight fans can ignore. If you are into arcade style beat 'em ups and have no interest in micro managing your fighter, then this wont be for you. However, if the thought of creating your own lean, mean, fat reducing killing machine, then I highly recommend this game! UFC Undisputed 3 is out on Friday 17th of February on Xbox 360 and PS3.