Ultimate Fighting Championship: Throwdown (GameCube)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 08/06/2002
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 07/29/2002
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ultimate Fighting Championship: Throwdown (GameCube) Review

Crave's games based on the mixed martial arts competition, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have already appeared on the other current consoles. The series got its start as a refreshing Dreamcast game that had the pick-up-and-play appeal of a typical fighting game while still remaining reasonably true to the sport. Now the GameCube is getting its turn with a UFC game. Fans of the previous games in the series will find little new here, but if you've been holding out on buying the game until it came to the GameCube, then this rendition of Throwdown should serve you just fine.

UFC offers a number of different modes of play, all revolving around short, brutal bouts between two opponents. The arcade mode simply pits you against all the different fighters until you lose a fight. Championship mode breaks up the proceedings by weight class. Tournament mode lets you set up elimination-style tournaments for up to eight players. Exhibition mode is for setting up any fight you want for two, one, or no players (you can just watch the computer go at it). Training mode gives you a chance to practice your moves. The career mode is the deepest mode in the game, giving you the opportunity to design and create a rookie fighter and take him up through the ranks. You'll choose from different skin tones and trunk styles, and you'll be able to assign a fighting style and earn moves as you progress. The sparring in this mode earns you points that can be spent to raise your fighter's abilities in a few different categories, such as stamina, punch, kick, and wrestling.

The fighting in UFC Throwdown combines the four-button scheme from Tekken with the regenerating life meters of a boxing game. You have to worry about your stamina, which drops every time you execute a move and gradually recovers when you stand still. Losing stamina is the same as losing life, so punching a whole lot sets you up for a fall in the form of a one-blow knockout. So it's important to know when to back off. The rounds are short enough that this rarely becomes an issue with the professional fighters, but early fights in the career mode require you to think about your stamina an awful lot, making for an interesting tactical twist.

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