UFC: Throwdown (Playstation 2 version)
(version 0.02, October 01, 2003)
FAQ Author: Steve Reeves,
[email protected]
FAQ Copyright:
You may distribute this FAQ freely so long as you notify me at the above
address that you have put it on the site. You may not distribute this FAQ if
you charge for it, or if you MODIFY IT IN ANY WAY. If you'd like to publish
this FAQ, modify it, etc... please get in contact with me at the above e-mail
address and we'll work something out. If you e-mail me and don't get response
from me, e-mail me again. Silence does not constitute acceptance to whatever
was said in the e-mail. But please wait a reasonable amount of time. I don't
need to get nine e-mails per day from you as you ask if you can modify the FAQ
in some way. Oh yeah.. and... FAQ material copyright 2002 by Steve Reeves,
unless otherwise noted.
FAQ Author's Note: I'm typing a good deal of this FAQ just from my memory, so
if I omit a detail, overlook something or make an error, please e-mail me and
let me know.
FAQ Table of Contents:
Section 0: Miscellanious Stuff
0.1 Introduction to UFC: Throwdown
0.2 Thanks and Credits
0.3 FAQ Revisions
0.4 A Short Biography of the Author
Section 1: Game Basics
1.1 Game Controls
1.2 Fighter List
Section 2: Game Modes & Secrets
2.1 Create-A-Fighter
2.2 Comparison of Styles
2.3 Secrets of the Game
-------------
SECTION 0: Miscellanious Stuff
0.1 INTRODUCTION TO UFC: THROWDOWN
UFC: Throwdown is based on the real life UFC (Ultimate Fighting
Championship) organization. It features real fighters from the
organization (Carlos Newton, Tito Ortiz, etc.) as well as Legends who no
longer compete in UFC. UFC is what's called Mixed Martial Arts competition.
Anything goes.. any style goes. Karate, Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Sambo.. anything
you can think of. Obviously, every fighting style there is couldn't be
included in the game, but I'm quite satisfied with the styles they did
include. It's a good mix of real life styles. The only one I wish they
included that they didn't was Jeet Kune Do. (Bruce Lee's personal variation
on Kung Fu, for those who don't know.)
This is the third UFC game released, but the first for Playstation 2.
It seems to me to be the best. However, as a side note, this isn't the first
game of this type released. Several years ago (about 1997), there was a
Japanese-only game released called Fighting Network: R*INGS for PSX. It was
very similar to this game in some respects. (I actually do own a copy of it.)
I like to think R*INGS, which was a good game in it's own right, is a proud
ancestor of the UFC fighting games.
0.2 THANKS AND CREDITS
First and foremost, thanks to Crave and Opus for releasing such an
incredible game. You guys rock!
Second, a big thanks goes out to Kevin Love (
[email protected]) as a
huge contributor to this FAQ.. while I didn't directly lift anything from
his FAQ, his FAQ is what I read right when I first got UFC: Throwdown ..
and the FAQ helped me figure a ton of stuff out. I just feel his FAQ is
lacking in a few areas, and would like to improve upon it. But, let me just
reiterate this.. I DID NOT LIFT ANYTHING FROM HIS FAQ. THIS FAQ IS MY
ORIGINAL WORK. I'd also suggest you look over his FAQ, as it is very well
written and helpful. Kevin Love's FAQ can be found at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/13692.html
Finally, I give a huge "Thank You!" to the GameFAQ Throwdown Message
board. They answered my dumb questions, and reading older threads helped
quite a bit.
0.3 FAQ REVISIONS
Version 0.01 of this FAQ was never released. I basically found it on my
computer, in the form you see. It seems fairly complete to me, so I cleaned
up the formatting a bit, made a few grammar and spelling corrections and now
it's good to go. For those who care, Version 0.01 was written on July 29
and 30th, 2002. I finally got around to releasing it on October 1, 2003.
I really need to be more punctual about this stuff. :>
I'm not positive this game is played much anymore.. I've personally switched
over to Pride FC now.. but if there's a demand, I'll definately update this
FAQ, as I still own my copy of UFC Throwdown. (I don't like trading games
in... I have pretty much every video game I've ever owned. :> )
0.4 A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
My name is Steve Reeves, and I'm this FAQ's author. I only have one
other FAQ under my belt.. a little distributed FAQ for the old Aliens vs.
Predator arcade game. I didn't even do most the writing.. I collaborated
with a friend, who did most the writing. (Don't bother looking for this
FAQ, you won't find it. It was written prior to widespread internet
access.. and even I don't have a copy of it.) I hope you enjoy
my second shot at a FAQ. Please e-mail me with any incorrect information
or oversights.
SECTION 1: GAME BASICS
1.1 Game Controls
The controls for this game are quite simple, but allow you to do very
cool things.
