The widely popular and ever-growing sport of MMA will probably need no introduction to most, neither will the name UFC.  The Ultimate Fighting Championship has grown immensely popular over past few years and has branched into many different areas of media and even now, gaming. The console releases of UFC 2009: Undisputed received many positive reviews and was an enjoyable and strategic experience. Now, UFC has come to iOS and arrives with head kick to EA’s release of MMA.

Gameplay 7/10

Gameplay in UFC 2010: Undisputed is not complex, nor is it very deep. What it lacks in depth however, it makes up for in the fact that it is fun to play. The majority of the time you’ll move your fighter backward or forward by gesture on a thumb-pad in the bottom left corner of the screen. This can be touchy and sometimes even un-responsive and sluggish considering how quickly the athletes move in a real cage-fight. Once you get close enough to your opponent, you can hit the button above the thumb-pad of the screen to get in “The clinch” and hold your opponent and throw some rib shots by swiping up or down on the striking icon on the side of the screen. Once you see fit, you can swipe down on the thumb-pad and go for the take-down. Once the attempt is taken you must tap the screen furiously to decide if the attempt is successful. If it is, you will body-slam your opponent to the mat. Once there, you have the option to give your opponent some head shots or get a better position. This is accomplished by waiting until the position icon, where your thumb-pad used to be, turns green and then you start rubbing it in a circular motion until the bar fills and you improve to whatever position you chose based on the direction you draw the circle. You can then go for the submission by tapping the button and tracing the shapes that appear with your finger. If your attempt succeeds, you win. If you fail, you will revert back to guard. You must also keep an eye on your stamina bar and if it fills up you can deliver a big hit with the chance of laying out your opponent. The stand-up fighting is also good, although not very fast nor complex. You generally stand toe-to-toe with your opponent and throw punches and kicks hoping one lands big and lays out the other guy. You can guard if you feel over-whelmed and wait for your opportunity. Overall, the gameplay mechanics are smooth but it does not fully capture the fast-paced action of the UFC. There is an exhibition mode, where you can pick your fighters and go at it, or tournament where you choose a fighter from any weight class and climb the ladder to the champion of that class.

Graphics 7/10

There is not a whole lot to mention as far as graphics go in UFC 2010: Undisputed. The menu system mirrors the backdrop for the actual pay-per-view UFC matches and is very well structured and clean. The fighter models are the most complex graphics in the game and are an improvement over EA’s MMA. The model faces show expression and the physics seem to flow together seamlessly. The crowd offers nothing but blobs of color and the octagon in which you fight is well textured during the fight but the cut-scene before the fight which shows the octagon and crowd could use some work.

Sound 6/10

The sound of UFC 2010: Undisputed is a bit repetitive. The opening music that plays while in the menus gets you ready to throw down but after that no music is heard. The same sound plays every time you or your opponent hit the mat as well as whenever a punch is landed. The crowd is predictable as well. Even the announcers seem to repeat the same thing for every action taken. Even though repetition is prevalent with the sound, you won’t notice it much while your engaged in hand-to-hand combat or attempting an arm-bar.

Longevity 6/10

Though the game features a tournament mode, it won’t take you all that long to reach the top in every weight class. Once you do, you can go back to attain one of the many achievements or improve your over-all ranking in the global leader-boards. This won’t hold your attention all that long as there is no training or creating your own fighter to move your way up the ladder throughout an illustrious career mode. You can weigh-in on your predictions for the next UFC and your choices will be analyzed once the results are in and you will be given a win\loss percentage. There is no multiplayer present either. Hopefully in the future more features will be added to hold your attention. For the most part you will find yourself hitting Exhibition to go blow-for-blow with one of the many well known fighters on the rosters to choose from.

Cost 7/10

Weighing-in at a current $4.99, this title, for the features included, has a bit of a heavy-hitting price tag. If you enjoy UFC however, this title is probably one that will find a place on your device. For the casual fighting fan, waiting for a sale or price-drop may be the best option.

Conclusion 33/50 – 7/10

For any UFC fan, this game will scratch the itch for beating down your least favorite fighters but for the casual fight-fan who wants a feature rich, attention grabbing experience, this title may disappoint a little. Although a full experience is to be had, what the game lacks seems to take away from the features that are present. Perhaps future updates will add more content, but for the time being, a solid UFC title just doesn’t quite make weight for the class it is in.

UFC 2010: Undisputed on the App Store.