UFC: Sudden Impact

Andre Arlovski withstands the bull-rush takedown by Duane Ludwig to roll Duane on his back.

The pounding begins – hammer-like blows that are answered by a splattering of blood. Ludwig goes from dazed to unconscious. But it’s not quite over. Ludwig wants a rematch and the second time around he puts Arlovski on his back and returns the battering on his way to a quick win.

“Bang” Ludwig lives up to his name, but he has a stable full of tough opponents ready to face him.

UFC: Sudden Impact from Global Star and Opus may not have quite the blood fest that previous UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) titles sported, but make no mistake about it, this PlayStation2 port is violent and can make you wince on occasion.

The preview disk received had some minor graphical problems. The fighters all approach the ring with less than fluid motion. It looks like they are in a neck brace and the entrance is cookie-cutter. The response from controller to onscreen is fast, and you can go from being in control to being on the bottom taking a pounding in a heartbeat.

The game does feature a story mode in which you can create a fighter and work up in the rankings – from a street fighter through a training school and into the UFC octagonal ring. The time frame is three years, in which you will go through training to work up your skills. There is much more to this fighting than simply getting into the ring and throwing kicks, punches and grappling your opponent into submission.

Other game features include 35 real UFC fighters, all bearing likenesses to their real-life counterparts and featuring their fighting styles and moves. There are also 16 unlockable fighters as well. The game also has 15 different fighting disciplines, and several different play modes: arcade, champion road, tournament, versus, story and training.

This is a tough game to control and because of the confines of the ring, you have to be aware of your surroundings. Getting too close to the wall may result in being trapped, slammed and beaten to a state where lights out is the kindness surrender. You can also be forced into a tapout submission.

However, players who do want to just dive in will find some of the cursory controls simple enough to get a feel for the game.

The graphics of this game are reasonably well done. The fighters move well, but a lot of the reactions to blows are all similar. Blocking is a big part of this game as well. Not everything is decided in the blink of an eye with vicious blows. Sometimes you will have to circle your opponent and look for that opening. The camera is locked and while this game does have a three-dimensional look and gameplay, the camera remains fixed.

The sound of the game features a decent musical score but bogs done in the “let’s get in on, guys!” refrain from the referee, and the grunts and sounds of impact one would expect.

UFC: Sudden Impact is a solid fighting title that should give fans of the hardcore sport a quick fix. The game is option rich and really sports a solid challenge. Toss in the solid graphics and you have a game that will find a home on the shelves of fight fans that look for a little more street and unabashed violence in their fight games.