I’ve been playing thePC gameversion ofUndisputedsince its earliest beta on Steam, and while I was happy to hear it was finally coming to consoles in its 1.0 release, it’s also committing a major gaming sin that I think could actually have a more cascading effect on its success. Developed by Steel City Studios out of Sheffield, UK, the new boxing title has a lot going for it, but it’s important it doesn’t get knocked down in these first few rounds if it wants to become a true contender to theFight Nightfranchise.
Sitting with pretty disappointing overall “Mixed” reviews on Steam and lackluster reviews on consoles, even Canelo’s star power isn’t strong enough to save what some are considering a bad game.The introduction of a day-one DLC called theWBC Packwill only continue to hinder the success of the gameor spell the end of the project altogether, at least in the eyes of players and dedicated fight fans.
The Day-One Undisputed DLC Is A Major Problem
Undisputed Needs To Include More Boxers For Free
While I was happy to see the game finally released on consoles on October 11, the introduction of a $21.99 DLC that pay-gates fighters that should already be in the game paints a disturbing future for theUndisputedgame. Although I have less of an issue with the special apparel for fighters like Clarrisa Shields and Canelo, the bigger problem is thatthe DLC prevents players from choosing seemingly random boxers in the base game. Paying for boxers like Dmitry Bivol, Caleb Plant, and Jaime Munguia seems ridiculous on its face to me and a lot of other fans of the sweet science — and might hurt its player numbers.
The most recentFight Nightgame wasFight Night Champion,which was released all the way back in 2011. Though there have been severalrumors of aFight Nightsequel, they have all failed to materialize.
The boxers in question are all more relevant and current names that should have been included in the base game as a good way to commemorate its 1.0 release. With what feels like an already paper-thin roster with repeated fighters across weight classes,Undisputedis hurting itself when it should be going all-out on the marketing for its full release. On top of this, according to some users (viaGameRant), “Nothing feels different,” and the game generally feels “bare-bones,” and I share the sentiment.
TheWBC Packalso includes legendary versions of certain fighters via The Era Pack, including Tyson Fury ‘09 (when he had hair), Canelo Alvarez ‘11, and Muhammad Ali ‘64 — which makes more sense for a paid DLC, but still isn’t very ideal.
UFC 5 Has In-Game Ways To Earn New Fighters & Personas
But They Also Pulled This Sin At Launch
One of the things that will always grind my gears aboutUFC 5is the fact I won’t be able to play as Fedor because it was included in an overpriced deluxe edition I refused to pay for. Although I care way less about Ali and Bruce Lee (don’t @ me; it’s an MMA game), I would actually pay a little extra to play as Fedor Emelianenko, as he’s one of my favorites of all time and an undeniable GOAT in MMA.
“Presentation That Has Set A Bloody New Bar”: EA Sports UFC 5 Review
After an epic training arc, UFC 5 has far surpassed previous installments with jaw-dropping presentation and incredibly satisfying gameplay.
Fast-forward to today, and virtually allUFC 5Alter Egosand Legendary fighters thatUFC 5has added are obtainable via tokens that can be earned from completing specific tasks in the game, like winning weekly matches or betting on real UFC events. This feature is a great way to keep players engaged and coming back for more, even if it’s just to complete the weekly challenges to get their coins.
On top of this, new and upcoming fighters that are gaining popularity in real life are typically added to the roster for free without having to grind for them, keeping the game relevant and fresh as long as EA wants to update it. As much as I hate to say it,EA, in this case, has a much better system than Steel City in introducing new fighters.
Beyond the initial launch that paygates Fedor and a few other fighters,UFC 5has thankfully not pulled this move on subsequent combatants introduced to the game post-launch. Although it’s possibleUndisputedwill add a system like this in the future; I fear that instead, they will attempt to capitalize and release more paid DLC — for ranked fighters who aren’t even currently champions and whose longevity as “all-time greats” hasn’t even been tested yet.
Undisputed Needs To Make Major Changes To Maintain Its Buzz
Please Fix Your Game
I want to root forUndisputed. After all, I’ve been a fan and playing the game since beta, racking up an impressive 80-7 ranked ladder record before the 1.0 release. There’s more than this one issue the company needs to fix with the game — like the generally strange, floaty feeling and lack of impact with punches — not to mention random bugs and issues with online play. At some point during the development cycle, some of the physics were notably changed, with punches losing their snappy effect, and now the game feels worse, in my opinion.
UFC 5 Changes One Key Detail That Totally Transforms The Game
UFC is more realistic than ever as EA has overhauled a key component of the fighting game, but not everyone will understand or enjoy the changes.
WhenUndisputedbeta first launched, it felt fresh and new — with fighters like Ryan Garcia and Bud Crawford available in the base game, and it served as a nice reprieve from the more arcadey style of whatFight Nightbecame. Today, it feels incomplete and cash-grabby with thisWBC DLC, adding fighters who, quite frankly, are less impressive than its already existing roster of boxers and make little sense to add as a paid add-on (though, I am a fan of Bivol and wish I could play as him). It almost feels like a death knell for what was otherwise a really cool boxing simulation game — that is if it weren’t for the massive funding behind it.
According to aGamesIndustry.bizarticle, the studio raised £15 million in funding from a group called Novator Ventures, along with Egis Klimas, Jose de la Cruz, and London Venture Partners, not to mention their partnership with Riyadh Season — pointing to the fact thatUndisputedmight be around for the long run, whether boxing or gaming fans like it or not. If it is, I hope they figure out a better way to introduce new fighters other than through paid DLC or a paid battle pass. For the sake of combat sports and gaming fans at large, I hope the devs make the right decision.
