Oops, I didn’t see that coming! Suddenly there is another game that fills the gap that EA’s perhaps not always cultivated but always spectacular and motivating Fight Night series left after Fight Night Champion had remained without a heir to the throne 12 years ago. Probably because MMA was more popular and cheaper to license.
Steel City Interactive’s Undisputed comes to Early Access on Steam with the same claim to photorealism, big names from the business and – if you will – even the same right-analog stick-slamming controls. And while I’m very pleased to even be able to write the first three quarters of the last sentence, the Early Access thing is almost the best news of the story. Because this is where the game can mature – possibly to the best boxing simulation of all time.
Maybe first things first: Fury, Usyk, Wilder, Ali, Frazier – there are already a few big names in the heavyweight division alone. And while it’s clear that these are the faces with the most money, there are actually two licensed women’s weight divisions and the middleweight division, from Álvarez to Sugar Ray Leonard, is already quite strong. That for 29.99 euros is … not a bad deal. At least so far. Because what I’ve played so far puts me quite skilfully in the blissful days of Fight Night Round 4, and is even a little more simulation-heavy than the old game.
First of all, we should perhaps cover the weaknesses that simply have to be present in such a half-completed, maybe even only quarter-completed project: You don’t create your own boxer yet, you don’t play a career, but individual fights and can try three challenges of different difficulty every day ( which are currently being repeated incessantly). The presentation also leaves a lot to be desired. Sound-wise, the battle atmosphere is right, but the commentators are shockingly weak because they keep saying the same thing in different ways and always remain unspecific. The names of the fighters are never mentioned.
The ring entrances are also only half finished, the fact that the referee cannot be seen in the match is extremely unfortunate and above all: there are no slow motions and repetitions. In general, Undisputed is still frighteningly unaffected by the spectacle of the boxing circus, which is a wasted opportunity. The injury simulation is currently still extremely economical, the knockdowns do not yet convey the force that they should. But the way there has been worthwhile so far. The few matches I played online were some of the most exciting matches I’ve had in a while. Because in contrast to what was so often the case in Fight Night, it is by no means documented in Undisputed that every fighter basically takes three knockdowns. Here it is sometimes over after the first kiss on the mat.
And that’s just fun. The high consumption of stamina caused by a series of hits encourages cautious, wait-and-see boxing. If you like, you can not only change the display, but also from the cautious to the relaxed posture, in which you move nimbly through the ring and are faster on the heels of fleeing opponents – or have less problems gaining and keeping distance. At the same time you are more exposed on the defensive. In my online matches so far, the hit rates of the winner have always been around a realistic 40 percent (with about twice the number of hits as in reality), whereas the loser usually placed decidedly less than 30 percent. That’s quite accurate and close to reality, which really surprised me.
Just like the basic feel of the game, because as a fight night fan you get into that very quickly. The right stick diagonally to the left and right in front for jab and cross, to the right and left for the respective hooks and diagonally to the left and right below for uppercuts. Plus a Haymaker modifier, a button to spin your upper body, and one to block. Basically, you don’t need more and you don’t want it any other way (and if you want to, you can also hit the keys).
The boxers react authentically to hits, initiative is also rewarded by taking the impact of punches landed through fist barrage and in general there is a good flow of the game. And that, as I said, only lacks the solemnity that would be added by more powerfully staged and rolled out precipitations. But that’s what Early Access is for. It may be some time before the game reaches full maturity, but for now – and for only $29.99 – Undisputed is pretty good to use.
Yes, that’s how it should go on – also on the consoles, which are confirmed to also get versions.
