E3 2002: UFC: Throwdown preshow report

Crave will be showing a near-final version of its upcoming GameCube fighting game UFC: Throwdown at this year's E3. Developed by Opus, the game will feature 25 of the UFC's popular fighters, including light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, and welterweight champion Jens Pulver. The game features a number of gameplay modes, including arcade, exhibition, tournament, career mode, legend, create a fighter, and training.

UFC: Throwdown's championship mode pits you against a series of opponents in an attempt to win a UFC Championship. Upon winning any of the different championships in the various weight classes, you can save your fighter with his belt and enter him in the legend mode, where you can defend your title against seven consecutive challengers. The GameCube version's create-a-fighter mode is one of the deepest in the genre. Every created character begins with the most basic of abilities and move sets. His statistics in the areas of punching, kicking, wrestling, life, and stamina can be raised with experience points gained from sparring with AI partners. Raising your fighter's attributes will in turn unlock new moves to be added to his repertoire, eventually allowing for created characters to completely master each facet of their martial art.

Visually, the GameCube version of UFC: Throwdown appears to be an improvement on the Xbox version, with cleaner textures and 9,000-polygon character models. Complex animation routines bring the many styles of mixed martial arts to fruition. The game also features stylistic fighter entrances, with announcing by Bruce Buffer. The fighting system allows for a number of different positions and situations, including toe-to-toe fighting and grappling on the ground, and submission victories are possible at any time. Fighters will have to manage their stamina and their health, all while avoiding submissions and knockouts.

Stay tuned for more on UFC: Throwdown from the E3 show floor.