Undisputed review

There has been a lot of water under the bridge since the last time we saw a fully licensed boxing sim. That was a staggering thirteen years ago with EA’s Fight Night Champion. Since then, the sport of kings has now entered into more and more big-money partnerships with Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh Season events over the sporting calendar completely changing the complexion and financial rewards available to boxers. There have been huge advances in the technology of gaming consoles. And Tyson Fury still hasn’t fought Anthony Joshua.

After a long gestation period (in early access on Steam), during which developer Steel City Interactive has been making tweaks and garnering feedback, Undisputed is finally here for console players. With the lack of other options, it stands alone in 2024 as the solitary current gen boxing tear-up for gamers. But does it truly deserve to be the undisputed champion of the sweet science?

From the get go, it is very clear that this is a much more measured, slower-paced affair than the EA title that preceded it. A lengthy and comprehensive tutorial shows you how the mechanics of the game, with an emphasis on methodical footwork and timing. There are a huge array of combinations and techniques at your disposal. There is a nice flow to the fights as you balance defence and attack, jabbing away and deciding when to lean in with a powerful hook or uppercut, and you can also target different areas of your opponent depending on their weaknesses. The controls are a combination of face buttons and triggers. You can modify where your punches are directed by pulling LT, and can add power to your attack with the right bumper. There are offensive and defensive manoeuvres available with various flicks of sticks and there is an almost overwhelming amount of possibilities on offer.

The main problem with the entire fighting system is that regardless of which combatant you are working with, their stamina depletes almost comically quickly at times, meaning that sometimes you are left frustrated as your fighter blows up and the bout ends in disappointment or a points decision. This is the strangest thing about Undisputed, as in other areas it is almost too true to real life for its own good at times, which doesn’t translate to a dynamic video game. By this I mean that the physics behind the movement and responsiveness of the fighters do mimic the way they move in real life. Things like reach really matters; there is actually a command to clinch, and it is possible that a bout can descend from a counter-punching all-time classic into an ugly cuddle fest due to the way that bodies interact. I wouldn’t expect to see Usyk or Fury flying around the ring like Balrog, but sometimes the movement just feels unresponsive and slow as you shift momentum from one foot to the other, or recover from throwing the last punch before winding up again. Getting knocked down can also inadvertently lead to disaster even if you still have gas in the tank, as the system for reviving a fallen fighter is a rather tricky analogue stick-based QTE affair that until you get used to, can be quite frustrating as you end up with a decision against you just because your thumbs aren’t co-ordinated enough.

It doesn’t ever seem to let you really whale on your counterpart and lacks the oomph and explosiveness of other boxing titles in the past that have allowed their fighting engine to walk the balance beam of simulation and arcade sensibilities. This means it also lacks a consistent feeling of satisfaction when you really stick one on someone. Sure, there are some nice animations, and it is cool to see someone’s head recoil when you crunch them with a brutal shot to the jaw, or their body visibly react to a organ-damaging body blow, but this doesn’t happen often enough for my liking. I do, however, like the way that you can continuously target and exploit ongoing injuries in a match, and the effects are suitably visibly impressive when you start to blacken an eye or open someone up like a tin of beans.

Indeed, there are a lot of things that Undisputed gets right,. The wealth of licensed fighters and actual real-life belts to go after in the game are seriously impressive, even if there are a few highly noticeable absentees. For those hoping to finally recreate the UK dream match between The Gypsy King and AJ, that’s not possible. The fighters are beautifully recreated, right down to the spot-on way some of them mimic the specific movement styles of their real-life counterparts. You could never confuse Tyson Fury’s lanky, almost awkward boxing style with anyone else, and he moves just like the real thing. There are some legends included like Ali and Marciano, leading to some genuine fantasy bouts. The career mode is a real boxing labour of love and a lot of thought has gone into it, even if it isn’t perfect. You get to create your own prize-fighter from an impressive suite of options that allow you to tweak not only their appearance and physicality but also their boxing style. You can be an ultra defensive counter-puncher, a flamboyant knockout artist, or a brutal Mike Tyson-style “swarmer”, and the various classes do feel very distinct when you experiment with them in battle.

You get to pick a team including boxing staples like your cuts guy, a sporting role that has always fascinated me. There are negotiations around upcoming fights, things like a social media presence to consider, and you also have to be mindful of making weight, getting your training camps right, and upgrading your fighter with an RPG style stats tree. It really misses a trick, however, by not including anything meaningful to do in between actual fights. I longed for some arcade style minigames or training exercises to make levelling up feel like you had earned it. Even something like what Sega did with Virtua Tennis in World Tour mode would have sufficed just to break up the relentlessness of fights and comparative mundanity of the Career menu interface.

In terms of the online play, most of the people I faced off with had chosen the statistically most effective fighters in the game like Canelo or Ali, meaning that there was a lack of variety and good chance that I was going to get my ass handed to me. I do get the feeling that playing this online with mates would be one of its strengths, and the matches I had were stable and enjoyable.

There is much to like about what Undisputed tries to achieve. It is undoubtedly one of the more realistic simulations that I have ever played, and has a superb roster, great presentation and decent looks. It falls down to the canvas with a lack of pizazz and explosiveness. I am not expecting Ready 2 Rumble here, but there is a distinct lack of memorable knockouts, and being able to suspend your disbelief a little and really go to town on someone without getting knackered and running out of gas. It’s not quite a swing and a miss, but Undisputed isn’t the new reigning champ, either.