The long-awaited successor to the video game genre of boxing has finally made its debut on January 31st. Undisputed, previously named ESBC (eSports Boxing Club), was first introduced at the WBC’s 81st Annual Convention by video game director Ash Habib, and art director Andy Turner of Steel City Interactive.
Introduced as “an authentic boxing game developed with care by dedicated fight fans, alongside the professional boxing community”, Undisputed provides a 3D boxing experience outfitted with official fighters, officials and sponsors. It features similar gameplay to that of the Fight Night video game series, but further enhances its product with stunningly realistic graphics, various modes of play and a gameplay experience that closely simulates real-life fights.
With the last major boxing game (Fight Night Champion) being released in 2011, this makes it approximately 12 years since an official-licensed boxing game has been launched on the market. Undisputed has been heavily endorsed by a plethora of notable figures including Todd Grisham (best known for his stint as an announcer/host in the WWE), Conor Benn (one of the first and main featured professional boxers of the game), and Jimmy Lennon, who resumes his iconic role as a ring announcer in the video game.
The game showcases more than fifty licensed fighters, several real-life boxing organizations such as the WBC and BBBofC, CompuBox in the form of in-game stats of fights, as well as other brands related to sports equipment or apparel (such as Empire Pro Tape) and the presence of highly-distinguished referee Kenny Bayless. For now, Undisputed is only capable of being played on PC, but it will very likely feature on consoles by its full release.
As the game is still in Early-Access, meaning that the game is still being developed but released as a means to bring in funds – a portion which will be spent on the development of the game – and receive viable feedback for the game to further improve, by allowing players to participate in it. It is currently sold in most parts of the world for a price of $29.99, depending on one’s country’s currency, and available only on the Steam platform, an online market of countless video games in different genres.
There are several features that are unavailable due to its Early-Access status, including the game’s highly-advertised Career Mode which allows a player to create their own fighter and them from the amateurs to the professional ranks of boxing.
Because of this status, we have neglected to put out an official review of our own regarding this game, as in this stage it is far from complete enough to properly rate, but we can give a rudimentary review based on our staff’s experience playing the game.
Overall, the product as it is currently can be deemed satisfactory. Despite the graphics of the people in the game not exactly reflecting that of their real-life counterparts, and the fighting mechanics being too slow and awkward to be realistic, Undisputed provides people with a long-forgotten boxing video game experience that hasn’t been witnessed for over a decade. It certainly has the potential to be great, and for what it is, it can give players a fun experience when battling with their favorite fighters. The licensing that is already present in the game is a major plus, and lays the foundation for even more brands, fighters, officials and organizations to participate which will ultimately only further magnify the quality of Undisputed.
With full transparency, the game is not actually worth $29.99 based on the elements it features, and lacks, but given the price will likely increase by the time of its full release, it is an investment that can be considered worth the money, given what the game can become.
It is also noteworthy that Undisputed aims to put the real-time graphic motion designs that are incorporated in all of the latest highest-quality video games, into a boxing game. The effects of damage by a punch, for example, can already be seen in Undisputed, and the finished product will therefore incorporate this feature extensively. This would make Undisputed one of the most realistic sports games on the planet, once it is fully released, which only further demonstrates the potential of the video game.
Another key thing to point out is that the video game will likely not feature any sequel video games, but instead regular updates. In that sense, not only can it then offer players the ability to play for years to come, it will continuously undergo improvement, more so than that of other major sports games such as FIFA and NBA 2K who regularly release new titles with little substantive improvements. Undisputed is therefore set to change the entire concept in how video games are consumed, and played in the next decade orso.
