Undisputed Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos, Top Features for the Boxing Video Game | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Undisputed by developer Steel City Interactive, the dry spell for boxing fans ends.

The project, backed by publisher Deep Silver, is the first licensed game for the sport since 2011, when EA released Fight Night Champion.

Interestingly, the fact that it was originally called eSports Boxing Club speaks to the game's obvious original goals. But over development and early access, a career mode, some live service sensibilities, and plenty of licensed goodness have been added.

Upon release, the game certainly hopes to compete with its namesake in the minds of casual and even hardcore boxing fans.

Undisputed features a huge roster of licensed boxers, probably larger than most efforts in the past. There is also a lot of focus on licensed trainers, managers and even cutmen.

This is obvious at first glance, as some of the sport's biggest stars are instantly recognizable.

Overall, however, Undisputed is visually impressive. It largely manages immersion in the ring by handling must-haves like lighting, shadow work and physics quite well. Boxers glisten with sweat that flies through the air as fighters take a hit, damage is dealt and the sound design is strong.

Although there are only a handful of arenas to start with, they are varied and always visually interesting. The trainers and such closest to the right during a fight are very detailed, while the crowds actually watching the fight are sometimes blurred to give a nice display distance and a sense of scale.

It all fits together well, especially because the game features some broadcast-like camera angles around the arena and during fighter intros. But there are also some problems, such as a seemingly missing sound at times and a roaring crowd that doesn't always match what's happening in the ring.

While some boxing games in the past have felt more arcade-like, with most of the selectable characters feeling largely the same, that's simply not the case here.

Just like in real life, size, speed and other characteristics have a big impact on gameplay. That's why it's imperative and important to adapt your strategy individually for each opponent.

For obvious reasons, there's a stamina meter to keep an eye on, although there seems to be more strategy incorporated into the idea than in previous boxing games. Players can try to regenerate the meter more than usual at the end of the round by throwing fewer punches, using a clinch, or going to the knees, although there is a lot of risk in all of these approaches.

The gameplay goes beyond just the basic understanding of blocking and looking for an opening. The use of slips is just as important as footwork.

In fact, it's the footwork that's perhaps the most interesting thing here. Options like loose and flat foot dictate the how and why of movement, giving players more options and control than most previous offerings.

A riot mechanism is where boxing games have seriously stumbled in the past. Undisputed asks players to line up both trigger buttons in green areas that move independently of each other. It's certainly not the worst version of the mechanic ever, even if it could end up polarizing because of its difficulty – but that's what happens when boxers get knocked down in real life, right?

It will be interesting to see if the overall reaction paints Undisputed as more of an arcade-feeling offering rather than a simulation. Either way, the immense control over each boxer is impressive, and there's broad, entertaining appeal for casual players as well as a nice depth to explore.

The premise of Career Mode will come as no surprise – players start at the bottom of the ladder and must work their way up. Important decisions such as the hiring of trainers and doctors play a major role.

There's also an interesting level of strategic decision-making there that goes beyond the simple stat bars. Working with a new manager or trainer means that any improvements acquired over time must be spent together – but the result could be more attribute slots with a new person, albeit at a fresh start.

Players also have a degree of control over battle completions. This is where more strategy and player selection come into play. Not getting enough rest between fights can lead to disaster in the ring. Hitting above your own weight class or level can pay off, but it can also backfire. Focus on fame instead of training, ditto.

Other important licensing details include major organizations such as the World Boxing Council (WBC) and The Ring magazine, meaning championships earned by them can be won.

Despite the impressive choice left to players, career mode feels rather basic. That doesn't mean it is like that bad– But career modes in games have gone overboard in the last decade when it comes to cutscenes and trying to tell narratives. As a result, this is in no way consistent with the personality or tone of those older Fight Night games.

But that was almost to be expected for a game named after an esports competition. It's still nice to have a choice and quite worthwhile character creation tools.

These creation tools manage not only appearance, but also movement and fighting styles, as well as statistics. And there's a staggeringly long list of the latter, with players truly capable of refining their creations to small degrees in a refreshing way.

Beyond careers, prizefights offer players a great deal of modern replay value. These are timed events with different modifiers, e.g. B. permissible rule sets or boxers that are updated regularly.

Quick Matches allow players to customize venues, rounds and rulesets, while online leaderboards provide the creative environment much of the audience craves.

Undisputed starts with a smooth tutorial and lots of options, be it different control schemes or other details of the experience. It runs well, although there can sometimes be glitches on the internet, which is problematic in one-on-one scenarios like this.

The game promises both free content updates and paid DLC in the future, laying a foundation for potential expansion to an already impressive package.

Undisputed is a welcome, authentic journey back into the world of boxing in the video game space.

While there are flaws, such as the barebones career and performance in some places, they're also not entirely unusual for a sports game making its debut – the game's very public development over the years suggests plenty of updates to come there.

More importantly than anything else, Undisputed is just plain fun to play, and spending even a little time with it makes it clear that it's a passionate product of fans of the sport.

Despite currently winning the “undisputed” vacant title by default, Undisputed is setting the bar high for itself and anyone else brave enough to step into the ring with it.