UFC 2009

[toup]

Having originally almost ignored this game with my Fight Night 4 tinted glasses, I have been blown away by the demo tonight (on PS Store right now!)

Very slick, impeccable animation / collision detection and a lot of variety. It's very tactical - button mashing will see you very swiftly dispatched - and has rocketed its way onto my must-buy list.

Discuss.

 

[Bullitt]

Been looking forward toi this for (litterally) years now. Will download and have a look.

 

[CeeJay]

Excellent demo.

It has an in depth tutorial and every difficulty is available!

Theres so much to learn, and its not easy which I think is great. Wont be getting off this all weekend.

 

[toup]

I agree, the depth of this is very impressive - the use of the right analogue stick is very well implemented to offer things like a skilled escape from submission which leaves you in a better postion than the 'brute force' escape which repeated punching offers.

Graphically, this game is fantastic, with very believable injuries and flawless collision detection... each hit feels very dynamic, with some glancing off and others connecting with a very satisfying feel.

Although only 2 fighters are available in the demo, it is clear to see how much variety there is within the game for different fighting styles. I have already won bouts by knockout, TKO (the ref stepped in after I landed an undefended string of face punches to my floored opponent) and submission, with a very satisfying blend of standing and ground combat.

I like that it really captures the 'cat and mouse' feel of UFC, with no fight ever being 'over' no matter how much of a beating one fighter has inflicted on the other. I took an absolute pasting standing up, with blood streaming from my face, only to dodge a high kick, take down my opponent and then landed a flurry of punches to produce a dramatic turnaround victory.

This game has genuinely taken me by surprise and is going to dominate my weekend...

 

[Radman]

AWESOME game. Very impressed. Can't believe how well it plays, so smooth...and it's just the demo with two fullas!.

Just played a few games on easy and experienced. So simple to play yet so deep at the same time.

Love getting the knock down and walking over him and smashing his head in a dozen times till the ref calls it, brings a big grin.

Gotten a few early KOs and had one done on me because I went too hard out at the start of the fight and lost energy and left myself open.

Love the controls, very well set up, haven't got used to everything but will over the weekend, done allright with the basics so far.

Great tutorial as well.

I was tempted to get Fight night round 4 but this is quickly changing my mind.

If you haven't tried the demo yet, get it NOW!.

 

[CeeJay]

Played this all last night, and will be paying all day! Moved up one difficulty level and lost about 5 times, a great challenge, you really have to be thinking. Had some great wars with some awsome face and body damage. Sadly sometimes the damage disappears completey between rounds, and sonmetimes when you select rematch they retain damage from the previous match! Probably just a demo bug.

Great game.

 

[Bullitt]

Played the PS3 demo last night. Have decided;

1. To start watching more UFC again (I even fished out my old DVDs from a couple of years ago)
and
2. To buy this game when it comes out.


I was expecting gameplay similar to the old Dreamcast and PS2 games, but it's infact one of the most sophisticated combat systems I've ever come across. Wonderful! And did I mention that the visuals are possably the best I've ever seen on a fighting game?

MMA > Boxing!

(Where's DC to start arguing the toss)

Anybody know if there's any difference between the PS3 and 360 versions?

 

[Radman]

I dunno what it is about it but it has that quality and addictiveness that I like, it's one of those games you'll play a few games and end up on it for hours going one more....one more...or thats how it was for me last night, couldn't stop.

 

[toup]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Radman @ Apr 25 2009, 09:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I dunno what it is about it but it has that quality and addictiveness that I like, it's one of those games you'll play a few games and end up on it for hours going one more....one more...or thats how it was for me last night, couldn't stop.[/b]

I agree... I think it's the fact that matches tend to end so suddenly that pushes you into another game. There is so much depth and variety in just this 2 fighter demo, I now literally cannot wait for the full version... more fighters, career mode... and that's without even considering the fun that could be had fighting against a friend.

Shock contender for a few gaming awards?

 

[CeeJay]

This demo is like a full game. I cant stop playing. Been playing the whole weekend. Im up to the second highest difficluty and and trying to master everything, trying to land submissions or finsh with ground and pound. Its so damn cool. The thing that keeps you coming back is that no fight ends the same even if its ko after ko it still feels like a different fight.

Im really looking forward to the full game aswell. My one gripe is that ot looks like the 80 figher roster can only be used in exhibition mode. Theres no tournament, and career mode is CAF only. So aside from a handful of classic matches this huge roster is all for nothing. If we have the option for a ***le fight in exhibition mode then that might be enough, but theres no sign of that either. old ufc games had just a regular ufc tourny you could do, no saving and fight after fight. That would be enough for me.

