UFC

According to ESRB, this game contains Blood, Violence

I disagree with Mike on his assessment of UFC Tapout's fighting engine. True, the standing game is not full of dazzling combos, but this is the point, to make a skill out of prediction. Its almost an art to watch for openings in your opponents attacks, and suddenly grab a limb out of the air to slam their body into the ground.

I remember a number of years ago, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was still in its infancy, the violent and controversial tournament made its way to my hometown. The night of the show, a local, highly experienced and well respected martial arts instructor was asked for his opinion of the tournament. He replied that it is not real martial arts not because the fighters lack technique, but because the martial arts are not really about fighting.

Its popularity hasn't been restored to its former glory, but there is still enough interest to warrant the development of a videogame based on the tournament. More over, I am ecstatic to report that the game itself is a momentous achievement and every bit as revolutionary and mentally stimulating as the actual event itself.

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

Game Description: What do you get when you cross boxing, aikido, Greco-Roman wrestling, and more than 25 other fighting styles? If you answered Ultimate Fighting Championship, you're correct (if you answered by cowering under a desk, we don't blame you). This is not some soap opera of thrown chairs and unrealistic moves. Two fighters and a referee enter the Octagon—the UFC's caged, eight-sided ring—where the fighters meld martial-arts styles to receive points for hits, holds, and takedowns. Ultimate Fighting Championship features over 20 of the top UFC fighters with their specific moves and likenesses. You'll choose from 3,000 moves and 1,200 combos and string them into devastating attacks. Training mode allows you to learn the martial-arts discipline or combine moves of different schools.

While Chi and I came upon the UFC sport at roughly the same time, it is clear that Chi developed a fondness for ultimate fighting that far surpasses mine. It isn't that I didn't appreciate the individual skill of the combatants or their desire to win, but it was hard to get by the sheer brutality of the matches and the apparent lack of rules or code of ethics. Looking back on those early days, I have to own up to fact that I didn't really give the sport a fair shot.