Official UFC Undisputed Videogame Discussion (threads merged)

[Baudelaire]

Most everything you will need to know on UFC: UNDISPUTED.
The most comprehensive set of links, pics, videos, and commentary.




OVERVIEW:

AUTHENTIC UFC PERSONALITIES: Explore a deep roster of more than 80 top names in UFC competition across all weight divisions and enter the Octagon surrounded by the sport’s popular commentators, announcers, referees, trainers, Octagon girls and more.

PHOTOREALISTIC MODELS AND EFFECTS: Absorb the world of UFC as it appears on television with photorealistic fighters who breathe, sweat and move like their real-life counterparts. Players will also experience ripple effects across the faces and bodies of their fighters from the impact of devastating punches and kicks.

CONSTANT CONTROL: Gain the upper hand in matchups with a brand new fighting game engine designed specifically for next generation systems. Emphasis on innovative, responsive and easy-to-play controls will give players unparalleled command of their fighters in the Octagon.

FIGHTING DISCIPLINES: Take down opponents and get the submission with a variety of mixed martial arts disciplines, including Judo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

CREATE-A-FIGHTER: Jumpstart the career of a future champion by customizing his physical appearance and attributes, learning new fighting techniques to use in the Octagon and managing his training process through attributes such as strength and cardiovascular health.

CAREER MODE: Develop attributes, perfect moves and fight for entry into the UFC Hall of Fame through a series of dynamic storylines that build friendships and instigate intense rivalries. --THQ

OFFICIAL SITE

DEMO: APRIL 23, XBOX LIVE and PS NETWORK. DEMO: APRIL 23, XBOX LIVE and PS NETWORK.

RELEASE DATE: May 19!RELEASE DATE: May 19!RELEASE DATE: May 19!

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Mobile



ROSTER:

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir
Brandon Vera (can switch to Light Heavyweight)
Gabriel Gonzaga
Cain Velasquez
Cheick Kongo
Eddie Sanchez
Heath Herring
Andrei Arlovski
Mirko Crocop
Fabricio Werdum
Tim Sylvia
Mark Coleman
Antoni Hardonk
Justin McCully

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Chuck Liddell
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Forrest Griffin
Tito Ortiz
Keith Jardine
Wanderlei Silva
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Lyoto Machida
Rashad Evans
Stephan Bonnar
James Irvin
Wilson Gouveia (can switch to Middleweight)
Houston Alexander
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Thiago Silva
Tim Boetsch
Ryan Bader (downloadable content -- GameStop exclusive)

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
Anderson Silva (can switch to Light Heavyweight)
Rich Franklin (can switch to Light Heavyweight)
Dan Henderson (can switch to Light Heavyweight)
Michael Bisping (can switch to Light Heavyweight)
Kendall Grove
Chris Leben
Jason MacDonald
Nate Marquardt
Drew McFedries
Ricardo Almeida
Evan Tanner
Yushin Okami
Demian Maia
Martin Kampmann (can switch to Welterweight)
Amir Sadollah (can switch to Welterweight)
Thales Leites

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
Georges St-Pierre
Matt Hughes
Matt Serra (can switch to Lightweight)
Jon Fitch
Karo Parisyan
Josh Koscheck
Diego Sanchez
Mike Swick (can switch to Middleweight)
Marcus Davis
Thiago Alves
Chris Lytle
Ben Saunders
Josh Burkman
Kyle Bradley
Matt Arroyo
Anthony Johnson

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
BJ Penn (can switch to Welterweight)
Sean Sherk (can switch to Welterweight)
Kenny Florian
Roger Huerta
Joe Stevenson
Mac Danzig
Nathan Diaz
Spencer Fisher
Tyson Griffin
Gray Maynard
Thiago Tavares
Joe Lauzon
Rich Clementi
Mark Bocek
Hermes Franca
Frank Edgar
Efrain Escudero (downloadable content -- GameStop exclusive)

Canadian Cover:


USA Cover:

[Baudelaire]

INTERVIEWS and COMMENTARY:

UFC Announces Return by IGN; Jan. 15, 2007.

The higher ups at THQ have informed IGN that it will announce a brand new licensing deal tomorrow (January 16) that grants the Agoura Hills-based publisher the rights to release videogames based on Zuffa LLC's Ultimate Fighting Championship. This agreement will last through the end of 2011 and applies to PC, handheld and console platforms. The rights also incorporate online, multiplayer and downloadable capabilities.

Ben Saunders on Scanning Process with MMAJunkie; May, 12, 2008.

