UFC

Every Limbo boy and girl, all around the Limbo world! Gonna do the Limbo Rock, all around the Limbo clock! Translation: we're talking about Limbo -- listen for the spoiler warning because we're covering it all: the puzzles, the successes and failures of the narrative, and the real meaning of the ending. Plus: Brad enjoys a private tour of Uber Entertainment and Monday Night Combat, Chi gets attacked, and Tim reveals the best use of the podcast ever. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard "Very Easy" Naik, and Tim "Also Very Easy" Spaeth.

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Topics discussed:

• Exploring the impact of UFC and MMA on Street Fighter
• Limbo
• Monday Night Combat

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

While the recent announcement of Street Fighter X Tekken was met with applause from legions of dedicated gamers who stuck with the series or many who returned with the revival of Street Fighter 4, as someone who fondly remembers spending countless hours at arcades in the late 1980s and feeding quarters "borrowed" from his mother's purse playing Street Fighter 2, I can't help, but to think somewhat cynically of this new partnership between two classic fighting franchises that in different era of video games didn't need this sort of gimmick to stand out. For me, it highlights how the series and genre no longer hold the iconic status of an entire generation of video games.

Chi hits the Vegas Strip to throw down with some of MMA's biggest stars and gets an early look at UFC Undisputed 2010. Brad takes on Alan Wake and in the process enrages the entire Internet...again. And we open up the mailbag to answer your burning questions about game manuals, Final Fantasy XIV, and Microsoft Game Room. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim "Pitfall is So Worth Three Dollars" Spaeth.

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Read: Transcript

Topics discussed:

• UFC Undisputed 2010
• Alan Wake
• Final Fantasy XIV

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Game Description: UFC Undisputed 2010 is action-packed fighting game that recreates the excitement and intensity of the real-life Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The game features all aspects of the UFC experience, including a roster of more 100 UFC fighters, a wide range of fighting styles—including new additions Sambo, Karate and Greco-Roman Wrestling—authentic environments and commentary, and a variety of play modes that include Career, Title and Title Defense Modes, as well as multiplayer options accommodating up to 16 players in tournament and training settings.

UFC Undisputed 2010 is set to be released May 25, but I was fortunate to get an early hands-on preview as part of a THQ media event out in Las Vegas. After getting a crash course in Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and Kickboxing as part of a mini-bootcamp, all of the attending journalists were given extensive time to play through the enhanced Career mode with latter part of the evening devoted to an elimination style tournament between the journalists. How did yours truly do in that tournament? I'll get back to that later, but first let me give my impressions of the gameplay changes and new features. 

We're back! With Brad's and Tim's new sons safely extracted, the team reunites to discuss all the games they've been playing during the break: InFamous, Broken Steel, UFC Undisputed, Dead Space, Trino, CaveIn, Mithra and the Project Trico teaser. With Chi Kong "North/South" Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim Spaeth.

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Topic and Game References:

• Project Trico Trailer
• InFamous
• Prototype
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3: Broken Steel DLC
• UFC 2009: Undisputed
• Dead Space
• XBL Community Games: Trino
• XBL Community Games: CaveIn
• XBL Community Games: Mithra

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Game Description: Pride FC is the most realistic fighting videogame for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Fighters recreated in amazing detail with appearance, fighting style, movements, and signature ring entrances. Various combat elements capture the intensity and authenticity of a Pride contest including multiple fighting positions, unique fighting styles, hundreds of moves, counters, and reversals. With a TV-style presentation, each match-up comes to life in fully scaled arenas complete with ring announcers, lighting, pyrotechnics, and realistic camera angles. Pits the top fighters in the world from several different combative sports including wrestling, karate, judo, kick-boxing, and others into one ring.