Getting into mixed martial arts is not easy. It’s a sport unlike any other on earth, and it’s a sport that is discussed with terms that you’re just not going to hear used in conjunction with any other sport. When you hear two MMA fans going on and on for the first time, it’s like listening to two people speaking another language.
It is therefore not surprising at all that MMA video games have a reputation for being largely inaccessible not only to noobs, but even casual MMA fans. In the past, you’ve really needed to know mixed martial arts in order to play the games.
The release of UFC Undisputed 3 is supposed to change everything. The game, developed by Yuke’s and published by THQ, is being widely praised for how accessible it is to gamers who are unfamiliar with MMA games and MMA in general.
Reviewers for both IGN.com and Gamespot.com like the way Undisputed 3 pulls gamers in with a series of comprehensive tutorials. You can find these in every major video game, but the tutorials in this game save noob gamers from having to take on a formidable learning curve. The game prepares players for stiffer challenges that will come later, while teaching them a few things about mixed martial arts in the process.
Ultimately, gamers will be left with an understanding of which buttons they need to press in order to perform which actions, and they’ll also know which actions are appropriate at a given moment. Past Undisputed games left gamers somewhat on their own to figure it out.
You have to tip your cap to the developers for pulling out all the stops to design a system meant to welcome a new crowd. Mixed martial arts is a sport that appeals to a niche crowd and UFC has generally been content to cater to that niche crowd, but Undisputed 3 is clearly meant to appeal to a much larger audience.
It’s a given that Undisputed 3 will appeal to diehard UFC fans, but it should also appeal to fans of fighting games who are looking for something completely different from the tired button-mashing mechanics that have been used in fighting games for decades to this point. Undisputed was too technical before, but the developers have changed things up so there’s a proper balance between being technical and being intuitive.
This combination should result in the one thing that should rule all video game experiences: fun.
If Undisputed 3 succeeds in appealing to the larger audience it’s trying to draw in, you won’t hear Dana White or any of the UFC string-pullers complaining. Expanding UFC’s already big audience is an effort that has led the company to pursue national TV spotlights, but winning over the video game crowd will be an even bigger victory in the company’s ongoing expansion quest.
Remember, the video game industry is twice as big as the music industry and it’s nearly as big as the movie industry, according to The Economist. Virtually everyone plays video games at this point and most of people who play them are just looking for a little escapist action, preferably with a little violence.
UFC Undisputed 3 is a game that will scratch that itch, and some who will venture to play it may discover that the real thing is pretty cool too.
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