"They have a 3D scanning system, and they do a scan of your whole body... Also they will take videos of my fights to study my movements and replicate them in the game. I told them it was cool if they just wanted to give me Anderson Silva's default skill set."

Undisputed First Look by IGN; June 20, 2008.

In our first look at UFC 2009 Undisputed, we were amazed at how much the game looked and sounded like an actual UFC event. The presentation of the game is downright impressive. Graphics don't look like their counterparts from UFC television and pay-per-view, they are their counterparts. You hear the swell of a medieval opera when the Tale of the Tape graphic appears, just like you do in UFC. Cameras swoop around the ring and shoot from the same angles. Everyone you'd expect to see at a UFC event is in the game, from the actual UFC ring girls to UFC referees to real cut men and cornermen. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan break down the action in their inimitable manner.

More Thoughts on Undisputed by IGN; June 23, 2008.

What wasn't as impressive were how each fighter reacted to the strikes. When struck from a distance, a punched fighter appeared to move backwards as a whole object, with his head, limbs, and torso all shifting away in a fell swoop. That's not natural -- if a fighter gets jabbed, while his head might snap back slightly, he won't be pushed backwards in the same way he would be by a right hook, or vice versa. Whether fighters will have specific reactions to how and where they're hit is a question we might not know for a while.

Undisputed Coming to Mobile Devices; June 23, 2008.

THQ, the American company known for bringing lots of cool games to cell phones (see the latest Worms, for example), has announced the upcoming release of UFC 2009 Undisputed - a brand new mobile game that will bring the spirit of the famous Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organization to our handsets.

Undisputed to Incorporate Injuries and Negative Publicity; June 23, 2008.

The main game mode will allow the player to take one fighter that's ranked low and fight his way to the UFC Hall of Fame, while dealing with most of the issues real fighters do in their careers, like injuries and negative publicity.

Video Interviews on Undisputed by IGN; June 26, 2008.

Dana White, Rampage Jackson.

E3 2008 Stage Show Demo; July 16, 2008.

E3 2008 Undisputed Update by IGN; July 17, 2008.

The animation is both fluid and extremely realistic. Given the number of moves, grapples and whatnot at your disposal, the almost complete lack of noticeable transitions between the animations is stellar. As the fighters went from one move or grapple to another, I never noticed the jarring transitions that you sometimes find in other fighting games (including THQ's own SmackDown titles).

Undisputed Preview by TNL; July 19, 2008.

"Zero penetration" was the goal of the developers, so fists never clip into an opponent's abdomen.

Undisputed to Feature Joe Silva's Rankings? July 22, 2008.

Finally, the most exciting feature of this game for me is that this game may serve as the way to determine the definitive top 10 rankings in the UFC. Joe Silva is working with the developers to determine the fighter attributes. --F4Online.com

UFC 2009 Roster Wishlist 2.0 by IGN; Aug. 19, 2008.

GC 2008 Updated Undisputed Impressions by Gamespot; Aug 20, 2008.

Consider the numbers alone: There are 80 real-life UFC stars to choose from, somewhere in the ballpark of 3,000 moves in the game (including 200 submission moves alone), and a body-damage system that registers approximately 100 "cut zones" on a character's body where he can bleed...

Details are still sketchy on the career mode and create-a-fighter feature, though we do know that you'll be able to assign multiple fighting styles to your created brawler. It seems as if the real challenge for the team now until the game's release will be finding balance between all of the available styles in MMA and making them work evenly in the game.

First Impressions by VideoGamer.com; Sept. 17, 2008.

THQ confirmed to us that it is submitting the game to the BBFC for rating, which suggests it'll get an 18 - a warranted age in our opinion. It's actually the first licensed sports game ever to earn a mature rating in the States.

THQ Aiming for Profitability with Big Title Focus by Gamastura; Nov. 13, 2008.

Farrell made repeated references to the company's dominance in the fighting genre by way of its multiple wrestling series; he pointed to the upcoming UFC 2009 Undisputed and Legends of WrestleMania as examples of trying to "extend our leadership" in the segment.


Video Interviews Regarding Undisputed by IGN; Nov. 19, 2008.

Randy Couture, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian.

IGN caught up with UFC Hall of Famer Randy "The Natural" Couture, and top lightweight contenders Kenny Florian and Joe "Daddy" Stevenson prior to their fights at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and, naturally, the talk quickly turned from their upcoming fights to THQ's upcoming UFC 2009 Undisputed videogame. --IGN.

