I really wanted to like UFC Throwdown, but I cant
help being a little disappointed. This is a sturdy game and fans of the
UFC will be happy Im sure, but what if youre not one of those? Your
attitude towards this game will depend on what kind of a fighting game
fan you are. When I consider a fighting game I want top of the line
graphics depicting beautiful and intimidating contenders. I want lush
surroundings that I can use. I want to knock my opponent through a wall
after I nail a vicious combo. Youll find me in line for Tekken 4 and
Soul Calibur 2. UFC Throwdown, though, asks you to forget all of those
wonderful things.
This
game tosses you into the Octagon where the spiffiest fighter may have
two stripes on his trunks instead of one. All the glitz, glamour, bells,
and whistles are out the window. This game is pure fighting with
absolutely no attachments. If you believe that technical genius alone
makes a fighting game, then perhaps Throwdown is for you. So lets break
it down.
The UFC Throwdown
stable holds 28 stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The
fighters fall into either the heavyweight or light heavyweight
divisions. The contenders are from around the globe and sport different
fighting styles that range from submission fighting to kickboxing.
Fighters may have individual strengths in the areas of punching,
grappling, kicking, etc.
Throwdown offers a
few different avenues for you and your favorite martial artist. There is
an Arcade mode where your fighter must defeat 10 randomly selected
opponents to emerge victorious. Also there is UFC mode. Your selection
of fighters is broken up into further weight groups after which you
begin the tournament. You must defeat five opponents with minimal health
replenishment between fights. If you are able to give better than you
get then the UFC title is yours. Other modes include exhibition and
tournament modes where you can tweak the competitors. Lastly, there is
the career mode that proves to be Throwdowns saving grace.
Upon choosing the
career mode you have some choices to make about your creation. You must
choose from seven initial fighting styles: Jiu-Jitsu, Pit-Fighting,
Wrestling, Sumo, Submission Fighting, Pro-Wrestling, and Kickboxing. As
you progress you may unlock three other secret styles. Depending on your
style youll have a basic costume with four different color options. You
also have four different face models with their own skin tone. Next
youll finish off your fighters physical appearance with his height and
weight specs. With the awesome character creation standard set by the
WWF/WWE titles in the back of your mind youll find the limited creative
license a sore spot. After that youll finish off the process with
tidbits like name, age, nickname, and country of origin. Let it be said
that the great part about this mode is not the control you have over
your fighters appearance. All the coolness is tied into the moves you
teach him and his growing strength and experience.
I really like how
several games outside the RPG genre incorporate the importance of
gaining experience. When you first start out with your fighter, he has a
certain amount of ability points for you to play with. You cant use
these points to directly affect your stats either. You have to complete
certain challenges that have a two-fold reward. In most cases you must
defeat opponents in a certain way, such as using submissions or kick
attacks to complete a challenge. When you successfully complete a
challenge you not only are awarded a new move to add to your repertoire
but boosts to your stats as well.
When youve
spent all of your points on challenges you will obviously want to try
them out. Throwdown provides five sparring matches for you to test your
fighter. After you complete all five you are then eligible to enter the
career mode tournament. If you survive the tournament and come out on
top, your fighter gains a level. This is where Throwdown shines. Each
time you ascend to the next level, you can change your fighting style to
gain new moves. This opens the door on endless customization. After
several hours in career mode my submission fighter was throwing in some
pro-wrestling dropkicks and suplexes for good measure. You dont have to
change styles if you dont want to either. You can become quite honed in
your style as new moves open up with each level you gain. Undeniably,
this mode is what will sell UFC Throwdown.
Just because
you have an impressive list of moves at your disposal doesnt mean that
you will dominate your opponents. Prepare to have all those fancy moves
stuffed down your throat if you cannot come to grips with Throwdowns
complex position and defense system. At any given second youll need to
know the pros and cons of any given position you find yourself in as
well as what moves you can pull off at that point. On one hand youll be
very proud of yourself for mastering the complex strategy of this game.
On the other, though, youll be a bit frustrated as your computer
opponent reverses your reverse again and again, resulting in two guys
rolling around for five minutes getting nothing done. Whether this is
your cup of tea may be doubtful. I just hope all of the UFC fans buy
this game. Maybe then Crave will be able to afford a new graphics
system.
The visual
presentation in Throwdown is ugly. While I was playing, my friend walked
up behind me and said "wow is that Playstation youre playing?" It took
a minute to convince her that in fact I was playing a PS2 game. That is
inexcusable. I admit that the PS2 may not be a graphical powerhouse per
say, but the visuals in UFC Throwdown represent launch title quality at
best. When companies are really showing what the PS2 engine can do,
Crave shows what it did. Sadly Throwdown doesnt look much better than
the first UFC games appearing on Dreamcast years ago.
Is this game for you? Probably not. Were at a time when companies
are making fighting games really shine. Even wrestling titles have
established wide appeal. With titles giving us so much, most gamers
would be hesitant to give up these bells and whistles. UFC Throwdown may
provide an enjoyable diversion, but its doubtful that youll latch onto
it. Its appeal is narrow, but Im sure some will really love this game.
As for me, if I want to get technical Ill play VF4.