UFC: Sudden Impact Impressions

We got to see an early build of UFC: Sudden Impact today at TDK Mediactive's E3 booth, and we learned a bit about what will set the new game apart from previous entires in the series. Probably the biggest change longtime fans will notice is the loss of the exhibition mode and its replacement with a new versus mode. This is meant to make Sudden Impact feel more like a fighting game, we were told.

A new story mode has also been added, and it will have you following a career path inside the UFC. You'll be able to create a new fighter from scratch and then have him train in the fighting styles of your choosing. You can stay in one discipline and master everything it has to offer, or you can dabble in several styles and build up a diverse array of moves for use in the ring. Once you've learned some moves, you'll be able to import your character from the story mode into the game's other modes.

UFC: Sudden Impact will have a total of 41 fighters, 36 of whom are taken from the real-life tournament. Interestingly, one of the fighters is a woman, though we didn't find out her name. The game will have three new fighting positions, one of which lets you back your opponent up against the ropes and attack him or her mercilessly. The speed of the gameplay has also been ramped up quite a bit. Finally, you'll be able to control your character's movements and taunts to some extent during his or her "intro" while he or she is walking to the ring. We'll bring you more details on UFC: Sudden Impact as its release date nears.