UFC Undisputed 3

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List Price: $29.99
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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.

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UFC Undisputed 3 is "BIGGER. BADDER. BETTER" that should have been the tagline for this years game instead of being wasted on that WWE crap. THQ was pissing me off with the long wait time. First they take a year off, cool, if your going to take a year off to get things right then I am good with that. Then they set a release date for Jan. 3rd of this year but then push the game back to the 14th of Feb. Now after playing the game it was worth the wait. Career mode doesn't have that annoying stat decay. Gameplay feels more fluid. Submissions (even though the big octagon covering the screen looks stupid) are more easier to pull off and it doesn't feel like the game is cheating you out. Pride mode is fun as hell. Shogun Rua is one of my favorite fighters of all time and being able to soccer kick someone's head in brings back memories. Well worth the 60 for this and I hate THQ but they got this game right. Could it be better? Yeah, but I ain't complaining.

Buy UFC Undisputed 3 Now

THQ took some time off to improve the UFC Undisputed Series and it's paid off, delivering the best and deepest MMA game ever. The biggest gripe regarding the previous 2 offerings was that the game was too hard. The learning curve was steep. It made the game hard to get into. This version -while similar -is easier and more welcoming than those before it.

Roster: There's one thing that no one will deny regarding this game -the licensed roster is huge and accurately resembles it's stars! Biggest roster of any MMA game ever, including the lower weight classes -not featured in previous UFC Undisputed's (since UFC/WEC had not merged as of then). One negative -Overeem & Nick Diaz have to be obtained via pre-order codes & Facebook contests/DLC. Companies continue to milk consumers:(

Presentation: Overall, the content in this game seems endless. The game has tons of game modes (career and online) and now features PRIDE (yes, head stomping!). To me, that is huge since it takes you out of the Octagon and into the ring where many UFC stars became famous (ie. Liddell, Rampage, Hendo, Silva, Gracie, etc.). The graphics look great -from player models, crowds, etc.

Gameplay: At the start of the game, one can pick Amateur Controls or Pro Controls. For those looking for a less daunting scheme, Amateur controls is a welcomed edition. This mode will even teach you controls as you're playing (ie. about to do a takedown or a submission). The submission controls have also changed for the better with a sort-of mini-game (Octagon shaped gauge). Create a Fighter is average at best -most characters look similar. Career mode is improved -it focuses on fighting, not time wasting tasks and allows you to use a Roster fighter if desired.

Overall: 9/10. THQ took their time and you'll feel like you got your money's worth (on content alone). For those who've played the previous versions, you'll feel as if THQ listened to you and improved the game. Having played them and EA Sports MMA, I like this one the best.

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After playing this game almost religiously for over a month now, I've got to say that overall, this is one of the wisest PS3 investments I've ever made. Everything about this game has me hooked. Being a UFC fan for several years, I can appreciate all the time and effort THQ put into this game to make it as realistic as possible while retaining all the fun of beating down your friends as well as taking a fighter through a career.

MAIN PROS:

Career Mode. Especially when you create your own fighter and take him through a career, this game does an outstanding job of making you feel like you're in the gym, the sparring session, and the Octagon. You actually train for your fights with drills and sparring (but you can skip the work and "automatically" train for half the stats) and it will make your fighter better depending on how you train. When my guy got called up for his first Pay-Per-View and took on an actual UFC fighter for the first time, it gave me chills. When I won my first title, I almost jumped up and down just like the fighter in the game. When you win, it's great and satisfying, especially when you knock your opponent out. When you lose (and you will), it's equally frustrating, especially if you get knocked out by a "lucky" shot.

Controls. Nice and tight, even in the advanced control setup. I jumped straight into the advanced controls from startup, and had little problem navigating and getting used to all the different possible positions. Several moves are similar in execution and there may be a lot to remember, but the more I played the more I got the hang of it. Swaying in the right direction is probably the hardest part of the control scheme. I find myself swaying the wrong way and getting popped a few times during fights, but that's the way real fights go. But when you get it right and pop off a hook that drops your opponent mid-swing, there's no feeling like it in the world. With all the moves at your disposal, it may be intimidating at first, but as you practice and learn them all, it becomes a lot more satisfying.

