Preview by: Neilie Johnson

Organizers of the UFC Undisputed 3 event in downtown San Francisco last week were upbeat and enthusiastic about the latest game in the UFC franchise, and from what members of the press were shown there, they have good reason to be. The event—which was held at an industrial space-turned-nightclub—featured the usual press event stuff—explanatory presentations, sizzle reels, a live match between UFC game experts and even (!!) an appearance by MMA fight trainer extraordinaire, Greg Jackson. The best things about it however, were the room full of ready console setups and the hours we spent playing the game. By the looks of it, UFC Undisputed 3 is the most polished UFC game yet, with a lot of things players were wishing for finally addressed, not least of which is the addition of Pride rules.

Originating in Japan (where it seems everything entertainment-oriented is exponentially crazier), Pride rules allow fighters to do things like stomp each other in the face or knee each other in the head. In UFC Undisputed 3, you can perform these moves and see their effects in realistic, painful detail. (True, you still can't bite, eye-gouge or head butt your opponent, but I dare you not to cringe when your fighter takes a knee to the head.) Pride matches are presented in all the nutty, techno-booming over-the-topness the Japanese are famous for, with new fighter intros that not only set the tone for the match, but provide you with informational tidbits about the fighters.

Cool as the Pride mode was, for THQ the focus of the day was exhibiting the game's new features via its new-and-improved Career Mode. The main thrust of this title, its motto if you will, is “more fighting, less stat management”. While developer Yuke's has added some new attributes—like footwork and ground grapple top and bottom—overall, the time in between fights is more streamlined and immersive. Even better, raising your stats is made more interesting as your fighter participates not only in straight up sparring but goes cross country to attend real world training camps like Wolfslair and American Top Team. According to trainer Greg Jackson (who readily attested to the faithful recreation of his Albuquerque gym), no detail was spared in the making of these locations and true UFC fans will no doubt appreciate getting the chance to “visit” them.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Upon entering Career Mode, you're given the chance to re-write history for a famous UFC fighter or create one of your own. While I noticed most people jumping at the chance to take control of a Jon Jones or a Wanderlei Silva, I decided to make my own fighter. Gamers who care about character customization will definitely enjoy this part of Undisputed 3. For one thing, the character models are really good. Not only are the likenesses great, you see every mole, hair and sweat streak. For another, the array of custom hair and facial features is impressive, as is the facial morph method of presenting them. True, the body types are limited to those that could realistically compete in a UFC match but you can differentiate your fighter from others by choosing his fighting style and then by festooning him with a variety of custom scars, tattoos and accessories. I slapped together a tattooed Middleweight with clown red hair called Razor “Pretty Boy” Sharpe and jumped into the ring.