Best looking sports game for sure, sports game of the year contender for sure. Theyve nailed where its most important and thats gameplay. The great thing is that if it sells well they will do a yearly version! This worried me initially because of games like madden that suck to begin with and never have the chance to get better in a short year. But these guys nailed it and yearly updates will hopefully just be making it better.

Fight night round 4 was a real contender, but after seeing the gamplay vids, it looks good but a little awkward. The biggest problem being that the player models seem to have fat bellies and worst of all horrible man boobs. Hopefully they clean it up before release and this could be a great year for fight fans.

 

[toup]

Had a mate over this weekend for my first taste of human vs human, and I was really impressed with the way it holds up and genuinely rewards skill rather than luck or button mashing.

Initially I wiped the floor with him easily as he got to grips with the game, then I let him play the computer a few times to try things out, and as predicted, the following fights between us were gripping tactical battles which were very tense and highly enjoyable.

Played solidly for most of the weekend and experimented with different styles of fighting (I guess this would be more effective with the full roster of fighters as you could choose someone to suit your style rather than 'forcing' a style on one of the two included in the demo). I am still thoroughly enjoying this and have not yet seen any reason not to buy it eagerly on release day!

 

[ak47]

i did enjoy this, and i reckon it can be the #1 contender

but its all comes down to career mode in both fight ***les

i am over just fighting.........i want training, i want press conferences, i want sponsors, deals, commercials - i want a farkin full flegged career

 

[toup]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ak47 @ Apr 29 2009, 12:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

i did enjoy this, and i reckon it can be the #1 contender

but its all comes down to career mode in both fight ***les

i am over just fighting.........i want training, i want press conferences, i want sponsors, deals, commercials - i want a farkin full flegged career[/b]

Agreed... I had a look around for what UFC's career mode will hold, and whilst it doesn't sound like it will offer as much depth as mentioned above, at least it sounds like more than just one fight following another. Found this interview with the producer which says about the career mode:

In career mode, you're basically working your way up through the system of UFC. So, you're going to create your character, you'll assign yourself a striking and grappling technique, then you train those skills. You won't have as much power, energy or ability as the typical UFC fighter when you start out, but as you progress through career you'll get better. And we don't have any cheesy mini-games where you mash the buttons to push a weight bar up. The training you do in the career mode is fighting like you would in a real fight. So if you have a fight coming up, and you're a boxing/wrestler guy and you're next opponent is a Muay Thai guy, then your training partner will be a Muay Thai fighter, so you can train against those moves. There's a whole interactive calendar system where you know your fight is in a couple of weeks and you'll need to pick where you'll train, where you'll spar and where you should rest in order to build up your stamina. It's like a game within the game where you might want to risk training right before a fight, losing out on some of your stamina, but at the same time gaining valuable points on your standing game. The choices are all up to you on how you shape your career. And once you start building up his skill, you can take your created fighter online, so it's a cool way to get invested in your character and his abilities. It also lets you replay the game multiple ways because you can start one career as a boxer/wrestler, then when that career is done, you can play as a fighter who is into kickboxing and judo and have a completely different experience.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I had a go earlier, I managed to knock someone out with the first punch I threw! It's very impressive all the same though. I will be keeping an eye on this, for sure.

 

[CeeJay]

Do you see flash knockouts as a negative? All the old ps3 ***les had a health bar and there were no knockouts until the bar was empty. Flash knockouts bring that unpredicable element and make sure your on guard even when your dominating. On easy they happen alot, but as you move up difficulty they become rarer, especially in the early rounds.

 

[toup]

Wanted to offer up a quick tip that has proved invaluable to me since 'realizing' it... I followed the tutorial before I played but somehow either missed this or it's not included. Apologies if it's just my own stupidity...

The L1 button, as well as being the modifier for high kicks and bigger punches, also does major transitions on the ground and slams from the clinch position. Also lets you pick up and slam of your opponent ties up your head from the mounted guard... these are higher risk and easier to defend, but really improve your position when you pull them off.

 

[CeeJay]

I dont think its in the tutorial, and it is very helpful. Im having a break from this now, I have truly mastered this game on expert. Great fun but unless Im lazy and get caught I wont lose.

One part I havent mastered is submissions, I must have played hundreds of matches on expert and have only managed one submission. Which is strange because if im against rua and he catches me with no stamina on expert he can submit me in a flash.

 

[Wally]

Is it free to download the demo on PS3? I only just got wireless.

 

[Bullitt]

It's free to download demos on all of the consoles.

 

[CeeJay]

Thats right, obviously with xbox you have to pay for xboxlive, and you will get the demo a couple of weeks late if your not gold or silver. PS3 just connect and download.