Unanswered Questions About the UFC Undisputed Contract and Zuffa's Demand; Nov. 20, 2008.

The notion that Zuffa is the make or break opportunity for fighters and that management at Zuffa is allowed to say "our way or the highway" is technically correct. However, it is not at any interval an answer to the question of why the contract has to be signed.

UFC's Pound-for-Pound Listed by IGN; Nov. 25, 2008.

Fan Post by Rundownloser.

Undisputed Developer Interview by THQ.

As we’re still a few months out from launch, our controls are still in a state of adjustment. We want players to master the controls and still make them accessible to pick up and play. Creating a control scheme for a mixed martial arts game creates unique challenges. We want to give the players the sense of struggle from any position inside the Octagon. As such, players will perform controller inputs analogous to the animations they are seeing on screen. Ultimately, we want players to feel like the controller is merely an extension of the on-screen character, as we are literally bringing the action to the player’s fingertips.

[Baudelaire]

INTERVIEWS and COMMENTARY:

Royce In the Octagon Again by MMA Weekly; Dec. 10, 2008.

Yes, Royce Gracie will grace the Octagon once again, although it will be a much more animated version of the man who dominated the early mixed martial arts scene in America.

IGN Year in Review; Dec. 9, 2008.

[UFC 91] marked the first time IGN provided ringside coverage of a UFC championship fight, and only whetted our appetite for UFC 2009 Undisputed, which is set for a spring 2009 release. An interesting side note to this story is that UFC actually released lightweight contender Jon Fitch the following week due to a dispute involving him signing over his likeness for inclusion in UFC 2009 Undisputed, but his contract was reinstated within 24 hours.

Rashad Evans Confirmed by IGN; Dec. 18, 2008.

"I think it's going to make a lot of new fans, people who've never even seen the UFC before but who love the videogame are going to start tuning in and it's going to bring a whole new fan base and continue to grow the sport. And, the other thing it's going to do is educate the people on the moves that are happening in the UFC. It's going to be a teaching tool as well, because now people only see one thing, the knock outs."

Hands-on with IGN; Dec. 19, 2008.

The game's controls are still a work in progress, but the control scheme we played with was fairly intuitive and easy to use. The controller's main face buttons controlled right and left punches and right and left kicks, while the right shoulder buttons controlled blocking and the left shoulder buttons controlled attack elevation (L1 for high and special attacks, L2 for low strikes and takedowns). Grappling was handled entirely by using the right stick, and the grappling system itself was both complex enough to add an exciting strategy element to the game and simple enough that you won't feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

GameSpy Hands-On; Dec. 19, 2008.

You have the option of seeing the stamina meters for both fighters, but after playing all three matches, we feel that playing without HUD is the way to go. Why? One of the great things about watching a UFC fight is a knockout can seemingly come out of nowhere. In UFC 2009: Undisputed, if you're paying too much attention to the stamina levels, you might catch one on the chin that'll end your night prematurely (like Rampage). Not every huge blow results in a knockout, however. If you really connect a good kick or punch the on-screen colors desaturate, as a dull hum takes over the speakers -- the sound someone hears when they get their bell rung. You won't be guaranteed a win if you put your opponent in this predicament, as the right defense and reversal can turn the tide. If you finish the job, ring announcer Bruce Buffer will soon announce your victory as the referee raises your arm. We were able to take advantage of clouding our opponent's brain as Evans by pulling a nasty Kimura submission on Griffin that made him tap within three seconds.

[...]

The 80-plus fighters available in UFC 2009: Undisputed will all possess one grappling skill they're most proficient in (Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Wrestling) and one striking skill (Boxing, Muay Thai or Kickboxing).

GameSpot Update; Dec. 20, 2008.

Based on what we tried, UFC 2009 Undisputed seems to be the most promising attempt to capture the feel of the sport in a good long while. The deliberate pacing and context-sensitive controls offer quite a bit of flexibility, but we're reserving judgment until we get some more time with the final control scheme. As it stands now, there's a lot of potential here that needs some polish. Even so, traumatized UFC fans should allow themselves some cautious optimism on this one. Look for more on UFC 2009 Undisputed next year in the months leading up to its spring release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Undisputed's 'Promises' by MMAWeekly; Jan. 22, 2009.

Being an early build release for the press, several elements of the game will be evolved and tweaked before final release around the summer 2009. During our viewing, we noticed things like Greg Jackson cornering Michael Bisping and some sound to action inconsistencies between things like kicks or sweeps and commentary.

