Cert: 18
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Sports, fighting
From 505 games comes an attempt to make a more mainstream MMA title with its roots in arcade fighters. As a person with a fondness for fighting games but not for MMA this was a welcomed effort, unfortunately I was less than enthusiastic by the result.
Playing Supremacy was generally a frustration and in part this was because the game almost works on every level, yet falls critically short in each aspect. The first major noticeable problem is the soundtrack. One would be had pressed to pick a worse selection of metal music to back up gameplay. Turn off the background music and the game becomes tolerable again, but the lack of musical atmosphere is noticeable in its absence.
In terms of controls, often it feels like completely random chance whether a move succeeds or not, with button mashing the most effective way to succeed. I suspect that with practice my control of my character would improve but it was exceptionally hard to remain invested in the game to do so. This is a bad mark for a game designed to make the MMA franchise more accessable.
Single player mode seems overly limited and the choice of fighters and fighting styles is lackluster. Each fighting style somewhat alters the amount of damage caused by moves but fundamentally does not change gameplay. The story mode initially seems interesting, but the animation style and overly dark stories all begin to bleed into one and I doubt anyone could really care.
I had limited play online but it seemed to lag regularly and my only real victory was as much due to a glitch than my own skill. As a two player game, however, Supremacy shows more of its potential. It will definitely not be as replayable as other games but there is something intensely satisfying as pining your opponent to the ground and punching their face to a bloody pulp. Reversing a takedown into your own attack would be equally satisfying had one seemed to be in control rather than relying on random luck.
With tighter controls and a more diverse lineup this really could be a breakout game but for now it is a game which the potential is drowned out by the faults.
Rent or Buy: Rent
Graphics: 3/5
Gameplay: 2.5/5
Replay: 2/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Review by: JP Gallagher
