If you want to get serious about fighting, get a copy of the new UFC 2009 Undisputed.

Seriously, this game is the closest thing you can get to living the lifestyle of an ultimate fighter without actually getting the crap knocked out of you.

Although there are several modes to choose from when playing, you are probably going to spend most of your time in career mode, which is basically as it sounds.

In career mode you create a fighter from scratch, selecting attributes and then training in certain areas in order to get him fight-ready.

In between fights the gameplay is very detailed, allowing you to train on areas of deficiency but at a price.

Your fighter will always have a level of stamina – listed as a percentage – that you would ideally love to be at 100% come every fight.

But to train and make him a stronger fighter in the long term, you need to use some of your stamina to work on skills.

As such you are constantly presented with RPG-style tradeoffs, allowing you great control but no shortage of difficult decisions.

The fighting itself is very complex too, and you need to spend some time familiarising yourself with the controls before getting started.

Grappling, punching, kicking and going for submissions are all challenging and different. You may find that some moves suit your play and character much better than others.

The visual side of the game is great – characters are superbly rendered and the action is pretty much seamless.

The main drawback is the hefty loading and wait times in between menus and fights. There is simply so much waiting!

On the whole it’s a terrific game that fighting and sports fans will get great enjoyment from.

8.5/10

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