- So it has finally happened! UFC 2009 the game has finally hit the shelves and yours truly was one of the first in line at the midnight release at a local Gamestop. Plenty of people were awaiting lined up outside the door. Well as soon as I got it home I tore into it and loaded it up. The opening little movie sequence is worth checking out it definitely hyped me up even more to finally get in the cage. I went right into an exhibition match, I am a Rampage Jackson fan so naturally I picked him and of course I had to do a rendition of the Rampage V.S. Griffin fight so that was the match up. I was kind of disappointed there was no entrance animation for walking to the ring with your music blaring and the lights dimmed, but eh that’s just a small gripe. Bruce Buffer does his introductions as always and the bell rings! The game play is smooth I could not imagine it getting much better, although the transition moves on the ground are kind of difficult to understand and sometimes feel unresponsive. The animations are flawless the characters are so life like it’s crazy not to mention the battle damage rendered after a few strikes to the face and the bruising to the body is remarkable. Well I ended the fight with a late first round K.O. with a strong knee to the face, I was stoked now that is how that fight should have ended.

- The create a character mode was the thing I was most looking forward to, I love making the game my own by creating a likeness of myself in it. When creating a new character the menu is a little weird to navigate but you’ll get use to it rather quickly. The depth of the character creating however was less than what I had hoped but not a total let down, although the tattoo’s could have had a much better selection. I also think it could have used a personality choice option, like maybe your a trash talker like Rampage or Tito, or maybe your that like-able guy like Forest Griffin but unless I missed it somewhere it just seems to randomize your expressions.

-The Career Mode is very detailed it covers everything from training and sparring with your fighter to picking out your training camps, attaining your sponsors and designing your trunks. All that was expected to be in a MMA fighters career is included. My only complaint here is, to notice any progress requires a lot of reading via your fighters email, there did not seem to be any cut scenes or anything rewarding like that but I only got about 5 fights into my career.

Rogen. All the MMA fighting styles are present and includes a huge list of fighters to choose from. This game is a definite must have for all MMA fans and for fans of the fight genre. This game should have a choke hold on the competition for a long time to come.