Use the analog stick or control pad to move your fighter. I find using the
analog stick all the time to be the best option, as it's very hard to do step
moves with the control pad, and it's a pain to switch over to the analog stick
for just one move. Pull back to block, just like in Capcom's Street Fighter
series. (Keep in mind, though.. "back" refers to whatever direction makes
your fighter walk backwards. ie, if his back is to you, then down would
block. If he's facing left, right would block, etc.) One last note on
blocking.. there is no "high" or "low" blocking like many other fighting
games. Just pull back and you'll block whatever comes your way.
As for the attacks...
Triangle: Right Punch
Square: Left Punch
Circle: Right Kick
X: Left Kick
This is especially useful, as it's easy to throw complex combos. (My
Kickboxer, for instance, has a combo.. R. Punch, L. Punch, R. Punch,
L. Kick .. and it's very easy.. just tap four buttons and you've just
done about 15% damage.)
A Note About Combos.. (I couldn't find a better place for this) .. you need to
hit them very quickly .. when I first started playing, I'd wait until my
fighter had completely thrown the punch or kick and then hit the second combo
button... you won't do combos this way. You need to tap them out very quickly
to make sure they "fire" correctly. It seems it's possible, in contrast to
other fighting games, to block part of a combo. (Get hit twice, then block
the remaining two hits, for example.. or block the first two and get hit by the
remaining two.)
POSITIONS:
There are several basic positions...
STANDING: Fully upright.
FULL MOUNT TOP: You're straddling your opponent, essentially sitting on his
stomach. Very advantageous.
FULL MOUNT BOTTOM: The receiving end of Full Mount Top. Very prone. A few
fighters can pull off submissions from this position.
GUARD TOP: You're on your knees, with your opponent's legs wrapped around
your torso. Very advantageous.
GUARD BOTTOM: On the bottom, your legs wrapped around the opponents torso.
Be careful, some fighters (particularly Carlos Newton) can get a surprise
submission in this position.
BACK MOUNT TOP: Your opponent on your hands and knees, you're straddling
his back. Extremely advantageous. Nearly impossible for your opponent to
block attacks.
BACK MOUNT BOTTOM: You're on your hands and knees, with your opponent on your
back. Get out of this position as fast as possible. Very few fighters have
submissions from this position.
A note about positions: You can attempt to roll your opponent over by hitting
X + Square or O + Triangle. Sometimes these are replaced with submission
moves. You can also rotate the left analog stick to break the mount.
(Usually it breaks it entirely.. but some.. like Back Mount Bottom.. are just
rolled into another position.. Full Mount Bottom in this case.)
STEP MOVES:
Step moves are easy. Simply tap the analog stick either forward or back
and hit an attack button while your fighter is moving, and you'll do a new
attack. I have trouble consistently getting step moves off, though.
TAKEDOWNS:
Takedowns are easy. X + Square or O + Triangle will perform a takedown.
The same key combinations will also block an attempted takedown. Depending
on your fighting style, you may get other, specific takedowns. Pro Wrestlers,
for instance, get a front suplex takedown which is a specific key combination.
Jiu Jitsu fighters get a weird jumping takedown. Some special takedowns
appear to be unblockable. (If they are blockable, please e-mail me letting
me know how. The standard way described above doesn't seem to work. For
instance, I've never been able to block the Front Suplex takedown.)
SUBMISSIONS:
Submissions are also easy. The same key combinations for takedowns will
perform submissions. Again, it depends verty much on the specific fighter
what submissions you get. They all start out with a set of generic
submissions that can be modified. Here's an example of some generic
submissions:
GRAPPLING: X + Square for a front facelock submission.
FULL MOUNT TOP: X + Square or O + Triangle for an armbar.
GUARD TOP: O + Triangle for a leglock
There's more, but that's just to give you an idea.
Getting out of a submission is a little confusing. If they go for an armbar,
or something similar, you just need to hit circle + triangle and that usually
breaks. I haven't found a way to consistently break leg submissions, though.
This next part _IS_ taken from Kevin Love's FAQ on Throwdown, concerning
submissions. It doesn't seem to work well for me, but I'll include it here.
This _will_ be removed if Kevin so requests it.
"Triangle + Square: Counter a Strike or Upper Submission
Circle + X: Counter a Strike or Lower Submission"
That's the odd part.. triangle + square doesn't seem to work, but circle +
triangle does... so I'm confused as to this part. If anyone can clarify,
please e-mail me.
STUNNING & GRAPPLING:
Grappling isn't mentioned anywhere in the manual or in any FAQ I've seen,
so this is my best guess on it. Stunning and Grappling go together. When you
stun someone, for a brief second, you're able to grapple them.
Stunning is (in theory) easy. You connect with a kick or punch, and the
opponent slumps forward, almost falling to his knees. This is your chance to
grapple him. Once again, your moveset changes when the opponent is slumped.
I've found that the default Right Kick works well to stun. You can also
get stunning moves throughout the game as a Create-A-Fighter. (Kick Boxers,
for instance, get a nasty left knee that stuns often.)
