Ultimate Fighting Championship

"One of Crave's Best Games and a Franchise to Look Out For"

Well, I'll just start off saying that I admittedly love wrestling games and fighting games so I have played many of them and will be able to tell you that this is a great game that combines the best of both genres. Another thing to note, if you have been paying attention to Crave's track record, they are quickly becoming one of the best Dreamcast publishers and this game only adds to their already stunning list of grade A games.

Graphics: The graphics are very good, especially considering this is a first-time effort. Another note worthy innovation is the great entrances that each fighter has, it really catches the excitement and flair of a real television broadcast. There isn't any clipping or anything going on like most other wrestling games either. 8/10

Sound: The story with the sound is like most games in this genre-the music isn't that impressive but the sound effects sound great for what it is. All the signature grunts, groans, and smacks are included, and while the real music isn't the best, it works nonetheless. In the opening video they licensed the song ''Crush Em'' by Megadeath, which although I personally don't care much for Megadeath, adds a bit to the excitement. 8/10

Gameplay: The gameplay is great, but I would expect no less since the game is developed by the same guys that made the original Tekken. The gameplay is basically a mix between Virtua Fighter and Tekken because most of the moves you do are either one of two punch or kick buttons and a direction ALA Virtua Fighter, or a combination of two buttons ALA Tekken. The two button combinations are taken a little farther though since by pressing the combination you only bring your opponent to the ground. After that, you can begin pummeling or do another two button combination in an attempt to make your opponent tap out. On the contrary, he can then do yet another two button combination to reverse it, so the game gets a little technical at times. 9/10

Replay Value: The replay value isn't that great but it is longer than most fighting games. There are many modes including the basic training mode, two player mode, tournament mode, and various other modes. The mode you will probably spend the most of your time in is the career mode. Like most career modes you create a character (although the create a character mode isn't half as deep as WWF Attitude or WWF Smackdown) then fight opponents until you reach the top and become champion. The twist in UFC is that it adds a few RPG elements. Basically, when you beat someone you get experience points and can add them to your stats or use them to learn a new move. If you have played Street Fighter Alpha, this is essentially similar to that. 7/10

All in all, UFC is a great game and if your a fighting or wrestling fan it will make a great purchase, although with such a crowded release list for Dreamcast, it's gonna be tough to get some dough.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/01, Updated 01/13/01