Accessory selection and customizing. Wow. So many sponsors, and so many ways to give your fighter a unique look. The sponsors themselves update in the Octagon online as well to match the actual Octagon setup during fights, which adds to the realism. Part of the fun for me is giving my fighters different looks and outfits every single fight, just like the real fighters do. As you progress through the game, you unlock more stuff to buy and accessorize with. You can even put together your own banner, if you have the patience.

Pride Mode. Yee-haw! Even though Pride is no longer around, it makes for a whole new depth to the game. Longer rounds, head stomping, more ground moves, a different roster, and even the ring itself add to the strategy (and heritage) and almost looks and feels like a whole other game. Your created fighter can go through a few Pride Grand Prix tournaments as well during Career Mode if he's good enough, and since it's another promotion it won't hurt your fighter's rating if you lose.

MAIN CONS:

Difficulty. The difference between Experienced and Advanced mode alone is ridiculous. I took a created middleweight through a career in Experienced mode; he won the WFA title in 5 fights, lost only 4 times his entire UFC career, beat the crap out of Anderson Silva for the UFC title, won 2 Pride Grand Prix, and got elected into the Hall of Fame while still active. Right now I'm taking pretty much the same fighter through a featherweight career in Advanced mode (with pretty much the same gameplan/strategy), and every UFC opponent I've faced so far has either folded me in half or knocked me into next month in the first round. I don't know if anyone else has noticed the difference in difficulty levels, but for me it was huge and almost takes away from the fun of the game.

The new submission system. Boooooo. The little rat maze mini-game is annoying at best and takes away from the in-game experience. It's almost like in the middle of a match you get transported to another dimension. I'd much rather try to wriggle out of a submission with transitions/escapes like in the previous game than play Octagon Pac-Man.

Sounds/commentary. While fun to listen to for a while, it gets pretty repetitive. Rogan and Goldberg have the exact chemistry they share during actual UFC fights, but if I hear "I don't think he's got it locked in" one more time while my opponent squirms out of yet another submission attempt...

Loading time. The game itself boots up pretty quick, but going between modes, between fights, and sometimes even while going through things like hairstyles or tattoo choices for your fighter, the load time is unacceptable. I guess I can understand this with as many features as this game has, but there had to be some workaround for that. I don't really like having to have something to read while waiting for the game to do its thing and get where it needs to go.

There are also lots of features to keep you playing for months; sponsors, clothing items, nicknames, entrances, new moves, live movies...it's going to be serious fun unlocking them all, and you can even customize what's already there and make it even more unique. Reliving actual UFC/Pride moments is pretty cool too, and leads to more unlockables in the game. All the usual modes from the previous games are there too, like tournaments and title mode. I haven't really done the online thing with this game much; I'm sure it's fun, but I don't tend to enjoy getting waxed by random Japanese 10-year-olds. For me, the excitement of Career Mode and taking a real fighter through the best moments in UFC history will probably keep my adrenaline flowing for months to come.

Overall, for fight fans who can appreciate all the intricacies of mixed martial arts and combat sports, this is definitely the complete package. It's got the "big fight feel" of actually being a part of the UFC and all of its history and heritage, with great controls that aren't too difficult for casual players. There are a few detractors, but not near enough to keep this from being a thoroughly enjoyable purchase. The difficulty issue will probably get better for me as I practice, but the initial frustration at the gap between difficulty levels is what took a star away from the overall rating. Otherwise, if you're a UFC fan and want as close to the real experience as it gets, this is what you've been waiting for.

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I think the improvements they made on this game aren't very big changes but it has improved the gameplay a lot... all of the UFC games have been fun to play and this game is no exception to that.