Mixed martial arts and the UFC, which is essentially an organisation that hosts mixed martial arts fights, is one of the fastest-growing sports around. Like most popular sports, it has therefore been on the receiving end of a gaming makeover, with fans of the sport able to sample an array of UFC games over the years.
It can be tough to get right, though. When assessing wrestling, for example, the options in the space are more extensive as it’s generally not as detailed as mixed martial arts. Put simply: games developers have the challenge of combining moves from boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and a whole host of others in MMA type products, whereas wrestling games generally require less attention in that respect. As a result, wrestling games have generally been more common to find over the years, much like old classics such as WWF No Mercy and even today in the shape of the Lucha Legends slot game, a title developed by Microgaming where Mexican Luchadors put on a show to help you win real money. That’s not to say that MMA games have been a disaster, though, but we certainly haven’t been treated to the same amount of titles as other sports have. There have been some notable shockers, too.
With that in mind, below is a look at some of the best and worst MMA games from over the years.
Table of Contents
The best
It’s only right to kick things off with UFC Undisputed 2009, the first UFC game made by developers Yuke’s who, funnily enough, were responsible for developing a range of wrestling games previously, namely the WWE 2K series. The company certainly made a successful leap over to the MMA arena with this particular release, managing to nail important aspects such as transitions, submissions, and grappling in the game. The only downside to it, though, was that no southpaw fighters were featured due to clipping issues. Still, for its time, UFC Undisputed 2009 was a cracker.
Another solid release in this particular space was EA Sports UFC 3, a title with excellent detail in what was an all-round solid creation. EA certainly milked the Conor McGregor theme throughout and the microtransactions annoyed some, but in terms of its visuals and facial animations it’s up there with the very best. It offered a sense of realism that many titles before it simply never managed to pull off, especially when you connected with a perfectly timed punch.
Most peoples’ favourite title in this genre has to be UFC Undisputed 3, although some might disagree and opt for UFC 4. In terms of UFC Undisputed 3, though, it was yet another successful attempt by the guys from Yuke’s. The best aspects of the game had to be its stand-up feature and the refined submission system. The addition of the Japanese PRIDE FC league was a nice touch also.
The worst
One of the worst games you’ll ever find, UFC Personal Trainer was essentially a fitness game where players would strap PS Move controllers to their legs as they attempted to carry out a UFC-inspired workout. Available on the PlayStation Eye and Xbox Kinect in 2011, the game bombed massively as it didn’t even work very well.
Another disappointing release has to be UFC: Tapout 2. Released on Xbox in 2003, it lacked the detail required to make it a successful MMA game fans would want to play. The visuals were better compared to the first instalment of the game, but they also enabled the robotic looking animations to look even worse. UFC Throwdown is worth forgetting about, too.