If you hit a punch button, you nail him in the back of the head. Or you
can pull off a submission. Pro Wrestlers get a weird "Giant Swing" kinda
move. Overall, very useful. I think there are some conditions to the
alternate moveset, though. Sometimes it doesn't seem to kick in.
My best guess is that if you're in the middle of a combo and get a stun,
(like with a Kickboxer's l. kick, l. kick, l. kick combo.. 3 knees, each one
could potentially stun) the new moveset won't switch in.
1.2 FIGHTER LIST
[Note: This is taken directly out of the manual.. in here simply to be
complete.]
HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman, Gary Goodridge, Mark Kerr, Tsuyoshi Kosaka,
Pedro Rizzo, Marco Ruas, Bas Rutten, Dan Severn, Maurice Smith, Pete
Williams
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Vitor Belfort, Mikey Burnett, Jeremy Horn, Eugene Jackson, John Lewis,
Chuck Liddell, Guy Mezger, Carlos Newton, Tito Ortiz, BJ Penn, Jens
Pulver, Kevin Randleman, Frank Shamrock, Elvis Sinosic, Evan Tanner,
Pat Miletich, Caol Uno
[Note #2: As a purely personal rant.. why isn't Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock,
Oleg Taktarov or Tank Abbott in the game?]
SECTION 2: Games Modes & Secrets
This section aims to help you get through the most enjoyable part of the game,
career mode. You have to fight your way up from being a nobody to a fighter
know through out the world.
2.1 CREATE-A-FIGHTER
Creating a Fighter is quite simple in this game. It isn't as complex as
the Create a Fighter modes in some other games. (Most notably PSX's Fire Pro
G game, which has what is generally considered _the_ most comprehensive CAF
mode.) You don't assign stats.. these appear to be based on your height,
weight and style.
First thing you need to do is pick your fighting style. The next section
will cover the styles, so I won't mention them here. Second, you set your
height and weight. I generally tend to prefer to make my fighters on the
lighter side, unless I'm creating a Sumo. Pressing up on this screen makes
your fighter taller, pressing down makes him shorter. Pressing left makes
your fighter lighter, pressing right makes him heavier.
Once you're happy with that, it's time to name your fighter. Give him a
first name and a last name. As for the nicknames .. if you create your own,
you're annoyingly referred to as "Player 1" or "Player 2" during the matches,
so I like picking one that has a stored sound sample. You can also set your
strengths here. What you put here makes no difference.. it's just what's
displayed during the match intro. I'm guessing most people don't bother with
this. I put things here just for completeness, and actually change them as
I go along. Be careful, though.. once you exit this screen, you can't go
back and change anything. It kicks you right into Career Mode. (You can make
some minor changes from the Career Mode screen, though.)
Once you're on the main career mode screen, you have the following
choices on the menu:
Skill Up Challenge
Sparring (replaced with "Tournament" after 5 wins)
Edit Details
Load/Save Game
Exit
Skill Up Challenge allows you to get new moves and increase your stats.
Sparring allows you to fight a series of opponents, after winning 5 matches,
you're allowed to enter a UFC Tournament. This does not have to be 5
consecutive wins.
Edit Fighter Details allows you to change your name, nickname and strengths.
Load/Save Game should be obvious. You can load and save various fighters.
Exit takes you back to the main screen.
2.2 COMPARISON OF STYLES
[Note: this section is horribly incomplete, as I know nothing about some of
the styles. Contributions to this section are most welcomed.]
The basic styles are:
Kickboxing
Amateur Wrestling
Pro Wrestling
Sumo Wrestling
Jiu Jitsu
Submission Fighter
Pit Fighting
The hidden styles are:
Kung Fu
Karate
Nin Jitsu
Kickboxing -- Probably the strongest standing style. Massive combos, and
stunning moves. Kickboxers are helpless on the ground, however.
Amateur Wrestling -- A very strong ground based style. Mediocre standing.
(called "Wrestling" in the game. I call it Amateur Wrestling here so it won't
be confused with Sumo or Pro.)
Pro Wrestling -- A more standing oriented style, but also has good groundwork.
Pro Wrestlers are good all around. (Surprising, huh?)
Sumo Wrestling -- Good ground work, average standing.
Jiu Jitsu -- People tell me this is a ground based style, but my Jiu Jitsu
character seems to be very strong standing, second only to my kickboxer.
Weak ground work.
Submission Fighter -- Very strong ground work, but some good standing combos.
You could get a very deadly fighter if combined with a strong standing style,
like Kickboxing.
I've never played any of the secret styles, so I won't comment on them
specifically. Based on my knowledge of the disciplines as they exist in real
life, Karate is probably very strong standing, and weak on the ground.
Kung Fu would be very strong standing, but weak against submissions. And I
really can't comment at all about Nin Jitsu, because I honestly don't know
much about the style, either in the game or in real life. (I've never even
faced a Nin jitsu opponent, as far as I know, in the game.)
~ end ~