Speaking to the THQ Project Manager revealed the complexities of delivering an MMA game. “There will be renditions of key cornermen, we are working on that, but there will also be 'generic' cornermen applied to several fighters. We just simply don’t have enough resources to detail everything in the game, but for sure, key people will be present and matched to their fighters. Bisping’s corner included,” stated Mr. Nevin.

Undisputed UFC Game Floors Us by The Sun; Jan. 22, 2008.

Octagon girls Edith Labelle and Arianny Celeste also appear, and a host of 'hidden' legends are also rumoured to be included when the game is released in the summer.

Broken Face: Dana White by IGN; Jan. 26, 2009.

I think it's going to be incredible. The thing that we did with this game, when we talked to THQ, we all agreed that this game should be real. It's going to be exactly like the UFC and I think what this is going to do is it's going to educate a lot of people about the ground fighting. Really, the way to learn jiu-jitsu is to do it. If you do jiu-jitsu you get it and you learn it. With the game, people are going to be able to do it without actually doing it and they're going to learn a lot. I think it's going to be great. And, I think it's going to introduce people to all the different fighters.

Look at Undisputed by MMAFanhouse; Jan. 29, 2009.

"If a fighter has been submitted by a knee bar before in real life, in the game he'd be more vulnerable to that," Dravinski said.

Dravinski said he thinks that before big fights, UFC fans will use the game to play out the match-ups they'll see. But while fighters can move up or down a weight class, the game doesn't allow players to use a heavyweight to squash a lightweight.

Easy Points Blog: First Impressions of UFC 2009 Undisputed; Feb. 9, 2009.

The controls on UFC 2009 let you unleash strikes that are just as dynamic as what you see on TV. Flicking the left control stick on the Xbox 360 and hitting a button at the right time allows for a probing strike like those spinning kicks that seem to miss more often than not but look cool nonetheless. Flicking in different directions on the left stick and hitting one of the two punch or one of the two kick buttons gives you different moves. Holding the stick in a direction and hitting a strike button is a whole separate set of strikes. The distance from your opponent is a factor as well. So in the above example, you can only throw a probing attack when you're far enough from your opponent. Standing roughly an arm's length away will throw a different type of kick and standing toe to toe inside will yield yet another type of kick using the same button combination. And finally, all of these moves can be modified even more by choosing to aim it high, low or towards the opponent's midsection. So you've got the four punch and kick buttons that launch different strikes depending on which direction you're flicking or leaning the left control stick. Those moves all change depending on if you're close, arm's length or far away from your opponent and finally you can aim those moves high, low or towards the middle of your opponent. There's mathematical way to figure out how many different attacks you have at your disposal but we're not here to think and you'll probably end up using your favorites all the time any way. Plus, like we said, the fighting style of your fighter is going to limit and add some moves that you can throw anyway so your little algebra equation for the number of moves would be useless anyway.

What a Nightmare by IGN; Feb. 19, 2009.

Three More Gladiators by IGN; Feb. 20, 2009.

Interview with Neven Dravinski by ESPN; April 7, 2009.

[Baudelaire]

VIDEOS and MEDIA:



E3 2007 Trailer, July 17, 2007.

Undisputed Images.

Undisputed Live Wire Demo.

Dana White Teaser by GTTV, June 16, 2008.

Gameplay Video with Rampage and Forrest Off-Screen, pt. 2; June 23, 2008.




Creating the Fighters Video Demo; June 23, 2008.

Official Trailer 1; June 21, 2008.

Video Interview with Developer Neven Dravinski by GameTrailers.com; June 26, 2008.

Amir Sodallah Promo; July 11, 2008.

E3 2008 Exclusive Demo by GameTrailers.com; July 15, 2008.




E3 2008 Stage Show Demo; July 16, 2008.

Gameplay Demo; July 17, 2008.

Dana White's UFC 91 Video Blog; Nov. 10, 2008.

Video Preview of Brock Lesnar; Nov. 18, 2008.

Video Interview with Forrest Griffin and Frank Mir by Joe Rogan; Dec. 13, 2008.




Dana White Introducing UFC 92 Main Card at VGA's; Dec. 14, 2008.
A sliver of game footage.

Dana on Release Date by MaximoTV; Dec. 14, 2008.

New Pictures of Wanderlei Silva, Rampage, Griffin, Rashad by Gamespy; Dec. 19, 2008.

Bisping Intro, Higher Quality by Bisping.tv; Dec. 22, 2008.

Radio Interview with Bruce Buffer on Role in Undisputed by Sherdog; Dec 23, 2008.



