After years of anticipation, Undisputed has finally stepped into the ring, ready to challenge the crown left behind by iconic titles like Fight Night. As the first major boxing game in over a decade, fans have eagerly awaited its arrival and Undisputed isn’t here to play. With its ambitious outlook, the game offers a deep roster of legendary fighters, stunning visuals, and a tactical approach that brings the sweet science back to life. However, while the game packs a powerful punch in many areas, it still has a few shortcomings. In this in-depth review, we’ll explore the gameplay, graphics, and overall experience to see if Undisputed truly delivers a knockout blow or falls short of greatness.
A Mixed Bag
Undisputed offers a variety of game modes, allowing players to swiftly shift between different game forms. Here, players can move straight into a quick fight from a career mode or head online for a face off against other players. At first, this seems like a great range of choices for both casual players and hardcore fans. But, as with most games, the real deal lies in the finer details.
The quick fight mode works exactly as you'd expect: pick a fighter, step into the ring, and go for it. It's simple, accessible, and delivers instant boxing thrills. However, the quick-fight mode is not a good choice when yearning for a deeper experience. Fortunately, there's an alternative to solving this issue, the Career mode.
Career mode allows you to take control of a fighter’s journey from the bottom to a title contender. Sounds cool, right? Well, yes and no. The career mode gives you control over important aspects like choosing your coach, manager, and cutman. However, here's the thing: it’s all pretty shallow. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of boxing life, you’re stuck pressing buttons to simulate tasks, which quickly gets repetitive.
Notably, there’s no training in the gym or hitting the bag for practice; you're just progressing through fights with little interaction outside of the ring. Boxing is about more than just stepping into the ring but also off-the-ring practice. It’s about preparation, training, and managing the pressures of being a fighter. Unfortunately, career mode in Undisputed doesn't capture that journey in a meaningful way.
Alternatively, players can set out for the Online mode for a fully immersed experience. While the mode appears appealing at its early onset, it is crippled by frequent lags and connectivity issues. Despite the thrilling promise of online boxing in Undisputed, in reality, it falls short due to these technical flaws.
Build Your Boxer
Undisputed boasts of an in-depth character creation tool option. These options allow players to tweak all aspects of a fighter's appearance. Want a prominent nose or a chiseled jawline? It's all possible. You can even reshape and adjust finer details like the eye distance and much more. This level of control is ultimately incredible. However, this base model has a downside; it feels somewhat unrealistic. Despite the level of work you put into customizing your character, they tend to end up looking somewhat unnatural.
Of course, not everyone wants to keep things serious, andUndisputedrecognizes that. The game provides a base to create atough-looking face that strikes fear in opponents or simply run your creativity wild from the endless possibilities. While climbing the ranks is rewarding, having the opportunity to generate a character with a true reflection of your imagination feels heavenly.
On the flip side, while it’s cool to see some legends in the sport, the lineup is still limited. Sure, there are some familiar faces, but several big names are missing. It’s obvious that licensing is a big hurdle, and that’s probably why some of the more iconic fighters aren’t here.
Another aspect that's somewhat misplaced is the inclusion of unexpected wildcard fighters. Eddie Hall, for example, is a strongman, not a boxer. Such additions are definitely not a cup of tea for several fervent boxing fans. There’s no doubt that Undisputed could benefit from expanding its roster. It has a decent foundation, but to really earn the title “Undisputed,” it needs to include more notabilities in the ring.
Fan Favorites
One area whereUndisputed shines is its roster. The game includes legends like Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr., Larry Holmes, and Sugar Ray Robinson alongside today’s top stars, including Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Terence Crawford.
The Deluxe edition even throws in fighters like Caleb Plant and Julio César Chávez, bringing even more star power to the ring. Having the ability to fight as an iconicboxing icon is certainly a highlight for avid fans.
However, the game has a minor fail in this area. The fighters look decent enough, but they don't achieve the level of realism that should be in a 2024 game. Sure, the developers succeeded in portraying the likeness to the icons. However, the characters often feel more like polished action figures than true-to-life athletes. All in all, this is an aspect that takes fighting game playersaback but is definitely not a deal breaker.
Its All Exciting, But…
Undisputed has moments where it shines, especially at its inception stages. The AI in the game reacts impressively to your movements, dodging strikes, countering with combos, and keeping you on your toes. Early on, you might find yourself nodding in approval, thinking, Okay, this feels like real boxing.
However, as you face more opponents, you start to notice a lack of consistency. Some fighters are overly passive, refusing to engage, while others are overly aggressive. They throw punch after punch without tiring. This leads to one of the biggest issues with Undisputed: stamina management, which is almost nonexistent. Players can throw endless power punches without penalty, ultimately diminishing the strategy aspect of the game.
In real boxing, managing stamina is key. But in Undisputed, it's not much of a factor. The potential for tactical boxing exists but the gameplay mechanics don't fully support it, leading to a disconnect. Often at times, you will receive a ghost punch while in the middle of a heated exchange. Such events bring a reminder that the game requires some more polishing.
Off-Balance
Undisputed brings an exciting, fast-paced boxing experience, offering players a chance to engage in fluid, strategic battles. The game starts strong with controls that allow for smooth footwork, effective blocking, and well-timed counterpunching. Early fights can feel highly rewarding, especially when you outmaneuver an opponent or land a perfect combination. The overall movement and striking system give a good sense of what boxing should feel like in a fighting video game.
However, as you spend more time with the game, cracks in the mechanics become apparent. While the controls are responsive, there’s an imbalance in how certain moves are executed. Power punches dominate the game, while regular strikes, like jabs, often feel less impactful than they should. This imbalance can make it difficult to use a well-rounded boxing style, as the game seems to reward aggression over precision.
The introduction of the “combo flow” system should have made combinations feel more natural. Unfortunately, it can sometimes result in opponents getting trapped, making defense difficult. This leaves less room for tactical exchanges and counters, as the first fighter to land a combination often gains an overwhelming advantage.
Despite these flaws, there are moments of brilliance in this boxing game. The thrill of dodging a punch and landing a perfectly timed counter keeps the action engaging. When the mechanics align, the gameplay delivers an exciting boxing experience. Still, the game needs refinement to reach its full potential. With tweaks to the balance and mechanics, Undisputed could become a truly strategic boxing title, but for now, it feels more like a work in progress.
Verdict
Deciding whether c is worth your money and time is a complex affair. The game is fun, especially to die-hard boxing fans who've been waiting for a game like this for years. The roster is impressive, the customization options are cool, and the potential for a solid boxing game definitely exists.
However, at the time, Undisputed feels more like a work in progress than a finished product. The bugs, gameplay imbalances, and lack of depth in career mode make it difficult to recommend at full price. If you’re eager to try it, you might want to wait for a few more updates to see if the developers iron out some of these major issues.
For those who are on the fence, the good news is that the developers are actively working on the game. They’re listening to feedback and rolling out updates, so there's hope that Undisputed will improve over time. However, as it stands right now, it’s far from being the fighting game that fans have been dreaming of. In the meantime, if you're looking for a fun boxing experience, Undisputed could scratch that itch. Just don’t expect a masterpiece, at least not yet.