TGS 2003PrideGP Grand Prix 2003 Impressions

Capcom is showing off a new game based on the popular Japan-based mixed martial arts federation, Pride, here at Tokyo Game Show 2003. While the game doesn't seem to stray terribly far from what developers like Anchor have done in the part with games based on both Pride and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the version on display at TGS definitely has a slightly different feel than the rest of the pack.

At first glance, PrideGP Grand Prix 2003 plays similarly to other MMA games on the market. Each button on the face of the PlayStation 2 controller controls a different limb. But the game's combo structure and health system are different. Capcom's take on the sport doesn't appear to factor in a fighter's stamina at this point in development, and you can't link together punches and kicks into unblockable combos as easily as you can in Anchor's Pride game.

The game stays quite true to the sport's television presentation, featuring the same video intro sequences that the fighters use in real life. The character models appear to be nicely detailed, and they move quite well. The game contains a pretty hefty cast of fighters, including longtime mixed martial arts competitors such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Don Frye, and Carlos Newton.

While the game has the same sort of system in place to govern the various positions the two fighters can be in, the game feels a lot more fluid than similar games. There are some pretty wild reversals in there, as well, most of which seem to be rightfully given to Sakuraba.

PrideGP Grand Prix 2003 is set to be published by Capcom in Japan this November. No details regarding a domestic release for this game are available at this time.

See more of GameSpot's coverage of the 2003 Tokyo Game Show.