THE GAMING BEHIND THE GRAPPLING: THE UFC, MMA, AND VIDEO GAMES

Posted on | July 16, 2007 | 4 Comments

MMA, THE UFC, & VIDEO GAMES

by: Jack Bratcher

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Today’s demographic for video games is not what it once was. What was once reserved for basically grade-schoolers, now caters to and is supported by a large population of 20 and 30-somethings. This is the same age group that tunes into The Ultimate Fighter and orders UFC Pay-Per-Views. I’m a fan of both: next-generation video-games and MMA. When I speak of next-generation gaming, I’m talking about Microsoft’s XBOX 360, the Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii. It’s a great time to be alive for fans of gaming and MMA. We are getting things from them both that never could have happened ten years ago.

One of coolest perks of those who own an XBOX 360 is not only the incredible gaming, but the large amount of media and entertainment you have access to through XBOX Live, which is the XBOX 360’s internet portal. For UFC fans such as myself, there is much to be happy about if you are connected to XBOX Live. What am I referring to? The first ever place you can order, download, and watch UFC fights in High-Definition (480p and 720p). If you’ve never seen a UFC fight in High-Definition, I highly reccommend it! You can see pimples on the fighters’ backs! You can see how pink Matt Hughes’s skin really is! For just a few dollars each, XBOX Live has about forty-something UFC fights you can download. Many of them I”ve never seen on Fight Night or anywhere else. I recently watched the Matt Serra vs. Karo Parisiyan fight and the Tito Ortiz vs. Randy Couture fight.

There have been a few MMA video games to be released in the past. True fans of the sport could find fun in them, and they were pretty good for the hardware they had to work with. The UFC had a few games that were ok. They weren’t great but they were ok. The Pride FC game is supposed to be good but it’s pretty hard to find. But with the new next-generation systems such as the XBOX 360 and the Playstation 3, I think we’re about to be blessed with something really special. All I really know is that THQ, the same company that has brought us such games as SAINTS ROW and WWE SMACKDOWN vs. RAW, has a development deal with the UFC and they are making this next UFC video game. If the recent video that was shown of the game at the E3 Convention in Santa Monica is any indication, we are about to be amazed. They haven’t announced a release date yet but I hope it’s sooner rather than later. Rampage was at the E3 Convention promoting the new game. Check out this trailer:

It looks amazing! I can’t wait! If you have an XBOX 360, you should check out the UFC videos in the Marketplace. And if you don’t have one….well, you should because not only do you have access to some great High-Definition fight videos but there’s a new UFC game approaching. Also if you’re on XBOX Live send me a message so we can do some gaming together. Until next time……adios

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