Here you need to make quarter turns, half turns and so on with the stick in order to re-position yourself on your opponent. In this case you need to be more specific in your use of the right analog stick as there are more ways to move it and it involves more than a simple flick up or down. “Pro Control” is much similar to previous games and is intended for the more seasoned UFC gamers. Playing in “Amateur” mode involves a simple as a flick up or down on the right analog stick when transitioning. In fact, submission, clinching and take downs also remain the same, but given the transition game is so important in MMA fighting the developers have introduced the new control to make the game a little more forgiving for casual or new fans to the franchise. Punching, kicking, and blocking controls all remain the same. This time around the developers have introduced “Amateur” or “Pro Control” for the transition game. This does not seem to be the case in this year’s game and much of that has to do with the two new control options introduced in UFC Undisputed 3. The punching, kicking and blocking aspects have always been straightforward but grappling, clinching, transitioning and submission aspects of the games were always somewhat of a frustrating endeavour for me. Despite this, the reality is many, including myself, found the controls difficult to master in previous MMA games.
Sure many would argue that as it is an MMA game you should expect some complex controls given all the complexities that come along with the various fighting styles of the sport. In fact, the controls this time around make the controls of the previous UFC games seem a tad more complicated than they needed to be. So maybe perhaps you are wondering if the controls are too complex or difficult to pick up? Well, the short and simple answer to that is ‘no’ as well. So how does UFC Undisputed 3 play? It plays great, but that is nothing new to the franchise. Breaking that yearly cycle could be considered a bold move but it was something the developers clearly wanted to do in order to add features, make the game more inviting to casual gamers, and fine tune the already fantastic gameplay. Interestingly enough, what many initially thought was going to be yearly instalment, the 3rd UFC game has been in development for almost two years. Both delivered superb MMA games that every UFC fan should buy, so I really questioned how the development team could improve the experience. When I first fired up the game, the biggest question I had was how could the developers improve on an already solid game? Both the 2009 and the 2010 UFC games from THQ were very good. Much like the Xbox 360 version of the game, the PS3 version is equally rewarding and stands as a game PS3 owners and MMA fans alike will really dig.
In the meantime I had a chance to sit down and really sink my teeth into PS3 version of the game. Only time will tell if UFC Undisputed 3 can help the publisher survive. But will it be enough to turn around the well documented struggles of THQ? Layoffs and steadily declining profits have led to rumors of an eventual sale of the once heralded publisher. Looking at some of the other reviews around the web many would agree that this UFC game is solid. In my opinion it stood as the best game in the franchise and something every MMA fan with an Xbox 360 should own. Last week I had a chance to review the Xbox 360 version of UFC Undisputed 3 and overall I was impressed with the third installment in THQ’s UFC Undisputed franchise.