UFC Undisputed

The Ultimate Fighting Championship was set up back in 1993 to find the world’s greatest fighter, irrespective of their style.

The idea of pitting a wrestler against a karate expert or a kick boxer against a judo champion grew in popularity, and the UFC has since become a worldwide smash hit.

It is available to watch in nearly 40 countries, and in 2006 UFC topped $200 million in pay-per-view revenue, beating both WWE and boxing.

It has also secured sponsorship by leading global brands, including Hardley Davidson. And that’s not to mention the tie-in merchandise, including music CDs, action figures and, of course, video games.

FLEXING ITS MUSCLES
THQ’s latest title, UFC: Undisputed, has been created by WWE-developer Yuke’s. However, the title isn’t simply a WWE rip-off, with a brand new fighting engine and more serious gameplay.

The new engine boasts ‘innovative’ and easy-to-play controls that allows for a variety of martial arts, such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In addition, the in-game graphics are superb, featuring stunningly photorealistic models, which even offer believable ‘real life’ ripple effects for every punch and kick.

That’s not to mention the 80 real-life UFC fighters, popular commentators, referees, trainers, Octagon arenas and Octagon girls. And of course, your typical create-a-fighter options, dynamic storylines and career mode.

And after the success of last month’s WWE Legend of Wrestlemania, it would be foolish to bet against Yuke’s creating yet another undisputed hit.