Pride FC

I am a big fan of fighting games, and was therefore looking forward to reviewing THQ’s newest offering, the mixed martial arts game Pride FC. From what I’d heard, it featured intense, no holds barred fighting, in which Vale Tudo – no rules apply – was the name of the game. I was rearing to go.

A detailed recreation of the sport

You need attitude to become a Pride FC fighter

The game is an exact simulation of the Japanese Pride FC tournament, which is very similar to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, although not nearly as well known in our part of the world. It is, however, every bit as brutal as the UFC.

Both tournaments pitch fighters with mixed martial arts backgrounds against each other, to see which style is the best. This results in furious full-contact matches, in which the combatants savagely beat each other senseless. Minimal gloves, no rules – this is real fighting, folks. A win is achieved by knockout our tapout, the latter of which occurs when a fighter gets pinned and has to tap the floor to give up. Pride FC is not a tournament for the faint of heart.

The game is obviously a lovingly crafted recreation of the sport. The presentation is top-notch, with a great lineup of some of the most popular fighters, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, Wanderlei Silva, Renzo and Royce Gracie, Gary Goodridge, Carlos Newton, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. These guys are some of the most dangerous men in martial arts today, and the game does it’s very best to carry that impression to gamers everywhere. It feels almost like watching a real Pride FC show on TV, complete with both Japanese and English presenters, floodlights and very personal entries by the fighters, who all have different musical themes. Fans are in for a treat with this game, but what about the rest of us? Read on to learn more.

It looks good, but not too flashy

Smash you flat!

Let’s begin with a look at the surface of the game. Graphically, it’s quite a pretty package. The fighters are excellent renditions of their real-life selves, although they seem a bit too ‘shiny’. The animation is quite good as well, and every fighter has little quirks that set him apart from the others. The intro sequences are perhaps the most graphically impressive aspect of the game, but they’re also very long and pointless, unless you’re a fan.

In-game, the animation does seem a bit static. While the moves look good, it’s all too evident when the game switches from one animation cycle to the next, making the action look somewhat mechanical. Clipping errors are also common, albeit minor in nature. But at the end of the day, Pride FC remains a good-looking game, although it’s not gonna win any prizes in that department. It is very bloody though, and these effects go a long way to recreating the grittiness of the sport.

You need to love counter-attacks

You'll see a lot of this...

I am, however, in serious doubt about the actual gameplay. This type of fighting relies heavily on getting your opponent locked in various submission holds. He can then execute various counterattacks, turning the fight into a veritable tug of war. While some might find this exciting, I honestly felt like I was playing a slow version of Tekken, in which all the characters were minor variations on King.

Pride FC goes a long way to capture the essence of the tournament, and it does actually succeed very well. But does this make for a good videogame experience? I’m not convinced. Fighting game fans should try this one out before buying, or they might be disappointed. Fans of UFC, K1 or Pride FC are in for a treat, though.

You also need friends

... and in that crucial moment, Wanderlei Silva realised that he would never be able to have kids.

The game offers various modes of play. You get a plain vanilla training mode, in addition to single battle, survival and a Grand Prix tournament mode. The latter is clearly the heart of the game, and is meant for multiple players. The single-player part of Pride FC is lame at best, so you really need to have the mates come over for a few rounds to make the most out of the game. If you play alone, the Grand Prix mode barely works at all, since you have to play one match against the computer, and then watch a long series of A.I matches before you get to play again. You can skip these, but you have to manually do it with each and every one of them. A weird design decision, if you ask me.

If you do have some friends around, things get more interesting. Matches in Pride FC tend to be short and intense. You can actually perform a tapout on your opponent in your very first attack, which is very realistic, and has the benefit that other players need not wait long for their turn.
The game also has an intricate create-a-fighter mode, which lets you make your own combatants. This mode is very detailed and interesting, and really does add to the experience.

Not for everyone

The game really conveys the mood of the tournament

It’s clear that this is really a game made for fans of the sport. It’s also clear that I’m no fan, and that my time with the game hasn’t managed to convert me into one. I actually feel somewhat more estranged now. The game’s intro sequence shows some of the most brutal moments of Pride FC, and I honestly found it quite savage. But that’s a matter of taste.

Pride FC is clearly a solid game, but even though I’m a big fan of fighting games, I didn’t really have much fun with it. Therefore, if the sport does anything for you, buy this game immediately. If you’re anything like me, however, you need to try before you buy. And if you don’t like fighting games, steer well clear of this one.