As a seasoned boxing enthusiast with over three decades of ring-side observation under my belt, I must say that Undisputed has certainly caught my attention. The game offers a solid foundation for boxing combat, with impressive animations and an engaging soundtrack. However, it’s not without its shortcomings.
The Road to Glory. Therefore, it was surprising when independent developer Steel City Interactive unveiled Undisputed on Steam Early Access in January 2023. After nearly two years of user feedback and development updates, this newcomer is finally ready for release. However, while Undisputed boasts several impressive moments, it still seems like a game that’s not yet fully finished.
Shadow boxing
Veteran Fight Night players will find themselves comfortable with Undisputed, as it employs a similar twin-stick control system while keeping modifications minimal. The left joystick maneuvers your character around the ring, while the right joystick assigns various punch types – jab (left and right), hook, and uppercut – to different directions. These punch types are also associated with face buttons, but the right-stick controls provide a smoother and more accurate experience. Pressing the left trigger causes punches to hit the body, lowering the shield from safeguarding the face to defending the abdomen instead. By holding down the right trigger, you can make your punches slower yet more potent.
Undisputed takes a significant portion of its health system from EA Sports MMA, which includes monitoring damage inflicted on every body part, as well as guard strength and facial injuries such as swelling and cuts. Offensively, this implies that repeated blocks can weaken, making way for punches to connect where they typically wouldn’t. Consequently, mastering techniques like slipping, dodging, and weaving becomes crucial, particularly on higher difficulty settings and in multiplayer modes, as it offers a momentary reprieve for the guard to regenerate.
On the offensive side, overzealous blockers become susceptible to powerful jabs that tire their defense rapidly. Rapid power straights work well due to their swiftness and ability to breach defenses, while power hooks offer a good range for interrupting combos. Wearing down an opponent’s head or body depletes their health, triggering an adrenaline surge allowing the player to throw punches without losing stamina in search of a knockdown opportunity. Although it might not lead to an immediate win, inflicting swelling and numerous facial injuries on your opponent can ultimately result in the referee halting the fight in favor of the player.
On the ropes
In the game Undisputed, the fights accurately portray the excitement and fluidity of a real boxing match. However, there are certain problems that remain unresolved. The drama in a fight often arises from spotting an opportunity and delivering a powerful sequence of punches or strategic uppercut. There’s a strong emphasis on creating realistic character models and animations, especially for renowned boxers like Muhammad Ali, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Rocky Marciano, and others. The signature fighting styles of the over 70 licensed boxers are effectively represented, either through motion capture or careful analysis.
That said, the touted authenticity of the fighting system is marred by a jarring get-up animation, the lack of a clinch, and generally inaccurate punches while in the pocket. No matter where fighters are knocked down, their bodies are magically transported to the center of the ring where they rise from the canvas in a canned, unskippable animation. Some tactics boxers use, like entering a clinch and cutting off the ring by moving laterally against an opponent who is running away, are sadly absent. Punches also tend to whiff more often than they should when combatants are within very short range. Even in the tutorial, the boxer will miss simple combinations against an opponent who is standing still without guarding.
Upon initial play, the game boasts a robust soundtrack, insightful commentary from Johnny Nelson and Todd Grisham, and a good assortment of arenas. However, it falls short in some finer aspects. For instance, the music selection is concise yet catchy, featuring mostly royalty-free tracks. The commentary maintains freshness and fluidity to avoid monotony. Nevertheless, audience reactions to knockdowns could be more lively, and non-boxing characters like the referee, coach, cutmen, and judges appear rigid. It’s odd that fighters make minimal sounds when knocked out, even by a hook to the jaw or a body shot to the liver.
A Rocky road
In the single-player aspect of this game, known as career mode, it successfully accomplishes its purpose, although it may not be as flashy. It invites players to transform a custom or licensed fighter with modest attributes into an Undisputed champion, claiming title belts from all four significant boxing associations. The character creation tool is user-friendly and functional, offering detailed facial sculpting but falling short in terms of options for various muscle types and tattoo rotations.
In the game Undisputed, it typically takes around 12 hours to transform from a beginner to a globally acclaimed legend. This experience resembles managing statistics in a sport. Throughout bouts, you must maintain and manage factors such as your fighter’s sharpness, weight, energy, and potential injuries while also focusing on improving attributes and securing agreements with support staff. To add depth, you can earn unique traits from coaches and accomplish tasks for additional stats, offering extra challenges to facilitate progression. Contract negotiations for fights allow for a bigger slice of the purse, a more extended training camp, and fewer conditions. Initially, it may take several fights to grasp how all these components interact, but as long as your boxer stays fit and healthy, no detrimental stat penalties will be imposed before the next scheduled match.
Despite the fact that career mode isn’t as captivating as expected, it could be improved by incorporating several training mini-games, unique matches, or even sparring sessions to make it feel less like a classroom and more like a boxing gym. Adding a robust endgame with challenges fitting for a legendary boxer would also help prolong the mode, as there isn’t much left to do once every belt has been earned and all trainable stats have been maxed out. Allowing players to switch weight classes and use their career mode fighter in quick play or a limited online mode (with anti-cheat measures in place) would increase its relevance.
Split decision
In terms of quality per dollar spent, Undisputed doesn’t quite measure up to Fight Night Round 3 just yet, but it stands alone as the premier boxing game available. Compared to other attempts at realistic boxing games, this one excels in delivering intense fights and high-quality animations. Since its release on Steam Early Access, Steel City Interactive has demonstrated a clear plan and commitment to regularly update and enhance the game. Although it has some flaws, Undisputed lays a strong groundwork for future development. It may not be at the top right now, but it’s a contender worth keeping an eye on.
This critique is derived from a PC version of the game (Steam) that I’ve been playing. The game, titled Undisputed, is scheduled to launch on various platforms including PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. The digital Deluxe WBC Edition will be available starting October 8, followed by the Standard Edition and physical Deluxe WBC Edition on October 11.
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2024-10-07 16:27