by: Michael Ogunnubi

June 03, 2009

UFC 2009 is one of the biggest and deepest fighting game released to the market. With over 80 fighters, and a complex but yet accessible control scheme, UFC 2009 delivers big time. UFC 2009 is very true to life with great production values. The commentary is really well done. With over 36 hours of recorded audio from commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. THQ utilized the live mic feeds from every UFC event since UFC 48. The result is some of the most seamless commentary ever seen in a video game. And of course much like THQ’s wrestling titles UFC 2009 features all of the music and TV style presentation that you would expect from a real life UFC telecast.

Graphically UFC 2009 is a power house. Each of the games 80 fighters look extremely close to their real life counterparts. More importantly, the games animations are extremely fluid and well animated. I am particularly impressed with the facial animations and the close up shots of the fighter’s faces when they take a devastating punch or kick. Controlling your fighter in UFC 2009 is another beast in itself. The development team has taken the next gen controllers and completely maxed them out, and with an MMA game, it’s understandable.

The left analog stick controls movement. Flicking it left or right, will make your fighter lung forward or backward. The right stick controls the clinch and takedowns, and also defends against those same maneuvers. Face buttons take care of left and right punching, as well as left and right kicking. When you add into the equation the fact that the Left Trigger aims low, and the Left Bumper aims high; you can start to get an idea of how much control you actually have over where you inflict your damage.

On the ground, it’s all about transitions. A quarter turn of the right stick will allow you to perform a minor transition, and a 3-quarter turn will perform a major transition. Minor transitions are more likely to be successful, with a less devastating outcome if it’s reversed. Major transitions put your fighter in a very advantageous position. However, if it’s reversed, be prepared to fight your way out from under your opponent. While they sound overwhelming, the control scheme is surprisingly easy to get the hang of. For those who are having trouble, UFC 2009 includes a tutorial mode that covers every aspect of the fight. One small issue that I have with the game is that you can’t simulate cpu vs cpu fights in exhibition fights to pretend to see the fights I may have missed and too see just how accurate the game is.

You will find that the stand up game is both, immediately assessable and immensely satisfying. It feels damn good bashing some hopeless bastard in the face a few times after the ref stops the fight by TKO. But underneath that is the real heart of the game play. The submission or ground game of UFC is done better in UFC 2009 than any other MMA video game to date. Going for the submissions, feel like a epic struggle between 2 power houses fighting for their lives. The UFC 2009 submission system is surprisingly robust. Success in submissions is based on a variety of factors. Positioning, timing, countering, skill, and sometimes even luck can play a part on a victory or a loss.