UFC Undisputed 2010

You can start either by selecting either a technique template base - with choices like Russian (MMA base) and Grappler (BBJ base) - or if you know your triangle chokes from your rubber guards you can jump straight into technique editing. THQ claims UFC 2010 has double the number of submissions, triple the number of ground positions and quadruple the number of standing strikes, and by looking at the moves available in fighter creation I don't think the publisher's exaggerating.

Suffice to say the list of techniques is vast, with players able to map any starting move to an appropriate input. This is more freeform and allows for greater diversity. Plus, when you consider all the extra techniques offered by the new Karate, Sambo and Greco-Roman Wrestling fighting styles, the Mixed Martial Arts badge that Undisputed wears becomes more meaningful.

But with so much versatility, Yuke's obviously needed a strict rule-set to stop anything too broken, and in this sense we've got a point system that limits how many moves a single fighter can have. A few high-level moves are modelled on specific UFC fighters, including Hendo's Right Back Fist and GSP's Head Kick, whereas the rest are more catchall manoeuvres like the Right Karate Back Spin Kick and Gopoplata submission. Apparently some of the new submissions have never been successfully pulled off in the UFC.

So the Create a Fighter mode is shaping up to be a fairly well-rounded improvement, with extra options for South Paws, Navigation Styles and even Dominant Hand selection. But these changes also come in tandem with a new Career Mode. Whereas the wafer-thin story of 2009 was conveyed almost exclusively through text and emails, this time Yuke's wants to immerse you into a cut-scene laden UFC world where the "Game is Watching You". Everything starts out in the World Fighting Alliance (in football terms the Championship compared to the UFC's Premiership) where your fighter is being trained by famed MMA coach Marc Laimon.

From here you'll win a few fights in the WFA before the abrasive Dana White shows up and calls everyone who doesn't fight in the UFC a bitch. He then offers you a chance to relinquish your "bitch" status. This time your fighter also has a voice, with the player deciding on how to vocalise it. So during a pre-fight weigh in against Rampage Jackson you can either show him a little respect or instead insinuate that has mum works night shifts lying down.

Time scheduling between bouts will once again be dictated by the career calendar system. This means the usual micromanagement of strength, speed and cardio attributes, as well as sparring to improve MMA Skills, which will now decay unless certain threshold levels are reached. Fight Camps appear to play a more significant role too, as by training with certain fighters and coaches you can learn advanced techniques which may be exclusive to a particular camp.

There's also a new Game Plan system, which allows your fighter to work on key areas before a fight. So if you're going up against a strong BBJ practitioner, by working on a submission defence plan you'll receive temporary bonus points in the relevant skill areas. And rather than being eternally youthful, the Career mode will now see your fighter age with accumulated muscle damage, making title defences in the later years all the more challenging.

Although our hands-on time was limited to the Exhibition, Create a Fighter, and new Tournament modes, the Career demonstration, at least on the face of it, seems like a worthy venture. I just hope Yuke's has made the story part vaguely meaningful, rather than penning some wince-worthy WWE soap opera [back off, Edwards! -Ed]. But at least in terms of the new online Fight Camps, this feels like a relevant addition and a good way to allow the UFC community to develop gameplay strategies together.

So, as a sequel to one of the biggest surprises of 2009, UFC Undisputed 2010 is shaping up to be as accomplished as its predecessor, and in many ways better - more natural and less scripted. We still need to find out how well it plays online, but with the game due out on 28th May we haven't long to wait.

The only question is, can EA Sports forthcoming MMA title do the unthinkable and TKO the undisputed champion in the second round? I'd say it's about as likely as GSP beating Anderson Silva in a catch-weight super fight. However, as for the up-and-coming UFC 116 Brock Lesnar vs. Shame Carwin? I wouldn't want to call it, but there's no escaping the fact that Shame demolished Mir a whole three minutes quicker than Brock...