Review: Ultimate Fighting Championship

From...

	GALLERY

by Dpad Destroyer

(IDG) -- It's been a long time coming, and now Crave has shown the world what fighting games are all about. Just like the brawling league on which it's based, Ultimate Fighting Championship is raw, brutal, realistic, and very, very cool. The men presented here for you to select are real fighters, people who put their bodies on the line in true man-to-man combat. In UFC, unlike the jabronies of WCW or the WWF, no contrived plot device will save you if you're getting beaten down. It's you, the other guy, and whatever toughness you bring into the ring that will decide whether you'll be victorious or used to mop the mat clean.

The Dreamcast UFC is as different from wrestling games as the real thing is from the WWF. The controls for the "ground game" (once you and your opponent hit the mat) are at least as detailed and complex as those of the stand-up bits, and for good reason. The UFC isn't about chaining ridiculous 100-hit combos or waiting for the crowd to cheer you on to your Special Moves. This game is about strategy, finding and exploiting weak spots, and generally making your opponent say "Uncle!" Even though some characters are better than others (Frank Shamrock is a favorite), skilled players can always find a way to win. One moment of hesitation can be the difference between getting knocked out or making that last-minute reversal for a submission. In the UFC, you're always hearing the fat lady warming up, but it ain't over 'til she sings.

Dreamcast dream match

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UFC seems made for the Dreamcast, with the best graphics of any DC wrestling game to date. The fighters' entrances will astound you the first time you see them, and you'll see the battles themselves from multitudes of different camera angles throughout. All the moves flow with excellent animation, and they actually look like they hurt. Blood spurts very rarely, but when it does, it only helps prove that your fighter is in pain.

If UFC's sound doesn't give you an adrenaline rush, check your toes for tags, because you must be dead. Before each match there is a long and awesome intro, and the matches themselves pound with the sounds of a good ol' fashioned beat-down. The only chink in the armor is the repetitive and generic rock soundtrack, but somehow it fits perfectly and never annoys.

If you're used to other fighting/wrestling games, then it'll take you some time to get used to UFC. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll rock the ring with reversals, combos, takedowns, and other nasty methods of mayhem. The most intriguing aspect is the ground game, in which positioning, move choice, timing and guts can postpone the outcome long enough for the tides to turn. Skilled fighters always have a way out, and split-second timing can mean the difference between being a champion or becoming a puddle. The only problem with the controls is that the Training mode does little to ease you into play; you'll have to learn most of it on your own by getting your ass beat many, many times.

Ultimate fighting game

Going out on a limb here, UFC is absolutely the best fighting/wrestling game yet. When you put aside the pomp and circumstance of wrestling and the beat-mania button mashing of games like Tekken, you end up with Ultimate Fighting Championship to show you where the real meat is.

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