UFC Fighting Games: Then and Now

THQ has a great thing going with its UFC license.  no game seems to define that more than UFC Undisputed 3, which released in mid-February to rave. Ultimate Fighting Championship was a true definition of how next-gen sports games were supposed to be for the Dreamcast.  Sure, NFL 2K and NBA 2K did their job respectively, but when it came to offering an in-depth fighting game that made people feel like they were actually brawling in a cage, this was the only one that could do the trick.

Though the roster in Ultimate Fighting Championship is only a small percentage of what UFC Undisputed 3 offers in both its roster and Pride’s, there were plenty of recognized names that made the name great.  Tito Ortiz, a man who will be fighting in his final UFC bout this year, is one of the key stars of the 2000 release, along with Bas Rutten (always a favorite around the league), Frank Shamrock, Evan Tanner and numerous others.  In addition, Ultimate Fighting Championship also featured a create-a-fighter mode, so you could make your own and take them into the ring to see how they’d fare against Tito.  While hardly as in-depth as UFC Undisputed 3’s set-up, with its training exercises and robust fighter types, at the time of its release, the Dreamcast release really raised the bar on how to create a character the right way.

As for the game play, Anchor did an amazing job with its simulation.  You could really feel the punches and kicks coming from each fighter, though Undisputed offers variations of moves, including things like face kicks and spin fists.  The submission system for the Dreamcast release is still excellent to this day, as you carefully maneuver your way around an opponent until you get them in an armbar or a rear naked choke, or something along those lines.  Though it lacks the innovative mini-game that Undisputed currently possesses, it still gets the job done when it comes to making someone tap.

For a game that was coming out just as the league was really gaining its audience, Ultimate Fighting Championship is a monster of a simulation, and a must-own if you have a Dreamcast lying around somewhere, itching to be played.  If you don’t want to go to all that trouble, though, Undisputed still gets the job done, and, in many ways, shows just how much fighting has evolved.