It’s been a while since I could say that a game legitimately got much worse once it exited beta onPCfor its full launch for consoles, but theUndisputed1.0 launch has been worse than underwhelming for me; it’s become downright unplayable. While I’ve enjoyed the updates to the career mode, the online multiplayer portion of the title — something that I used to enjoy, hasdevolved into something that doesn’t resemble the Sweet Science anymore.
Although it appears that the developers of the game, Steel City Interactive, are aware of the serious game-breaking issues, it doesn’t look like there’s a proper sense of urgency in an industry lacking any real boxing game competition. As it stands, I think I’ll stop playing what wassupposed to be aFight Nightrivalafter investing 162 hours into the game, at least until things are fixed.
Undisputed Online Multiplayer Is Broken
But Not For The Reasons You Think
During theUndisputedbeta, it was more than possible to pull off slick combos and use regular punches or stick to the outside and eventually KO or outpoint your opponent. In the latest iteration of the game, however, this has translated towinging power blows with any character becoming the meta. This isn’t the Sweet Science I enjoyed in the beta, and it reduces matches to incoherent slug fests. The idea that the creators of the game think it’s ready for eSports is pretty laughable, at least in its current state.
I constantly found myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all as my opponent and I waited patiently to land that next power hook. Fans of boxing should find the awkward all-out swinging and grunting pretty funny — or sad, depending on perspective.
In addition to this, there’s just something wrong with punch accuracy that generally makes the game feel bad at times.Slipping and countering results in a miss way too often, and only certain boxers seem to be able to land with any consistency. Many people point to the net code, which is certainly an issue at times, but I think it might be more of an issue with the actual physics and mechanics of the game. Regardless, it has resulted in a pretty underwhelming experience, and I’ve stayed away from the ranked ladder as a result.
Desync issues have been a problem since the beta, and it can totally ruin a bout. From getting punched with 10 feet of distance between boxers to getting KOed from a phantom punch and the knockdown animation failing to display, ifUndisputedis supposed to be picking up the mantle of boxing games, I’m not sure boxing games are for me anymore. The entire experience made me wish that theFight Nightfranchise was revived.
Please Fix The Bronze Bomber
Deontay Wilder Is OP As Heck
When I first started up 1.0, I wanted to get back into the swing of things by facing off against a Deontay Wilder CPU. Man, was that a mistake. The boxer is miserably broken right now, andif you’re playing Heavyweight online and not picking Wilder, you’re doing it wrong.Choosing Deontay Wilder to fight against on Undisputed difficulty was probably the silliest thing I could have done, as he completely obliterated my Tyson Fury in two rounds by spamming his power straight and body hooks, which ultimately evaporated the ex-heavyweight champ. Online heavyweight matches go about the same way.
Steel City says that it’s going to update the game in mid-December in a blog post, but leaving the multiplayer broken for months after the official release just feels like a bad introduction to people picking up the game for the first time.
In the beta, I’d reserve power punching for the end of combinations or as a sneaky way to get in an ultra-powerful body hook connection. At one point in the beta, Fury’s power straight was completely broken, and I learned that I could lean a certain way to avoid the super long windup to throw a power straight nearly instantly. Now Deontay Wilder is gifted with that godly straight right, except this time, it goes right through the guard, regardless of who is against him.
Undisputed Continues Troubling Game Trend That I Think Will Absolutely Tank The Game
Undisputed was supposed to take up the mantle for the next big thing in the world of combat sports games, but one move may prove fatal.
Playing the heavyweight-ranked ladder is just a complete mess right now, and with limited weight classes available, it’s keeping me away from the game mode entirely. It doesn’t feel good to get knocked silly by a zero-skill spammer, and even if it is possible to somehow overcome with the perfect timing and combinations, it’s just as easy to throw that out the window and pick Wilder and spam instead. Until this major issue is fixed, I just can’t bring myself to play the weight class.
A Terrible First Impression For Boxing Fans
An Update Mid-December Is Too Late
With the constant cycle of games releasing every month, the only saving grace forUndisputedis that it’s a boxing game. Usually, any sort of game that is released in such a rough state might be relegated to a distant memory for the gamers who decide to try it, but in the case ofUndisputed, it has the benefit of being one of the onlyrealmodern boxing games that people can play on PC or console. Furthermore, its status as a “boxing simulation” makes it even more unique among its peers and a title that should appeal a lot to actual combat sports or boxing fans.
I’ve playedUndisputedsince the earliest beta, and at one point, non-power punches felt much more crisp, with missed connections way less frequent.
Sadly, in gaming, execution matters — and in the case of simulation and sports games, it matters a lot.PlayingUndisputedonline is just not fun right now. A sub-par netcode results in phantom punches that can decide the outcome of a match, along with the invincible Deontay Wilder and the fact that people can’t even use DLC characters (which they paid extra for) online means thatUndisputedhas a long way to go before becoming the undisputed champion of anything.
According to rumors (viaGameRant), EA may be developing the next game in theFight Nightfranchise, which could deal a devastating power shot toUndisputed.Similar rumors have happened over the years, including one rumor in 2022 thatFight Nightwas put on hold forUFC 5.
Worst of all, I’m not even sure how they could fix it. Although I just pointed out a bunch of things that are wrong with the state of the game, there’s just a general feeling the game isn’t entirely too fun to play. It has to do with the punches and mechanics, and while the movement feels better than in arguably any other combat sports game, punches are just as important. I’m not sure if they can roll it back to a prior state or if that would even fix anything, but something needs to change.
Best Fighting Games (Updated 2023)
Have you been looking for a game where you can test out your competitive skills? If so, check out our list of the best fighting games as of 2023.
Steel City says that it’s going to update the game in mid-December in anUndisputedblog post, but leaving the multiplayer broken for months after the official release just feels like a bad introduction to people picking up the game for the first time.Undisputedprobably has one more chance to capture fans around the holidays, so I’m hoping this mid-December patch update will make the game feel good again.
