UFC Undisputed 2010 on home consoles is the best source for MMA gaming on the market right now. I was very pleased with it, as evident in my review back in May. Portable gaming was MMA-less for a time, but now THQ has moved their highly-acclaimed franchise to the PSP, bringing the pain to the gaming-on-the-go crowd. They’ve certainly crammed everything they could into the game, but unfortunately (and understandably) the game loses some of its magic in the transition.
In terms of presentation, the game is the same: same music, same display scheme, same menus. All of the modes and fighters from the console version are here, except of course for the online modes, which is replaced with the PSP’s Ad Hoc mode. The only major difference is the in-fight presentation, which receives a considerable downgrade. Other than Bruce Buffer, all of the voices are gone, which means no more commentary from Goldberg and Rogan. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but during the fight you’ll notice its absence and how it takes away from the atmosphere of the fight. The graphics have also obviously been downgraded to PS2 level, and they look great on the PSP, but don’t hold a candle to what can be found elsewhere. The fighters move very rigidly, sometimes with choppy animation.
The control scheme is surprisingly efficient for a PSP version. Since there aren’t two analog sticks, the d-pad is used for movement and the one analog stick controls grapples and takedowns. Though it does work well, the level of discomfort for those blessed with large hands like myself is pretty high, but that’s more of a slight on console design than game design. THQ saw what it had to work with and made it work efficiently and admirably.
I was also impressed with the amount of content that THQ was able to cram into the little PSP disc. Every one of the over 100 fighters from the console have made the jump to the PSP, allowing the player just as much choice. All of the different game modes are back as well, from Title Defense to Career. Of course, the lack of a true online mode was a bit of a mojo killer, simplifiying the 2-player aspect about as much as it can be simplified.
Don’t get me wrong, the game is still UFC, and it’s still fun. If you’re looking to take the beatdown on the road, then UFC Undisputed 2010 for PSP will get the job done admirably. However, if you have the console version, you’re not missing a single thing in the portable version, so it’s best to stick with what you have.