Michael Bisping Intro by The Sun; Dec. 23, 2008.

Broken Face: Mir vs. Nogueira by IGN; Dec. 23, 2008.

Dana's UFC 92 Video Blog Episode 1; Dec. 23, 2008.

Nog vs Mir at UFC 92 Preview; Dec. 27, 2008.

Franklin vs. Hendo via UFC Undisputed; Jan. 16, 2009. Pt. 2





Dana White Vlog for UFC 93; Jan. 17, 2009.

Bisping Loses Again in Undisputed; Jan. 22, 2009.

BJ Penn vs GSP Gameplay Footage; Jan. 29, 2009.

Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader Scan, Developer Interview by MMA Live; Feb. 11, 2009.

Crosshairs Video Preview by GameSpot; Feb. 11, 2009.





What a Nightmare by IGN; Feb. 19, 2009.

Three More Gladiators by IGN; Feb. 20, 2009.

[Baudelaire]

TROPHIES FOR PS3

Where's my bonus check? Bronze Trophy
Obtain the KO, Submission and Fight of the Night Awards with a fighter in Career Mode.

That was easy! Bronze Trophy
Win in under 20 seconds of the 1st round against a COM UFC Fighter in Exhibition or Career Mode.

Wax Off! Bronze Trophy
Escape 20 submissions by technical escape against a COM UFC Fighter in Exhibition or Career Mode.

White Belt Bronze Trophy
Win an online Ranked Match with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Blue Belt Bronze Trophy
Win 15 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Undisputed Champion Silver Trophy
Win the UFC Championship with a fighter in Career Mode.

Hall of Famer Silver Trophy
Enter the Hall of Fame with a fighter during Career Mode.

Student of the game. Silver Trophy
Complete all tasks from the Tutorial Mode.

Trophy Collector Silver Trophy
Obtain all the trophies in Career Mode with a fighter.

UFC Historian Silver Trophy
Unlock all movies from the Classic Fights Mode.

World Class Striker Silver Trophy
Win by KO without using any grappling moves against a COM UFC Fighter Exhibition or Career Mode.

World Class Grappler Silver Trophy
Win by Submission using no striking moves against a COM UFC Fighter in Exhibition or Career Mode.

Roster Run-through Silver Trophy
Complete one fight in Exhibition Mode with each UFC fighter.

Purple Belt Silver Trophy
Win 30 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Brown Belt Silver Trophy
Win 50 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Wax On! Silver Trophy
Win 15 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter by submission.

Papa Said Knock You Out! Silver Trophy
Win 15 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter by KO.

Gold Digger! Silver Trophy
Obtain all the gold medals in a Weekly Mission for Online Mode.

You really like me! Silver Trophy
Gain a million or more fans in Online Mode.

Ooh, in ya face! Silver Trophy
Win a fight by flash KO in a Ranked Match with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Original fighter Silver Trophy
Create A Fighter and use the CAF in Exhibition or Online Mode.

Pound-for-Pound Champion Gold Trophy
Win the UFC Championship in each weight class in Career Mode.

Call me "No Touch!" Gold Trophy
Complete Career Mode and retire undefeated.

Black Belt Gold Trophy
Win 100 online Ranked Matches with a CAF or UFC fighter.

Red Belt Gold Trophy
Reach level 50 or higher in Online Mode.

Platinum Platinum Trophy
Obtain all Gold, Silver, and Bronze Trophies!


Secret Trophies

Two of my favorites! Bronze Trophy
Watch the Octagon Girl cutscene 15 times without skipping it.

Wanted: Flying Mouthpieces Bronze Trophy
Mouth piece travels more than 3 meters when knocked out.

Ultimate Highlights Bronze Trophy
Dominate the opponent in all 3 scenes of a replay segment.

Ultimate Knockout Bronze Trophy
From the gassed state, KO an opponent in any mode.

Ultimate Submission Bronze Trophy
From the gassed state, Submit an opponent in any mode.

PS3Trophies.org

[Herbavour]

Thanks for all the info man, good to see that Randy is confirmed for the game.

[Baudelaire]

Originally Posted by Herbavour

Thanks for all the info man, good to see that Randy is confirmed for the game.

All the info was scattered in bits. I tried to format it as best I could.



U.K. "Undisputed" Event with Bisping; April 8, 2009.

For the time being, interested gamers will have to rely on the "UFC 2009 Undisputed" official website for preview video and tutorials. But THQ officials announced that a playable demo of the game would be available "next week" on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE.

