20-Apr-2003 The world's toughest prepare for supreme beats
We've been banging on about Pride being something to keep an eye on for the last few months here at CVG. Well, now it's arrived and we've been keeping more than just an eye on it - our hands have been clamped around the pads and only a particularly painful leg lock will make us submit to stop playing.
DO KEEP UP In case you haven't heard about it yet, Pride is a real mixed martial arts contest that is currently huge in Japan where live bouts can play to crowds of over 50,000 people. Fighters from around the globe compete in each contest. Best of all, the fighter can be a master of whatever discipline he wants, whether it's kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu or... you name it.
It all makes for a great sport and a cool game too, due to a wide roster of fighters to choose from and plenty of devastating moves. What's more, any attacking move can be countered or reversed, making bouts flow satisfyingly back and forth.
Reversals are important as most fights are won by making your opponent submit by putting them in a very painful hold. Pride boasts a smart control system, similar to the one in the UFC series, but the wealth of fighting styles makes it the more impressive game.
The blood-spattered icing on the cake is the training mode, which helps separate the button-bashers from the dedicated and the bonus of one of the better Create-A-Fighter modes we've seen. You might not know the real sport well, but this is still a realistic fighter worth picking up.
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