19-May-2002 Pain, blood, more pain. And then a bit more blood
Getting your todger caught in your flies might seem excruciatingly painful to ordinary folk, but UFC fighters do that every morning when they wake up, just for a laugh. Because they're that hard. But having your privates maimed is nothing compared to the kind of agony your opponents in Tapout are aiming to inflict on you. They want to turn your face into a bloody pulpy paste and hammer away at you till your nose caves in and you're knocked out cold. And if that doesn't work, they'll try to slam you onto the mat and wrench your limbs to breaking point. Welcome to the sweet, sweet world of Ultimate Fighting.
TITO TAKEDOWN You're Tito Ortiz, a submission fighting expert. Kickboxing guru Chuck Liddell is smacking you in the head with an onslaught of crushing roundhouse kicks. You keep your guard up and wait for the right moment to dive in and take him down to the mat. Blow for blow, Chuck's got the upper hand in a fight because of his speed and kicking range. But just as Chuck's leg twitches for another kick you unleash a rapid punch combo, catching him off guard, sapping his stamina, allowing you to wrestle him to the floor and pin him down by sitting on his chest.
Chuck's still got some fight in him though, and starts cracking you upside the head. But being on top is a big advantage, and your attacks carry more weight.
Finally you drain another fat chunk of his energy and wrap him up in a leg lock, forcing him to signal his painful submission with a tapout. This is the beauty of UFC: Tapout – as you get rewarded with a real hardcore buzz when you choose to fight tactically and play to the strengths of your chosen fighter. Well, when you win, that is.
REALITY CHOKE We like Tapout's gritty realism a lot. The majority of the action is spent toe to toe. There aren't the insane, gravity-defying, flamboyant moves of your average beat 'em up. Here it's all trading heavy blows, wrestling on the floor and whacking the crap out of one another in a viciously intimate blood-bath. And the action feels all the more real for the brilliantly fluid character interactions, especially when brawling on the mat, trading punches, countering, and rolling around trying to escape a tapout manoeuvre.
There is a flip-side. UFC suffers in the speed department. The action is much slower than in the likes of VF4 and DOA3, which may be a major turn-off for fans of the big name beat 'em ups.
STRIPPED OF A CAREER On top of that, Xbox Tapout lacks the Dreamcast version's Training and Career modes. The action is tough to begin with, and a tutorial to help you hone your moves would've been handy. And though there are four tournaments to pummel your way through, a Career mode would have given Tapout the lifespan it lacks.
The Create A Fighter option is basic and doesn't let you invent truly insane-looking characters. A shame, but if intense, close-up, bone-crunching mayhem is what you're after, the cage-fighting chaos of Tapout won't disappoint.
Michael Cooper
// Overview
Verdict
No frills, brutal, and in your face. Tapout isn't big on charm or grace, but for realistic and bloody brawling, it rocks.
Grappling and holding your own on the mat is one of the most important techniques to master in UFC. Fights are won or lost in a matter of seconds here. If your fighter is a wrestling or submissions expert, get on top and keep pounding till you get a chance to land a submission hold. But if you're the one taking the beating, and your fighter's main strength is standing action, you'll have to try to counter and get yourself off the mat sharpish, otherwise it's game over.
Going for the kill you slam your opponent to the mat
Once you hit the floor, you manoeuvre into position...
...landing punches and elbows
Batter the other guy's stamina down a bit, then it's time to move in for the kill
Jeez! Just as you grab his leg for a submission move, the slippery goon manages to wriggle out
But you pound the sucker on the back of his head
With his energy sapped some more you grab him by the neck and roll him
Which is the perfect opportunity to nail a chokehold and force a tapout
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