Blood, Sweat, and Virtual Tears – Spotlight on the UFC Undisputed 3 Home Spaces

by MJG74, HSM Art Director

Regardless of how well a fighter can talk trash about an opponent, or how spectacular an entrance they can make, their performance in the ring is ultimately what they are going to be judged on. And if you think you are going to become a platinum trophy superstar in the upcoming UFC game, you will need all the training you can get.

Thanks to our friends over at Sony and THQ, that training starts now, months before release of UFC Undisputed 3 on January 3, 2012 with the addition of PlayStation Home UFC octagon space.

This is were it all begins, MMA fans! There is no better place to prepare for the big fight, sharpen your brain with UFC trivia, and build your virtual strength with UFC training games than in this new Home Space.

Upon arrival into the UFC octagon, one finds themself in a huge, über masculine space. The visual is so powerful, you can almost smell the testosterone and sweat of all those who have trained there before. Sunken and centered in this space is the well-known chamber of pain – the UFC octagon.

The octagon shape is continued and radiated outward from the center cage to create a low lighted gym, which would even make Rocky Balboa say, “yo!”

The floor is littered with mini games, training and trivia alike, and the walls are adorned with video screens, and game-related décor. Along its perimeter at the entrance, you will find staircases that will lead up to a second floor mezzanine, where one will find the exciting “card” collecting game.

To be the next MMA UFC champion you must train first. The UFC Home space provides ample opportunities to convert your avatar from a pencil-neck geek, into a ripped, knuckle dragging MMA monster!

I started my training with some cardio, on the UFC treadmill. Like any mini game in Home, approach it and select to start. Your avatar will assume the position and it’s time to sweat! The key to a good treadmill run is to press your L1 and R1 buttons in sync with what flashes on your screen. Have a good run, earn some points, then wipe down; there’s a whole lot of training yet to do.

I then continued my training with abdominal development, nothing will get you the virtual six pack faster then the sit-ups simulator. You will recognize the game as a “L “ shape training equipment, with a “UFC Undisputed” mat on the floor and a monitor board standing perpendicular to the mat. The key to completing this part of your training is to watch for the arrows on the indicator board. Using your controller’s D-pad, synchronize the direction as shown on the indicator board, with pressing up, left, right or down. The more you get correct, the more points you acquire, and faster the indicator light will change directions. Be alert and be fast, as the more you miss, you receive a red bar, and once that meter fills up, it’s game over, girly boy!

Once I got my six pack abs, it was time to develop my avatar’s upper body strength. Nothing is more intimidating to your UFC opponent then sporting the big guns! You will accomplish this at two of the UFC Octagon training spots: the push ups and pull ups. Like the sit-up game, you will use your controllers D-pad; synchronize the direction as shown on the indicator, by pressing up, left, right or down.

Next, I polish my strength training by visiting the bench press (note – you may want to get a spotter for this one). This is the point that separates the amateur MMA fighter from the UFC superstar. Once your avatar is situated on the bench, you will want to rapidly press the “X” button on your controller. The more you press the button, the higher you will maintain the strength meter. Keep the meter above the green line at all times to successfully complete this phase of your training.

Let’s not forget that this is MMA – mixed martial arts – and to become the very best you will need strength plus agility. I finished my physical training with some classic speed bag drills. Similar to the way the treadmill game is set up, you will press your L1 and R1 buttons in sync with what flashes on your screen.

All your training will pay off, as the more you train, the more you accumulate points, and you can trade in those points for some very cool UFC avatar swag. Sixteen items are currently up for grabs. These include: female clothing, UFC tattoo, UFC tank top, sports bikini top, briefs, bracelet ,and sun glasses. Male Clothing includes: rash guard top, sun glasses, bracelet, and hat. For your apartment, you have the opportunity to get two UFC posters, UFC bar stool, UFC octagon logo wall sign, UFC Floor mat, UFC bench, and the announcer cut out standee. Also be sure to check out the PlayStation Store, where you will find even more cool UFC virtual items at a low price.

Remember a successful fighter is also a smart fighter; it was time to test my brain power with the UFC trivia game. This is a multiplayer, multiple choice trivia game. Each round consists of ten questions and can be played with up to four people. Be the first to answer each question correctly to accumulate more points. In between training, be sure to go upstairs to the mezzanine level and collect cards of all the top UFC fighters. Collect the entire set of cards to earn more points.

If public training is not your thing and you’d rather train for your next UFC match in private, head on over to the Estate store where you may purchase the UFC apartment. For $4.99 in US dollars, one can enjoy all the equipment of the public gym has to offer in the privacy of your ultra modern apartment.

