10 weird mixed martial arts video games you didn't know about

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• MMA video games have evolved over the years, offering unique presentations of the sport from the likes of UFC and Ring Network.
• The Astral Bout series on the Super Nintendo stepped up in the graphics department, with sequels deviating from the round format to add new features.
• From Fighting Network Rings to Buriki One, the diversity of MMA games allows fans to enjoy a variety of gameplay styles and controls.

The beauty of the video game medium is that it can represent things in one way – for example, two games can represent the same sporting event in their own unique way.

Take MMA video games, for example: as most of you know, the first licensed UFC game was released in 2000 and set the standard for the genre for years to come, as did the UFC Undisputed series and subsequent EA takes on the subject.

That's not to say there haven't been other attempts to bring mixed martial arts to the video screen.

Ten Astral Bout was the first game to portray MMA fighting as a competitive game in the ring.

It was also the first game based on the Fighting Network Ring license.

Interestingly, the game was released a year before the first UFC and Pancrase events, presenting a vision of various fighters battling in the ring.

Players could choose from representatives of combat sports and martial arts such as judo, sambo, professional wrestling, lucha libre, karate, kickboxing, Muay Thai, boxing, kung fu, etc. Despite being licensed by Fighting Network RINGS, the only real personality was Akira Maeda, the founder and ace (main character) of the promotion.

Gameplay is round-based, rope breaks are enabled, and the only way to win is by knocking out your opponent or by the referee's decision. Fighters are free to move around the ring.

9 Astral Bout 2 Total Fighters has made a big step forward in the graphics department

Same for Astral Bout 3

The Fighting Network Rings license was later used for two Astral Bout sequels.

Astral Bout 2 and 3 will eliminate the round system and instead feature bouts with a 30 minute time limit. Fighters will have a limited number of rope breaks available and bouts will be won by submission or knockout.

The second film featured fictional fighters, excluding Maeda, while the third and final film featured more fighters from the RINGS roster.

8 Strongest: Nobuhiko Takada was the answer to the Astral Bout series

Like its counterpart, it is based on a real promotional license

The Union of Wrestling Forces – International is the third incarnation of the shoot wrestling promotion, UWF. A RINGS rival, UWF-i took a different approach to the presentation of fighting, using a scoring system. Both fighters have 15 points, with points being deducted for rope breaks (1 point), suplexes (1 point), and knockdowns (3 points). Matches can also be won by knockout or submission.

How does this translate in the game? Unlike its RINGS counterpart, fighters move in a single lane, similar to a traditional 2D fighter. Characters only move back and forth, limiting combat strategy. Thankfully, every punch and throw is satisfying to execute, so combat at least feels satisfying.

Unlike RINGS titles, this game took a different approach to the roster: all other fighters except Takada Nobuhiko have fictitious names, while their visuals resemble real UWF-i fighters, such as Big Van Vader, Gary Albright, and Super Tiger (Sayama Satoru, the original Tiger Mask and founder of Shooto).

7 Battle K Road allows players to fight bears

Animals appear as final bosses

Psikyo's arcade title was unique in that it featured a control pattern that contrasted with what other games were known for: instead of drawing a circle with a joystick and pressing a button, players had to tap a direction and press one of six buttons that corresponded to a weak, medium, or strong punch or kick.

The game's roster featured representatives of a variety of styles based on real-life athletes, including Andy Hagg and Dick Brill.

Gameplay is a single-lane game with rounds. Matches are won by a referee's decision or by depleting the opponent's energy bar with strikes, throws, or submission holds. After defeating all playable characters, the player will fight a bear and win the K-Road tournament.

6 Fighting Network Ring was the first MMA game in full 3D.

It took place three years before his first UFC fight.

First off, this video game version of RINGS is fully 3D, including your character, free movement within the ring, and changing camera views.

With that out of the way, let's move on to other aspects: for the first time in a Fighting Network RINGS game, the roster of fighters is based on real athletes, with big names such as Akira Maeda, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Dick Frye, Wataru Sakata, Yoshiji Tamura and Volk Hann among its names.

The gameplay is hard to learn and quite challenging even once you get used to the rules and how each character moves. You'll find the game replayable because you have to approach each battle strategically – nothing is gained from button mashing and you can't instantly submit like in other games on this system.

If you want to experience full 3D MMA fighting on your PSX, I highly recommend adding this game to your collection.

Five World Fighting Ishkakutowaza was a low-budget title

Interestingly, it was based on the “Vale Tudo” ruleset.

Aside from a unique ruleset that allowed you to stomp and kick the head of a fallen opponent, there wasn't much to like about the game – and it was a low-budget game, so that's to be expected.

There were no licensed fighters, or even bootlegs based on real athletes, and the fighters featured in the games were merely stereotypical representations of practitioners of various martial arts.

Four K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite!!! was Konami's first foray into the genre.

The game utilizes an engine used in previous kickboxing titles

The game's title comes from a New Year's Eve event where both MMA and K-1 fights took place. Because the game utilized the engine used in previous Konami K-1 games, new game mechanics had to be implemented, resulting in deep, strategic gameplay being replaced by mundane arcade button mashing.

The game's roster was split in two, with some fighters only available for K-1 bouts and others available for Romanex (the MMA term for K-1) bouts.

3 Savaki gained a passionate following on the Sega Saturn

It was the only game of its kind on the platform.

The game also doesn't feature licensed fighters, but it makes up for that in other ways: the roster of fighters is based on archetypal fighters representing different fighting styles, and there's only one fenced-in arena.

Savaki has slow, deliberate gameplay that requires players to know the weaknesses of their character and their opponents in order to win, so while this game may not be for everyone, if you're up for a challenge you'll find hours of fun.

The biggest advantage is the game engine, which runs at 60 FPS and offers visual effects such as real-time shading, light sources, shadow reflections, and 3D arenas.

2 Fire Pro Wrestling S: 6 Men Scramble was the first game to feature the Octagon.

It was part of a long-running video game series

Fire Pro Wrestling X: Premium for the Sega Saturn is the first 32-bit installment in the famous Fire Pro Wrestling series. As the title suggests, it is a professional wrestling game, but its deep game engine allows it to emulate different styles of combat, including MMA. In its previous main installment for the Super Nintendo, Fire Pro Wrestling X: Premium, players could find the means to play MMA matches inside the ring.

The Saturn version was the first game to feature the world-famous Octagon, with a design reminiscent of early UFC events, and featured some of the biggest names in martial arts.

1 The Buriki One offered unique control patterns

It was so unique that no other game tried to copy it.

Buriki One: World Grapple Tournament '99 in Tokyo was SNK's only attempt at making a realistic fighting game, and the 2D fighting giant decided to incorporate unprecedented game mechanics into the title.

Firstly, the functions of the buttons and joystick are reversed: players press the respective buttons to move forward or backward, and tilt the joystick in one of eight directions to attack.

Bouts take place on an octagonal platform, ring outs are allowed but do not affect the outcome, and players can win a bout by referee's decision, knockout, or submission.

The game features fictional characters from different martial arts including freestyle fighting, sumo, amateur wrestling, taekwondo, aikido, boxing, etc. Ryo Sakazaki of Art of Fighting and King of Fighters fame appears as a playable character.