This is one of the best fighting games out there, and it was made 3 years ago. It is a hidden gem and a great game.
There are 25 fighters in the game including Americans, Japanese and all kinds of different international fighters. There is also the UFC fighting legend Ken Shamrock(also former WWE superstar) and he uses all of his famous fighting techniques when he fights. Also added in the game is a Create A Fighter mode which allows you to create your own dream fighter with his own look and fighting style. What impressed me about this mode is the ability to customize your fighter move set so you can use any move within the move list to have your fighter be able to use. You can pick bewteen slams, takedowns, strikes and submission moves for your custom fighter to use. It has moves for every situation so you are not stuck when in a certain position.
The ability of your opponent varies when fighting, all with different fighting styles and techniques in the ring. Some opponents will corner you and pound you, and other will ground you and put you into submission. You can counter these styles by using different strategies against different opponents. Your custom fighter can have any type of fighting style, or you can mix a few fighting styles together to confuse opponents.
Many different modes are incorperated into this game to keep you busy. There is Grand Prix, Single Fight, Survival and Training Mode. Grand Prix is a tournament of 2 to 16 fighters in a single elimination type tournament. Single Fight is just a one on one fight with any 2 characters of your choice. Survival Mode is you against all of the Pride FIghters in a gauntlet type style whcih you fight one at a time and try to beat all of them. Training Mode is where you fight against a dummy and you can practice all of your moves.
The only problems I had with this game is that there is no online play and the fighters move sets are not displayed so you don't know what moves they can use. I also didn't like the fact that if you are put into a submission you automatically tap out, giving your opponent the victory. There should be a way to be able to have a fair chance of getting out.
The sound was pretty good with thud on takedowns, smack sounds when a punch, kick, elbow or knee is delivered. Also there is a bone crunching sound when you put someone into submission. The announcing is done buy a Japanese announcer using both English and Japanese languages. There could have been play by play commentating, but the action keeps you busy enough that you don't really need it.
The graphics are pretty well done with the exception of a couple of collision problems with body parts going through the ropes or other players. I like the character models and the blood effect where it splatters all over the screen when a hard hit is delivered. The entrances are nice with good light effects and customizeable theme songs(created players only).
The game really shines in multiplayer mode. It is the most fun part of the game getting fight someone else. I just wished there was an online mode and stat tracking so you could get the most out this game.
Well I think I've made my point that this is a very good and polished game with a ver in-depth fighting system. This is a budget title so it is not that expensive giving you no reason not give this one a try.