Once you finished your training, relax by the fireplace and watch some UFC highlights on the flat screen TV above. Take a seat at the bar, or work the bar and have an energy drink. Or just take some time to enjoy the outside on the patio, or by the reflecting pool. Then climb the stairs to the roof top to find lounge chairs, a pool and the UGC (ultimate grilling center).

The UFC apartment is scaled perfectly for decorating, and just big enough to create different entertaining settings. This apartment is bound to become a community favorite.

The UFC octagon and the UFC apartment in PlayStation Home are fantastic and exciting new additions, which I’m sure the entire community will frequent for a very long time. Both private and public spaces offer a range of mini games that are no too hard to complete. The point system and rewards will keep you and your avatar in fighting shape, just in time for the release of the THQ sequel to one of the most popular fighting franchises, UFC Undisputed 3.

Whatever you do, don’t go in alone; be sure to invite your friends over, as there’s much fun to be had with the training and trivia. Finish your visit to the UFC space with an ultimate pose-off with your friends and your new ripped and hard avatar bodies.

July 31st, 2011 by | 9 comments
Michael Goss is the Art Director (emeritus) for HomeStation Magazine. In real life, is a normal member of the human species with some imperfections, but with a strength of ten as well, I kid ye not! He also has been know to exaggerate the details from time to time. His goal is to live fearlessly but finds that kinda difficult with current crop of republicans running for office.

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9 Responses to “Blood, Sweat, and Virtual Tears – Spotlight on the UFC Undisputed 3 Home Spaces”

  1. Burbie52 says:

    Nice job of describing the new spaces MJ. I myself am not a fan of fighting games but I have been to the spaces and think they were well rendered, though I wish you could swim in the pool, and I mean swim, nit walk around in it. One of these days they need to give our avatars that ability, they could even add laps as an exercise in this case. Well done.

  2. Jayson619 says:

    Not for Asia…damn….:(

  3. Joanna Dark says:

    The space has proven to be a very social spot especially at the gifting area for the card game. I hang out there quite a bit personally (beats virtual push-ups when it comes to getting points). :p

    I love the space although the reward system with it’s gender based rewards – landing on male items more than once is a bit frustrating – definitely needs work. Personally I like the Sodium model better when it comes to earning rewards.

    The gifting area should also have a built in chat system which would make socializing a lot easier when actually in game.

  4. CheekyGuy says:

    I personally feel the developers have missed out on many opportunities with regards to this space. The wimming pool, could at least have a swimming race attached to it. The deck chairs by the poolside also, could have animations to which your avatar can actually lounge in them. By the TV area, there is a missed opportunity for a mini UFC, wrestling ‘Practice’ arena based game. The reward system could be more generous towards both sexes, but overall there are some fun games to play in this space. But I would seriously weigh up the pros and cons before purchasing this space.

  5. Halday says:

    Am I the only one who thinks this is a space in progress? The spaces have such great potential. Might there one day actually be a fighting game in the existing ring? And might the pool in my UFC personal space eventually welcome me for some water aerobics. I do enjoy both spaces, and hope for some additions. Both are great spaces to hang out with things to do. However, there is definately room for expansion. As far as the prizes, yeah it would have been nice to have won things that could be used by both sexes. I was not happy wasting time and points to win sunglasses that my female avi cant wear. Nor was I too appreciative of a framed poster of an Octagon Girl. Now if it turned out to be a poster of my actual avatar that would have been different hee hee
    I wish the UFC personal space offered gifts or rewards in exchange for our virtual sweat. Maybe they could add a personal trainer bearing gifts based on results. Who knows, maybe it could even somehow lead to a Home Olympics. I just know I hope it leads to more.

    • cthulu93 says:

      This seems to be a constant thing with many Home spaces,they are functional,sometimes enjoyable,but often leave you feeling like more could have been done or added.Idk if this is a result of rushing to get the spaces out so they can start making money or just not enough planning but the end results are,usually,a feeling that if more options/functionality/items were added these spaces would eat up countless hours of my time instead of just being nice places to visit once in a great while.Options and items are always welcomed by gamers and if they are of a certain quality gamers will be willing to pay a higher price than they would for a”stripped-down” space.

  6. MJG74 says:

    One thing that is easy to forget is that a Home space has technical limitations. We all have our individual wish list,what we would all liked to have seen. Maybe one day with a future update or on a new console, these extras will be achievable. But with as Home the way it is, lets try not focus on the would have, should have , or could haves. but, Take time to explore and investigate each home offering for what they are. Im sure you would all be amazed at all the little details that can be found built into any home space.

    • cthulu93 says:

      Well if it’s technological limits that are holding developers back from making truely great personal spaces then I nominate Lockwood Studios take over all development of personal spaces.In their own words”We are Lockwood,limits mean nothing to us.”

  7. li21si says:

    i cant even use the new ufc space
    or my ufc personal space hope they fix that soon

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