THQ also confirmed that "UFC 2009 Undisputed" will be released on May 19 in the U.S. and May 22 in the U.K. With the game offering a huge step from past attempts at MMA video games, "UFC 2009 Undisputed" will undoubtedly soon prove to be a real jewel in the UFC's merchandise crown.

[jamielowndes]

Royce Fucking Gracie is in there. Goddamn! I hope he is wearing the gi.

[Kimura Breath]

Originally Posted by Baudelaire

All the info was scattered in bits. I tried to format it as best I could.

Nice work, chief... thanks for bringing it all together.

[Baudelaire]

Originally Posted by Kimura Breath

Nice work, chief... thanks for bringing it all together.

Much thanks.

FEATURED PREVIEWS:



Early Look at Undisputed by Todd Martin CBSSports; March 27, 2009

There are a number of playable venues in the game, including the Mandalay Bay, the Palms Hotel and Casino, the Red Rock Hotel and Casino, the UFC Gym and even likely future UFC destination Madison Square Garden. Inside the arena, the layout is pretty much identical to an actual event, right down to the announcers seated behind the red corner and the press seated behind the blue corner.

The announcing is provided by the familiar team of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, who recorded 36 hours of audio commentary for the game. This includes shorter sound bites pulled from actual UFC events, longer spiels about different fighters in the game, as well as commentary that Rogan and Goldberg provided watching a demo of the game.

[...]

Given that the designers have the last word on the stats in the game, this led to some pressure from some burly video game fanatics. Lead developer Neven Dravinski laughs about late-night phone calls he has received from certain unnamed fighters lobbying for better stats for their virtual selves.

[...]

After you create your character, Dana White introduces you to the UFC and puts your fighter in a tryout fight that will determine where he starts on the totem pole. At first he will be fighting fictional lower-end fighters, and over time he'll move on to mid-level fighters and eventually the upper-echelon stars.

Your fighter progresses by improving his skills and gaining "cred points" that can be used to move to the next level. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will offer you a number of potential opponents with different styles for your fighter's next bout, with the tougher opponents yielding more cred points. It is then your responsibility to properly prepare for the fight.

To prepare for the fight, you are provided a calendar. Each week your fighter can do activities to improve his skills, such as sparring and training. He can even travel to famous real-life camps for instruction from MMA's best tutors. He can also meet with sponsors and secure sponsorships for fight gear that will earn extra cred points. However, you also have to avoid overtraining by providing your fighter rest that will allow him to enter his fight in peak shape.

As your fighter's career advances, you can also watch the UFC advance. Your fights will take place on UFC cards featuring a host of real fighters, and the results of those fights could dictate your next opponents.

Career mode lasts for seven years, at which point your fighter will have a retirement fight. If you perform well enough you will gain induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. In addition, players can take their created fighters and compete online against the created fighters of other players. The developers say career mode for any given created fighter will last around 10 hours.

An additional feature in the game is "classic fights." In this mode, the player will have the opportunity to re-create 12 classic UFC fights like Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

After selecting a given fight, the player will get to watch an exclusive video introduction by Rachelle Leah, who talks about the classic fight. The player will then need to duplicate the finish of the original fight, such as using Quinton Jackson to knock out Chuck Liddell in the first round. If the player succeeds, he or she will unlock a video montage on the original fight.

Interview with Neven Dravinski by ESPN; April 7, 2009.

In career mode, you're basically working your way up through the system of UFC. So, you're going to create your character, you'll assign yourself a striking and grappling technique, then you train those skills. You won't have as much power, energy or ability as the typical UFC fighter when you start out, but as you progress through career you'll get better. And we don't have any cheesy mini-games where you mash the buttons to push a weight bar up. The training you do in the career mode is fighting like you would in a real fight. So if you have a fight coming up, and you're a boxing/wrestler guy and you're next opponent is a Muay Thai guy, then your training partner will be a Muay Thai fighter, so you can train against those moves. There's a whole interactive calendar system where you know your fight is in a couple of weeks and you'll need to pick where you'll train, where you'll spar and where you should rest in order to build up your stamina. It's like a game within the game where you might want to risk training right before a fight, losing out on some of your stamina, but at the same time gaining valuable points on your standing game. The choices are all up to you on how you shape your career. And once you start building up his skill, you can take your created fighter online, so it's a cool way to get invested in your character and his abilities. It also lets you replay the game multiple ways because you can start one career as a boxer/wrestler, then when that career is done, you can play as a fighter who is into kickboxing and judo and have a completely different experience.