Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Back in 2007, I got to see some of the first footage of UFC 2009 at the THQ press conference.  It looked decent at the time but I was really skeptical that the sport had actually caught enough of an audience to deserve a game, especially when compared to boxing.  Fast forward two years and I am totally having to eat crow as UFC has not only grown exponentially, but has blown past boxing in the eyes of most.

That said, I cannot confess that I am one of those fans.  I have always found the sport of MMA fighting to be a bit brutal and harsh.  Some of those opinions come from the fact that I remember when the sport first launched over 12 years ago, when it was rather unregulated, and the only rules were no eye gouging, no groin shots and no hooking.  Again, Dana White has taken the reigns of the MMA sporting world, building his UFC brand from obscurity to a multi-million dollar enterprise.  Even with my reservations about the sport, I did want to try the demo, because I like a good, well rounded fighting game, and the fact that it is the first time the genre is being represented in video game form.  So I downloaded the demo and spend a half hour with it and I have to admit that I came away liking it far more than I thought.

In the UFC 2009 Undisputed demo, you get access to several of the tutorials, as well as a three round exhibition match between Shogun Rua and Chuck Liddell.  Before even trying the exhibition match, go straight to the tutorials.  Believe me, it you will fumble around aimlessly, beyond the normal punch-kick combos with the buttons.  There is blocking with the right trigger and bumper, takedowns, hard hits, soft hits, throws, grapples, and so much more.  I tried playing one match and was taken down in under a minute of the first round.  After going through about 15 minutes of learning the punches, kicks, grapples and what-not, I took to the Octagon to settle a score with Chuck Liddell.  Well, actually, it was more of the fact that I read that Shogun Rua pummeled the hell out of Chuck Liddell this past weekend, and I did not want to go out like that.

The actual fighting is really smooth, with punches and kicks changing contact points depending on distance from your opponent.  Damage modeling is present on both fighters, and after a couple of rounds, you really start to look ugly, complete with gashes, swollen eyes, red midsections, and blood running down your face and chest.  This is a high contact sport, and THQ pulls no punches presenting us with an up-close and in-your-face brawler.  Styles are also present allowing extra special attacks for your fighters.  If you are a Muay Thai fighter, you can use your knee to hit an opponent in the face while grappling.  One thing that bothered me a bit was that unlike boxing where you get a 10 count, when you go down, you are normally down and the fight is over.  Also, I never found the need to get into complex submission holds on the ground.  They go over them in the training mode, but you never really get a chance to use them.

So far, I have to admit that I am pretty impressed with what THQ has done for the sport in video game form.  There looks to be a lot of modes, and a create your own fighter option.  Add in, Xbox Live support for fights over the web as well as some other challenges and you have a lot to play.  It is definitely designed for the faithful UFC fans, but I feel that if you are a boxing guy, you should at least give the demo a shot.  You might find it more entertaining than you thought.