Undisputed Review – Redefining The Boxing Game Experience

As a long-time boxing enthusiast and avid gamer, I can wholeheartedly say that Undisputed has truly brought the sweet science to life on our screens. The visual fidelity of the fighters, the grandeur of the pre-fight atmosphere, and the fluid gameplay all combine to create an immersive experience that’s been missing for far too long.

The bell tolls, placing me face-to-face with Canelo Álvarez, one of the greatest boxers to ever don gloves. Anticipation swells within me, not from anxiety, but rather from the authentic ring-side tension that Undisputed masterfully recreates in a title fight.

As Canelo advances, mimicking the style you’d witness on a Saturday night, it swiftly becomes apparent that this isn’t your typical arcade boxing match. Each stride I take, each jab I throw, and every punch I absorb seems meticulously planned, as if I’m truly sparring with Alvarez.

For more than 13 years now, there hasn’t been a significant simulation boxing game on the market. As I dodge and search for an opportunity to strike back, it’s evident that Undisputed isn’t merely stepping into a gap in the gaming world. Instead, they aim to revolutionize the entire experience of playing boxing games.

Undisputed Boxing Review

Game Modes – A Deep Roster and Career Options

Undisputed provides numerous play styles, allowing players ample opportunities to enter the boxing arena. Career Mode allows you to manage either a real-life boxer or design your own character, while Prize Fights offer distinct rules for both offline and online bouts, ensuring there’s always something new to try out.

The create-a-fighter tool has depth in certain aspects but lacks in others. It offers intricate control over a boxer’s facial features and body structure. Yet, I find myself yearning for more customization possibilities, such as tattoos and equipment. Additionally, the option to share and download fighters created by other users would have enhanced the fun factor and fostered a stronger sense of community engagement.

Among the standout features is an extensive lineup featuring over 70 former and current boxing champions such as Tyson Fury, Terence Crawford, Muhammad Ali, Oleksandr Usyk, and many others. This lineup is unprecedented in boxing games, offering a rich diversity that keeps gameplay exciting. While there’s no open-weight option for exhibition matches, several boxers are represented across various weight classes.

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For many players, the primary experience is Career Mode, where you can choose between a custom character or a real one, and then work your way up through the rankings to achieve the title of undisputed champion. Does that make sense?

Instead of simply engaging in endless fights without thought or strategy, there’s a more intricate approach here with the concept of mode in boxing. Throughout your professional journey, you can negotiate fights with particular terms such as payout, rematch options, and training duration. Once a fight is secured, the challenges of maintaining weight, conserving energy, and ensuring readiness increase the pressure to make wise decisions, particularly during the initial stages of your career when it’s difficult to recover from mistakes. As you progress deeper into the sport, opponents become increasingly tough, making those early victories essential for climbing up the ranks. Moreover, these early wins can help prevent you from facing the same group of boxers repeatedly, potentially leading to a monotonous pattern.

This experience may slow down slightly towards the end, but it keeps you captivated throughout. There isn’t a clear storyline provided, so you have the freedom to invent your own tale which some might find enjoyable, while others might find it dull.

It would have been great if there was an option to adjust weight classes, as it would have made the game last longer and possibly be more enduring. I’m hoping this feature could be implemented in a future release.

Undisputed Review – Redefining The Boxing Game Experience

Gameplay – Fluid and Responsive Boxing Action

Unquestionably, this game excels in its real-time playability. The motion is seamless, and the punches flow effortlessly, although there are occasional visual glitches such as punches passing through arms or connecting when they appear not to have made contact. Despite these minor setbacks, they don’t significantly diminish the overall enjoyment.

Undisputed’s charm lies in its versatility. Whether you enjoy strategic brawls or prefer to swing wildly right off the bat, this game caters to multiple playstyles thanks to adjustable difficulty levels and modifiers. This balance between accessibility and challenge is what makes the game appealing to both beginners and experienced players alike.

Following several months of careful adjustments and, at times, complete restructuring before its launch, I found the gameplay to be one of the most delightful boxing experiences I’ve ever encountered. It was never the game that caused my frustration, but rather my own abilities – or lack thereof – within the ring.

There’s also a major difference depending on the overall and skill of your fighters. Not every fighter will feel the same. You’ll notice in things like stamina and punch speed just how low-level you are if you try and take your 60-something overall fighter up against someone in the 80s or 90s. Speaking of how fighters feel, not every fighter will match their persona in the ring. Some boxers definitely feel more studio developed than others, but it doesn’t take away too much from the feeling.

As an ardent gamer, I’ve got a few niggles about the way uppercuts connect with opponents’ bodies and the AI’s behavior in the ring. Whether it’s a glitch or part of the design, I can’t quite tell, but there are instances where my adversary seems to stand in a defensive posture for an inordinately long time. While it’s admirable for a fighter to be defensive, prolonged blocking for almost an entire round feels more like a spectacle than a realistic fight. At times, this can disrupt the immersive experience.

Regarding immersion, the mini-game with knockdowns is enjoyable as you need to align with the correct meters using the triggers. However, what I dislike about it is that regardless of where a character gets knocked down, they always reappear in the center of the ring for the mini-game.

Undisputed Review – Redefining The Boxing Game Experience

Presentation – A Broadcast-Worthy Experience with Room for Improvement

Undisputed vividly portrays the authenticity of a live television boxing match. Inside the ring, the combatants appear exceptionally lifelike. Boxers like Álvarez, Fury, Usyk, and Ali seem as realistic as characters from a top-tier modern boxing video game. The way some punches connect is truly awe-inspiring, particularly powerful body blows that cause an opponent’s stomach and chest to visibly shake.

The buildup before fights and the dramatic entries of fighters mimic live broadcasts, giving major bouts an air of grandeur. Nevertheless, there are some aspects that could be enhanced. The audience’s response during tense situations could be more dynamic, and it would greatly benefit the sport to have a replay system to preserve spectacular fight moments on tape.

In other words, the diverse selection of settings, ranging from small fitness centers to large stadiums (which include 20 distinct locations, plus two evening options), significantly enhances the game’s realistic feel. It seems that Steel City Interactive has put considerable effort into aligning the game’s appearance with the grandeur of actual boxing, and for the most part, this effort is successful.

Undisputed Boxing Review Verdict

This game, “Undisputed,” isn’t just about boxing matches – it offers a comprehensive boxing experience that fans have been craving for years. It boasts a rich cast of characters, smooth gameplay, and robust modes, striking all the right chords for boxing enthusiasts. While there are some minor visual glitches and a few missing features or occasional gameplay bugs, like the lack of weight class switching or a replay system, these shortcomings become insignificant when weighed against the pure excitement of entering the ring.

Regardless if you’re an occasional gamer or a passionate boxing enthusiast, Undisputed is the long-awaited game that doesn’t disappoint, and in the end, may very well be ranked among the finest boxing games ever produced.

Undisputed Review – Redefining The Boxing Game Experience