Ultimate Fighting Championship is a set of two video games based on theUltimate Fighting Championshipmixed martial arts promotion. One version was released for home consoles by developerAnchor forSegaDreamcast in August 2000. This version was ported toPlayStation by Opus in November. A separate version was released forGame Boy Color by developer Fluid Studios in November of the same year. The game was published byCrave Entertainment in North America, byUbi Soft in Europe, and byCapcom for Dreamcast and PlayStation versions in Japan.
The Dreamcast version received "generally favorable reviews", just two points shy of "universal acclaim", while the PlayStation version received "mixed" reviews, according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[8][9] Dan Morris ofNextGen said of the former console version in its October 2000 issue, "No-holds-barred fighting gets a world-class Dreamcast translation, with gameplay that's both lifelike and exciting."[33] Five issues later, however, Daniel Erickson said in his review of the latter console version, "IfUltimate Fighting Championship had first appeared on PlayStation, we might have been more impressed with its originality and more likely to overlook some of its glaring flaws. After the excellent Dreamcast version, however, all we can see is how much worse this PlayStation outing is."[34]Edge, however, gave the former console version four out of ten, saying, "Lacking in the humour ofWWF's absurd pantomime, Crave's title occupies an alien middle ground that can be difficult to digest, and even with its supposed plethora of moves, it's hard to develop any attachment. While it's obvious why shortsighted codeshops will never go wrong appealing to the lowest common denominator, you have to wonder whether titles based on moral ground as shaky as this are actually worthy of featuring anything innovative anyway."[36] In Japan,Famitsu gave it a score of 32 out of 40 for the former console version,[20] and 24 out of 40 for the latter one.[21] Four-Eyed Dragon ofGamePro said of the Dreamcast version in one review, "Getting bruised has never been so much fun. The fights get intense and the adrenaline pumps tenfold, whether you're playing the computer or a friend. This is the ultimate fighting champion."[37] In anotherGamePro review, The D-Pad Destroyer said of the same console version, "Going out on a limb here,UFC is absolutely the best fighting/wrestling game yet. When you put aside the pomp and circumstance of wrestling and the beat-mania button mashing of games likeTekken, you end up withUltimate Fighting Championship to show you where the real meat is."[38][d]
The Dreamcast version was a runner-up for the "Best Dreamcast Game" and "Best Sports Game (Alternative)" awards atGameSpot's Best and Worst of 2000 Awards, both of which went toNFL 2K1 andTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.[39][40] Conversely, the PlayStation version was nominated for the "Most Disappointing Game" and "Worst Game" awards, both of which went toShenmue andSpirit of Speed 1937; the staff dubbed the game "a pixellated, stiffly playing abomination."[41][42] In2001, the Dreamcast version was a finalist for theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "Console Fighting" award, which ultimately went toDead or Alive 2.[43] The same console version won the award for "Best Console Fighting Game" atThe Electric Playground's Blister Awards 2000.[44]
^Einhorn, Ethan (March 2001)."Ultimate Fighting Championship (GBC)"(PDF).Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 140. Ziff Davis. p. 118.Archived from the original on March 9, 2001. RetrievedMay 2, 2024.
^Dudlak, Jonathan (January 2001)."Ultimate Fighting Championship (PS)".Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 138. Ziff Davis. p. 207. RetrievedDecember 23, 2021.
^Four-Eyed Dragon (October 2000)."UFC (DC)"(PDF).GamePro. No. 145.IDG. pp. 142–43.Archived(PDF) from the original on September 26, 2022. RetrievedMay 2, 2024.
