Undisputed November Update Was A Great Step In The Right Direction, But There's Still One Thing That Bugs Me

I’ve got to admit, when I loaded the latest iteration of Undisputed, the console and PC boxing game, I was scared that this stop-gap before the December update could potentially make the game worse. At first, I questioned the move’s timing. At best, it was an attempt to help satisfy fans who were left somewhat underwhelmed by the gameplay, and at worst, it was an effort to get more buzz for the game to capitalize on the popularity of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight card on Netflix.

That said, I was actually pleasantly surprised as the latest 1.1.3 Undisputed Patch update actually did a pretty decent job at returning the game back to its fun state — well, at least partially. Power punches now cost a lot more stamina, and winging power right hooks have become a lot less effective than they were previously. That said, not everything is perfect, and the game has a pretty long way to go before most people consider it a great boxing game.

Undisputed Update 1.1.3 Fixes Power Punches

Deontay Wilder Got Nerfed

Steel City made a few important updates that were promised for December, like reducing Wilder’s overall stats and removing a trait. Most of the updates revolve around power punching, with the technique having a bigger impact on both short-term and max stamina. This is a great thing, as previously, the game online was essentially broken because everyone in heavyweight would just go Wilder and wildly throw power blows, reducing the game down to two Neanderthals smashing each in the face with little rhyme or reason.

These positive changes fix the spamming issue, but I’m not sure if everyone online got the memo because it still feels like the meta. In addition, hook and straight max stam costs were increased. Ranked quitters are now punished with a loss, which is a nice change and actually made me try a few rounds in ranked mode.

The full
Undisputed
1.1.3 Patch Notes can be found on the
Undisputed
blog.

Lastly, the push mechanic stamina cost was increased, so now spamming my way out of getting rocked is no longer an option. Overall, this is a good thing, but I wish they’d add clinching back into the game — there’s a lot of opportunity for cool inside fighting with the mechanic, and I find it weird that they replaced it with pushing, a technically illegal move in boxing. While there would probably be issues with people spamming it, making it punishable on a miss would probably even out the playing field.

Punch Tracking Still Needs Work

And More Stamina Regen Between Rounds Would Be Good

Custom Image by Garrett Ettinger

Since Undisputed is a boxing game, there are a ton of different systems and mechanics that tie into one another — which I can only assume makes the game incredibly hard to balance. Punch tracking still feels off, specifically with lateral movement. A right hook on an opponent strafing to the right just doesn’t feel like it impacts enough. Punch accuracy and tracking could use a tweak, especially when it comes to landing counter punches.

Arthur Morgan, Cloud Strife, Mario, Red, and Link on a Minecraft background.

The 40 Best Games Of All Time

Take a look at how far video games have come, what’s shaped them, and which are just the most fun in Screen Rant’s list of the best games of all time.

While the stamina changes are a big step in the right direction, they still aren’t perfect and could use a slight tweak as boxers gas out way too quickly. Online matches are only 8 rounds, and the tweaks to stamina are apparent after only a few rounds in. The fact that combinations (outside of power punching) now take more short-term stamina also makes it so that putting together combos toward the latter rounds is almost impossible and leaves one open for a counter since the boxer is so gassed. That said, it’s way better than it was before.

So far, I’ve experienced a ton of power spammers on there still, but now, at least, it’s easier to stop them from decimating my boxer.

Increasing the stamina regen between rounds would probably go a long way to fixing this — if there was some way to make body punishment retain its toll on the fighter’s stamina but not necessarily limit punch output throughout the entire duration of the fight. That sounds like a pretty hard balancing act, but I think Steel City can do it. The bigger issue, and something I hope that the developers address in December, is punch tracking, so at least it feels like there is a method players can use to understand why their boxer is missing easy-to-land blows.

Not Everyone Is In Love With The Changes

Exposing Online Spammers

Wilder vs Tyson Fury in Undisputed boxing game.

One unintended aspect (hey, you can’t satisfy everyone) is that there were a ton of players who actually got acclimated to the broken gameplay of Undisputed previous to this patch. And to be honest, it’s hard to ride the fence on this. Either slow, sluggish, and brutish power blows are an essential part of the game for you, or you believe that it was previously overused and annoying. I fall into that latter camp.

Lilith from Diablo and man holding bat with Vikings in the foreground.

30 Best Online Games To Play With Friends Right Now

If you’ve been seeking that perfect title to play with your friends, you’ll need to investigate these solid multiplayer titles.

Sure, it’s now impossible to land that seven-to-eight-punch combination with regularity unless you want to completely deplete your stamina bar — but this is boxing, not Street Fighter or Tekken, and this is a boxing simulation, not Fight Night. While that answer might not be satisfying to everyone, and I know it seems somewhat antithetical to my stamina complaints, it’s impossible to really make a game like this that will satisfy everyone, as the arcadey aspects of Fight Night are exactly what I don’t want to happen to Undisputed.

According to

GameRant

, an industry insider claims that EA could revive a new
Fight Night
. With the rise in popularity of boxing specifically with Gen Z, it’s more than possible the company sees an opportunity.

As a result, I’m hoping it’ll mean more strategic gameplay online. So far, I’ve experienced a ton of power spammers on there still, but now, at least, it’s easier to stop them from decimating my boxer. Those who are struggling with the changes and aren’t pugilistic fans should take the time to watch a few matches of classic heavyweights to get a sense of how many punches are thrown per round. It’s more than possible to throw simple three-punch combos and then go in for a flurry of five or six in Undisputed; you just can’t overdo it.

Hopefully, The December Update Will Satisfy New Players

There’s A Chance For The Game To Turn Around Its Mixed Reputation

I feel like Steel City is stumbling right now when it comes to the perception of the public, and they’re catching a lot of heat. Some have even gone as far as to call the game a “scam,” and while I certainly don’t agree with that sentiment, I do understand the frustration. That said, other than the abysmal practice of having to pay for boxers, I think the future is bright for Undisputed. For Steel City to fix the game, there are a few things that they can do — at least, in my opinion, to improve the game.

Some more rollbacks to previous mechanics, like same-arm fatigue when using one arm to throw multiple blows in a row. No one does this in real boxing, and in theory, the fourth blow would come a lot slower and a lot weaker, but currently, users can shoot off three right hooks in what feels like milliseconds. This would help encourage more chaining rather than spamming and was a factor at one point in development.

Knockdowns and the mini-game are okay, but it is sometimes frustrating when I land an incredibly devastating KO combination — only for the opponent to get up after the third or fourth knockdown. I’m not sure how the devs could balance that, but I’m sure I’m not alone in my frustration. Punch tracking should be improved, except in the case of an active dodge or slip. It makes no sense Canelo would be missing so many punches one foot away from an opponent, and it doesn’t feel good or rewarding to miss punches that I should have landed.

A tweak to how punches land during lateral movement would also encourage players to use specific punches to stop the opponent from circling. Undisputed developers nailed the movement in the game, so these other gameplay tweaks to improve the underlying gameplay would put the game in a really good spot for me. Even though it wouldn’t fix the rest of the small issues, it would reinstate the strong foundation the title stood on in 2023.

Source: Undisputed, GameRant