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Kinda like all the other UFC games.
When Ultimate Fighting Championship was released for Dreamcast, it wowed gamers and reviewers for its great display of the UFC. Since that time, the license was picked up by Crave, which made it a budget title very quickly. TDK then picked up the license and did little to improve the gameplay, as well. Take-Two’s new subsdiary, Global Star, now has the license and is continuing with the budget approach.
UFC: Sudden Impact includes a Career Mode, Championship Mode, versus mode and Arcade Modes. These modes include popular UFC fighters including Ricco Rodriguez, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell. Career mode is where the meat of the game is. Here you create a fighter and train him to be a UFC fighter. Here you are given three years to make a name for yourself and learn the basics of the game. At the end of each “month” you’ll need to practice a new task and when you complete the training, you partake in a tournament. Afterwards, you are accepted into the UFC and you can use your character in other modes.
In terms of gameplay, UFC: Sudden Impact is very much like previous games in the series. Much like previous versions, each button controls one of your fighter’s limbs. Pressing a combination of these buttons will allow your character to enter in a submission, takedown or grappling move. There is a new move that allows you to enter new positions when you are backed against the ring, but it rarely comes into place. Otherwise, the gameplay is very similar to previous games. If you haven’t played any, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
When the UFC videogame series debuted, it was a visual marble. The character models were incredibly detailed as was the rest of the game. The series refuses to improve and what we is a rather dated game. The character models seem rather bland compared to recent WWE games and as do the arenas. The graphics aren’t bad, just lacking.
The audio performs very similarly. The announcing is handled by Bruce Buffer and he doesn’t really offer anything of value to the game. The theme songs compromise the music. The sound effects are impactful, though and do (if ever so slightly) enhance the experience.
UFC: Sudden Impact will break down into three categories. Number one: those who really like the series and have bought it since it was released on Dreamcast. For readers in this category, Sudden Impact’s new Career mode and minor gameplay alterations may just be worth your $20. Number two: bought the previous games and realized they were too similar. If so, Sudden Impact won’t change your mind. Number three: never have played a UFC game. If you fit here, give Sudden Impact a try. It’s only $20 and provides a reasonably good experience. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- May 3, 2004
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