UFC: Tapout
Time to get your ass kicked.


Review by Goc
System:  Xbox
Genre:  Fighting
Rating: 'T' for Teen
Developer:  Anchor
Release Date:   Available Now
Gameplay: 
Visuals: 
Audio: 
Innovation: 
Replay Value:
"Holy Sh*t" Factor: 
The Xbox has Dead or Alive and now WWF RAW, but to me neither of these is a competent fighter. I can't stand the Street Fighter's, Virtua Fighters, and Dead or Alive's of the world. Some people salivate for such pointless button-mashers, but I for one find them more repetitive than breathing. There's only three fighting games that have ever caught my fancy: the Tekken ball game on Tekken 2, Soul Caliber (DC), and also on the Dreamcast...Ultimate Fighting Championship. I played that game like it was my middle name, and it even lead to an altercation with me powerbombing an unlucky soul on a friend's Dreamcast. Thankfully he was only injured and not the console or game.

Being a fan of the DC version and an owner of an Xbox, it was a given that I would be purchasing this game. I preordered my copy just days after I got my hands on the system, and after countless delays the game is finally in my hands. Is it a worthy successor to it's DC counterpart?

Yes, and no. UFC: Tapout for Xbox is a near carbon copy of the DC version of the game, the only difference is the inclusion of weight classes and greatly enhanced graphics. For those not keen on the DC version, I'll stroll you through a crash course. The control of UFC is by far it's greatest asset. The control system isn't like Street Fighter or Tekken and requires a 108 button combo to do anything that could be considered "cool" by the layman. No, this game only use 4 buttons and the analog stick or digital pad (whichever your ass prefers, I'll take the d-pad.) Two buttons are kicks, two are punches. Taping A+B or X+Y at the same time will cause your fighter to attempt to grapple with his opponent. In this game there are countless possible positions you can be in (enough to make the Kuma Sutra jealous). You can either be both standing, or dozens of different mat positions. From there each button does a punch or kick and yet again combing the buttons will result in either a submission, throw, or change of position move.

That's pretty much it for the control of UFC without getting overly technical. The game feels like a carbon-copy of the DC game, which is just what I was hoping for. The intensity and excitement of this game is second to none. There's nothing in the videogame world that can compare to the feeling you have when you're one hit away from being knocked the fuck out, and your opponent is on top of you just waiting to take your life. But as always, you still are only one move away from victory. Hit the right buttons and you can flip him over and make him tap tap tap! There's nothing like it.

I've sent tons of praise on UFC, but now for my few complaints:

-The game doesn't allow you to play your hard drive saved soundtracks, which is a complete disappointment. Imagine bumping some Static X or D-12 as you pound the bejesus out of your buddies. Instead you get some pathetic uninspired tunes.

-There's no career mode or season mode of any sort. You can create a wrestler, but basically all you do in the game is try and fight and win as many matches in a row as you can. It's fun when you unlock secret characters, but after they're unlocked it loses alot of it's luster.

-I don't know how the current license situation exists, but the inclusion of some more classic UFC fighters would have made this game feel like more of an update from the DC version, but instead we get practically the same roster as the last time. The only notable addition is Dan "The Beast" Severn, which is sweet as hell, but Kenny Shamrock would've been wet.

Well, that's all for my complaints, which are somewhat nit-picky aside from the season mode. The game will be one of the best two player games you ever own, but if you're looking for something to play by yourself...keep looking.
The Good! The Last Word(s):

Essentially this game is nothing more than a graphical update from the Dreamcast version, which well...if it ain't broke don't fix it. But there's no reason for them not to have inserted some sort of season mode. But don't get me wrong; UFC:Tapout isn't a polished turd, it just feels like more of the same. Next time though, f-ing add something new.

Final Rating:

85%
Hotter than Prison Sex
  • Beautiful graphics...beautiful.
  • Sweetest control system on any fighting game out there.
  • Intense fighting experience.
The Bad...
  • No season mode.
  • No soundtrack music option.
  • No Ken Shamrock, No Royce Gracie, No Kimo.
The UGLY.
  • None.
BY THE NUMBERS:
For those of you with too much time on your hands, here's the overly-complex system of how it's done:

Each game is given a rating from 1 to 5, with 1 being horrible to 5 being outstanding, in 6 different categories.  We then take an arbitrary number from the deepest crevices of our ass (basically what we think the game deserves without averaging any numbers together), and then a GYEAH.com stamp quote. 1-10 (Pure Husk); 11-20 (DEAD); 21-30 ("companies" buttchild); 31-40 (Terriable); 41-50 (L.A. Clippers-ish); 51-60(Average as your girlfriend); 61-70(Coolio); 71-80(Way Pimpy); 81-90 (Hotter than Prison Sex); 91-99 (Iconish); 100 (GOD-LIKE). Enjoy.