"Ladies and gentlemen, we are live! This is the Main Event of the evening. IT'S TIME!" -
You cannot help but feel the adrenaline rush as you step into the ring as your favourite UFC fighter and here the voice of the octagon, say those immortal words!

UFC 2009 Undisputed is the latest effort from THQ who have been largely responsible for publishing the majority of the WWE wrestling games out there. However unlike most of WWE games I have played, UFC 2009 Undisputed feels fluid, realistic and easy to control. The game is based on the ever popular Ultimate Fighting Championship which is a Mixed Martial Arts Franchise.

Now at the great annoyance of my wife I have found it extremely difficult to put this game down. There is something so wrong, yet so right about the buzz you get from repeatedly kicking your opponent in the head! Another thing which my wife cringes at is the realistic injuries which can be inflicted upon the fighters, including cuts and bruises! Thankfully for the feint hearted out there who may find this all a bit too much, there is a setting which you can use to turn the blood effects off.

Within the game there is a single player career mode which allows you to create your own fighter and use to climb your way to the top of the championship, or there is exhibition mode where you can choose from over 80 real UFC fighters in which to do battle with, including your own fighter creations. Finally there is a historic mode which challenges you to recreate fights in the exact same way as real UFC fights.

The create a fighter feature is very in depth. It allows you to choose from 3 striking styles (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai) and 3 grappling styles (Wrestling, Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo). In addition to this you can customise your fighter's appearance to resemble yourself or perhaps someone you always dreamed you could drag into the UFC octagon for a one on one. Lastly, there are 5 weight classes to choose from which guarantees to keep you interested by mixing up different classes and fighting styles.

The graphics are very impressive as the UFC fighters have been accurately produced and are instantly recogniseable. The controls are very easy to pick up and you will soon feel the force of each blow you deliver in a very satisfying manner.

My only criticism of the game is that the management style within the career mode, where you have to train your fighter, can become very repetitive and the Xbox Live option is very 'laggy' and sometimes unplayable as the controls are so unresponsive.

In summary, this is a good game if you like fighting games and whether you want to spend hours making the perfect fighter or minutes having a quick fight with your friend it is sure to please!