THQ Says UFC Undisputed "Is Going To Be The Best MMA Game Ever Made"

Those are the words of THQ’s UFC project manager Nevin Dravinski when asked about UFC Undisputed 2009, which releases on May 19th for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. MMAMadness caught up with Dravinski to discuss the game, and Dravinski is not shy about singing the game’s praises.

“The UFC’s tagline is, ‘as real as it gets,’ and that’s been our official motto for this project,” Dravinski said. “We set out to make the best MMA game ever made, and I think [that] we’ve delivered.”

These words are especially bold, considering the difficulties of creating a mixed martial arts game.

One of the hardest aspects of MMA is the sports many nuances. Boasting a control scheme built from the ground up, Undisputed aims to deliver an experience so real, Dravinski compares it to watching a pay per view event.

“We knew that we really had to create a control scheme that still offered easy accessibility, but requires you to invest time to learn the nuance and the subtleties of the control scheme to get better,” Dravinski said.

Dravinski likened the controls to real MMA training. Players will have to invest the time to master all aspects of fighting, including clinching, striking, and submissions, but the results will pay off.

Rich Franklin asked Dravinski during a visit to the studio, “if I get good at this game, am I gonna be able to beat Anderson Silva?” While Dravinski didn’t have an answer, he assured us that everyone in the game is beatable, but players will have to use strategy and pick their spots if they hope to beat the best fighters.

The fighters performing these moves onscreen certainly look as real as it gets. THQ took hi-resolution scans of every fighter to create a mesh to work with. From there they took hi-definition pictures of every imaginable angle, from the top of a fighter’s hand to the bottom of his foot, and attached those images to the mesh, creating fighters that look remarkably accurate.

The graphics won’t just be for show. Dravinski explained that as fighters sustain more damage throughout a fight, they will become sweaty, bruises will form, and cuts will open. Recognizing these indicators will allow gamers to judge how hurt their fighter is, and how close they are to finishing their opponent.

While players can choose from any of the 80+ fighters currently on the roster, the real hook of Undisputed promises to be career mode. In it, couch warriors will be able to create a fighter from scratch, pick his martial arts disciplines, and then turn him into a legend.

Much like in real life, fighters in career mode will train and spar to increase their skills. Looking to improve your Jiu Jitsu? You can travel to Hawaii to train with Team Penn. New moves, like the superman punch, will become available as you gain experience, so training your fighter is crucial for success.

Career mode also introduces ‘cred,’ a points system that fighters can use to upgrade gym equipment and fighter stats. Sponsors like Tapout will become available as you win more fights, and their logos can be put on your shorts.

In all, Undisputed is shaping up to be a can’t miss title, and Dravinski is hoping that the game will be successful enough to warrant a yearly release, with different fighters rotating in and out of the roster.

“We’re definitely part of the UFC’s plan for global domination,” Dravinski said.

With the way the game looks right now, that’s certainly apparent.

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