UFC 2009: Undisputed - Worth the Wait?

UFC 2009: Undisputed is a thrilling and muscle-bound beast of a game that delivers on all its promises.

The first thing that will strike many players (aside from a kick to the temple) is the sheer realism on display. The level of detail that's been put into the game is substantial. The whole experience is as close to viewing a UFC event as you can get without actually watching one, but with the added bonus that you're in control of one of the gladiatorial combatants. The game's graphics are superb - every fighter looks almost identical to their real life counterpart, right down to the way the move.

Everything else is in place from the look of the 'tale of the tape' screen, the epically atmospheric music, Ring Girls, 'veteran voice of the octagon' Bruce Buffer and the long-standing commentary team of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. The whole pre-fight build up and introduction creates genuine anticipation for every match-up so the adrenaline will be pumping as the starting bell sounds out. Then it's time to fight.

Just like in real MMA matches, bouts can sometimes go the distance in a gruelling war or be ended in mere seconds with one perfectly timed knockout blow. Every kick, punch, knee and elbow lands with a sickening thud - causing the crowd cheer the dominant fighter. This is no simple button-mashing beat-'em up though, you'll need to gain at least a basic understanding of how MMA works so you can form a strategy and an appropriate defence.

Each character excels in two specific fighting styles, one striking art (Boxing, Kick-Boxing, Muay Thai) and one grappling art (Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling) so you must learn both the stand-up and the ground game if you're to stand a chance in the octagon. The amount of detail in the ground fighting, largely controlled via the RS, is brilliant, and will surely help the majority of casual MMA fans understand this side of the fight-game in more detail instead of interpreting it as 'just rolling around on the floor'. If you neglect to learn the more difficult and less understood ground game then you'll simply lose: being made to tap out with joint-rending submissions or become mounted and have the consciousness pummelled out of you (grounded and pounded).

There're no health bars during the fight, but the energy bar is a good indicator of when a fight is likely to be finished, as when it's low you're less resilient to damage and submissions. You expend small amounts of energy with every move you attempt and lose it for every move received. Moves that put greater strain on the body such as shooting for a takedown or working in the Thai-clinch will sap your energy fast and leave you vulnerable and fatigued. Whilst striking, you have the option to either go for light, fast shots (good for combos) or power shots that will cause lasting damage on the targeted area. Each fighter has their own 'special' moves; spinning back-fists, superman punches and flying knees with which to concuss their opponent, but at massive cost to their energy. The amount of energy you possess, however, is determined by which fighter you choose and which game-mode you're playing in.

In Exhibition mode, you can create dream match-ups in every weight class, where every fighter has pre-determined skill and energy levels. They're also given an overall rating out of 100 based around their stats and current record.

In the Classic Fights mode, you're required to play out the fight just as it happened, which is sometimes harder than it sounds given that any fight can be ended with one shot. As you successfully recreate each classic war, you'll unlock highlights from the actual fights themselves which you can then peruse at your leisure.

The Career mode is utterly brilliant. Once you've chosen your weight class and customised your character, you start off fighting from your local gym, racking up wins and experience, slowly climbing up the cards until you move from Ultimate Fight Nights to headlining the big events and fighting for the title. The whole setup is really immersive, you receive emails from matchmakers and Dana White himself discussing who you want to fight next and the ups and downs of your career. As you progress, various companies offer you cash to wear their logo on your shorts, you get invited to attend signings and even put your own instructional DVDs out! You must train hard and spar regularly to improve your basic skill levels whilst every so often you'll get the opportunity to go on a training camp with famous fighters at their renowned gyms. The more training camps you attend, the more levels in your chosen disciplines you'll attain; unlocking moves and learning abilities as you go. This gives you proper goals to work towards whilst training and makes a refreshing change from simply starting out with access to all the fighter's moves. Once you've won the title or simply had enough, you can retire your fighter (still usable in Exhibition) and move on to test your mettle in the next weight class.

With the various game modes, huge numbers of potential match-ups, achievements and multiplayer action, the game is massive and has definite longevity. The devs have created a bona-fide benchmark MMA simulation in UFC2009: Undisputed. The years of hard work and development has massively paid off and any delays fans have endured will be instantly forgotten as soon as they're enjoying this fantastic game.