UFC: Throwdown Preview
We check out the PlayStation 2 version of UFC.
At the recently held Ultimate Fighting Championship: Worlds Collide on Pay-Per-View, Crave showed us the latest build of its upcoming no-holds-barred fighting game, UFC: Throwdown for the PlayStation 2. Like the premises in previous Ultimate Fighting games, the one in this game is simple--enter the Octagon, make your opponent tap out, or pummel him into submission. We had the opportunity to play the PlayStation 2 version of the game, and although it was still in the beta stages of development, we were able to get a good idea of how it was progressing.
Understandably, the PlayStation 2 version doesn't look quite as sharp as the previously released Xbox game, with noticeably lower-polygon-count character models and considerably more aliasing issues. The fighter likenesses also weren't quite up to par with those of the Xbox version of the game, although the characters were all easily recognizable. The PlayStation 2 version did, however, seem to be proceeding nicely as far as animation and collision detection were concerned, and it remained highly playable. The PS2 version of the game also features more realistic blood in the final versions of the game--blood that should actually smear across the mat instead of simply falling in red droplets. Blood is not, however, represented on the character models during a match. Also setting Throwdown apart from Tapout are the more heavily stylized post-fight replays. Motion blur is used to indicate a knockout, while a bright negative-flare effect is used to emphasize submissions.
Much of the suspense and excitement of the real-life Ultimate Fighting Championship events is built up during the flashy fighter entrances. In staying true to this part of the UFC experience, the game placed an emphasis on accurate re-creations of the fighter entrance routines, including tale-of-the-tape comparisons, pyrotechnics, and Bruce Buffer's incomparable announcing. The PlayStation 2 entrances looked surprisingly good, especially in terms of fighter animation.
From a gameplay perspective, UFC: Throwdown on the PlayStation 2 plays nearly identically to the previously released Ultimate Fighting Championship games. Four button controls allow for independent control of strikes, specifically right and left punches and kicks. Combinations of buttons let you home in on opponents, either for a tackle or slam of some sort. An alternate button combination lets you execute a countermove, which basically traps an opponent's arm or leg and slams him down with it, hopefully giving you the superior mounted position. There are variations of each move while executing front-, back-, and side steps, giving each fighter a wide assortment of tools to work with. Once the fight has been taken to the ground, fighters continue to beat up their opponent with punches or work toward a submission, which immediately ends a fight. Fighters can frequently reverse positions while on the ground, counter punches, and execute feints. The balanced mix of stand-up and ground fighting is what sets the UFC games apart from other traditional fighting games, and UFC: Throwdown doesn't deviate from what the series has already done.
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- GameSpot Score7.6good
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