Ultimate Fighting Championship – Consumer Guide

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Animated Violence 

For parents, UFC is a tough call. On one hand, the matches can get pretty brutal with fighters mounted on top of one another while someone gets pummeled into unconsciousness looks frighteningly realistic. On the other hand, some of the real-life fighters could be ideal role-models and kids could stand to learn something about the martial arts from the way its respectfully and realistically depicted in the game. Blood splattering can be reduced via an adjustment options and outside of the scantily clad ring girl in between rounds, there's nothing overtly sexual about the game, and there's no verbal profanity either.

Long-time fans of more traditional Street Fighter II-style fighting games may be in for a surprise when it comes to UFC. You're not going to find any bouncing breasts, fireballs or upside-down spinning helicopter kicks here. UFC, while very accessible to all, could still be described as a fighting simulator, and many may be put off by its realism and its unconventional approach to ground fighting.

For fans of the actual UFC tournament who dream of fighting in the octagon, your prayers are answered. The game doesn't capture every single aspect of the competition perfectly (the pacing seems a bit more accelerated for gaming reasons), but it does come amazingly close, and I think very few will complain. I'd also like to mention that for those who choose to undertake the challenge, make sure you use an arcade stick. The game often requires two-button combination presses that are far more comfortable to pull off on an arcade stick. And it is also worth noting that the instruction manual is grossly inadequate at explaining even the most basic and fundamental concepts to grappling on the ground. Players who want to exploit all that UFC offers will need to find a FAQ file on the Internet or purchase a strategy guide.

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Chi Kong Lui

In the 1980s, Chi grew up in small town on the outskirts of New York City called Jackson Heights. Latino actor, John Leguizamo referred to the town as the "melting pot of the world," and while living there, Chi was exposed to many diverse cultures, as well as a bevy of arcade classics such as Pac-Man, Space Ace, Space Harrier and Double Dragon. Chi's love of videogames only seemed to grow as his parents finally caved and bought him an 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (after being the only kid in the block without one). In the 1990s, Chi finagled his way into the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts.

Somewhere between all the gaming, Chi some how managed to finish high school and get into the New York Institute of Technology. At the same time, Chi also interned at Virtual Frontiers, an Internet software consultancy where he learned the ways of HTML. Soon after acquiring his BFA, Chi went on to become the lead Web designer of the Anti-Defamation League. During his tenure there, Chi was instrumental in redesigning and relaunching the non-profit organization's Web site.

Today, Chi is the webmaster of the American Red Cross in Greater New York and somehow managed to work through the tragic events of September 11th without losing his sanity. Chi considers GameCritics.com his life's work and continues to be amazed that the web site is still standing after the recent dotcom fallout. It is his dream that GameCritics.com will accomplish two things: 1) Redefine the grammar of videogames much the same way French film critic Andre Bazin did for the art of cinema and 2) bring game criticism to the forefront of mainstream culture much the same way Siskel & Ebert did for film criticism.

Latest posts by Chi Kong Lui (see all)

• Fraud Alert: Pete Smith, Content Producer - September 9, 2014
• Observations from PAX East 2012: What’s old is new again - April 12, 2012
• Observations from PAX East 2012: Are video game gimmicks finally maturing? - April 11, 2012