Friday, August 26, 2011

Two Cents: UFC Undisputed 3 at Evo 2012


So you wanna be a fighter at Evo?

This year's Evo featured some of the best matches, comebacks and moments in the tournament's history. From PR Balrog's amazing level 3 grab on Viscant's Dark Phoenix to the destruction of Daigo courtesy of Poongko's Seth.

With all the tournament matches going on, UFC Undisputed 3 was quietly showcased at Evo. In a video presentation, the producer of UFC Undisputed 3, Neven Dravinski hinted that the game could make a run at next year's (2012) Evo.

Could UFC Undisputed 3 players create as much hype as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter competitors?

Let's take a look:


The UFC Undisputed franchise is obviously very different from your traditional fighting games. If you want to be taken seriously as a competitive player in Street Fighter, you'll have to know how to pull off combos and when to counter your opponent.

In UFC Undisputed, you don't have to keep the fight standing.

If your opponent has you dazed or you do not feel comfortable on the feet, you can take your opponent down. From there you can improve your position and put a beating on your competitor. You can also go for a submission.

Imagine what the reaction of spectators at Evo 2012 would be if someone who was on the verge of getting knocked out pulled off a triangle choke. Comebacks in past UFC Undisputed titles have provided gamers with much hype.


An issue that gamers are concerned with is the community. How big of a community would UFC Undisputed have? Will it have a big following? Or will it be almost as nonexistent as the Virtua Fighter scene? I believe that the popularity of the UFC could draw more gamers to the competitive field.

This would be fantastic for fighting games in general.

At one point, Evo 2011 had over 100,000 viewers. For a stream, that is incredible. Imagine bringing more views in from fans of the fastest growing sport. Evo 2012 could potentially shatter records if UFC Undisputed 3 gets a spot.

Fight fans may look down on having UFC Undisputed 3 at the biggest tournament of the year. King of Fighters XIII is not expected to make the main room at Evo 2012. If UFC Undisputed 3 does make it in, some fans will not be pleased as they may feel the game did not deserve a spot. As I mentioned before, the game has the potential to draw more interest in the fighting game scene.

If that indeed proves to be the case, it's a win for all of us