For the longest time, folks who appreciated the finer art of mixed martial arts had plenty of virtual fighting opportunities to choose from. THQ mastered its in-ring presence with UFC Undisputed, both with 2009 and 2010; and EA Sports left a good but short-lived mark on the sport with its self-titled MMA. But as great as both of those games were, they were lacking in raw brutality – and 505 Games is looking to cover that territory with its long-awaited Supremacy MMA. So, does this literal ground and pound fest live up to the hype? Not a chance. Despite the fact that Supremacy goes for an alternative, more brutal approach than its competition, it also can’t compare to it due to lackluster gameplay, terrible story modes and the kind of bug-filled online play that will make you wonder if it’s worth bothering with. Supremacy MMA has a fair arrangement of fighters, each of which specialize in different fighting styles. Pitting someone who’s a master of Muay Thai against a born-to-fight wrestler can wield unexpected results, as each one comes into the battle with their own personable techniques. There are also a pair of female fighters in the game, bringing their brutality to a sport normally filled with sweaty dudes. But despite the fighter variety, the game feels like the “same old, same old”.
The fighting itself feels unbalanced, almost out of sync with what players have in mind with them. So when you want to go with a grapple technique, it doesn’t really feel like it comes off right, and has mechanical results that are unrewarding as you transition into the ground and pound. It feels more like the damage is being dished out for you, rather than you doing it yourself. This disconnection will have you feeling cheated throughout each match – especially when someone unfairly goes for your knee and wins the match in their favor, just when you think you have it “locked on”. Ahh, the price for realism… Here’s another example of problematic gameplay – the ground and pound does nothing revolutionary. Transitioning out of a grab is as simple as tapping a button, and when you do have someone down in the offensive position, your punches barely do anything, and your hits to vital sections barely even register. Then they slip out and turn it around on you, and the dullness continues. Even the standing attacks produce more yawns than cringes, and when your fighter is taken out, it’s almost as if it was a mercy blow not only to your fighter, but those watching the poor results of this fight. That’s just in the Fight Now mode. The game also includes a Story Mode that focuses on a number of fighters. But it’s told so blandly that you really don’t give a damn what happens. It’s as if the Ultimate Fighter show was taken over by a bunch of nobodies that Spike TV gathered out of desperation.
Worse yet, the narration and voicework is uninspired, as these guys sound more like bored office workers than brawlers. You won’t even make it a half hour into one of these modes before rolling your eyes and moving on. Problem is, there really isn’t much else to turn to. There are unlockable fighters, but you have to tolerate the flawed gameplay in order to really get them all. The tutorial mode tries to lay out how to play the game in the right way, but even then, you never really feel like you’re getting anything done, due again to that disconnection. Online play deserves a mention as well – but of the negative kind. The game does support versus matches against others on Xbox Live, but it runs so haphazardly, with so many bugs to deal with, that it’s not really worth the effort. You’ll spend more time throwing punches at your modem and screaming, “What’s wrong with you?!” than taking on your opponent. (Oh, and for the record, it’s not your modem, it’s the sucky 505 Games servers.) Oh, and those female fighters? They’re okay, and are modeled quite well, but you can only pit them against each other, and not against males. So guess how long those match-ups will last… As far as presentation, Supremacy MMA’s strongest asset is its graphics. Though the animation looks somewhat robot-like (is there a reason a spin-around kick looks like it’s being done by a puppet?), the player models are impressive, and being able to sustain real-time injuries over the course of a match has its moments, especially when a player crumples to the ground following a takedown.
These can go into overkill, though, as there are times you’ll feel like you’re engaging in a match of Mortal Kombat – but obviously without the cool characters or the ability to “Fatality!” your opponent. Whatever points the visuals earned, they’re taken away again by Supremacy MMA’s lackluster audio. The game doesn’t feature any announcers over the course of the match, a big mistake considering that UFC Undisputed’s team works so well. (Granted, Joe Rogan is on that team, but what can you do?) That leaves the sound effects, which are repetitive, and the soundtrack, which is hideous. Imagine the most generic metal tunes you could put together, and that’s precisely what you get in MMA. Seriously, this is even below the standards of most garage bands. (Note I said most.) Had the developers at Kung Fu Factory installed a better gameplay system, more interesting story elements and an off-the-wall commentary team – was Paul Heyman not available? – Supremacy MMA could’ve easily been as great a champ as the other games on the shelf. Instead, it falls short in all areas, and even its over-the-top brutality can’t save it from being a mundane effort. Save yourself this punch to the face and go buy UFC Undisputed 2010 instead. Or wait for the real deal with UFC Undisputed 3 next year.
