Watching burly, sweaty men clenching their legs around each other has never looked so good. Wait, that didn't really come out right -- but as far as digitizing the fighters of Pride FC, Anchor deals a fine representation. Each contender matches his real-life counterpart to near-perfection, down to the last tattoo. Sakuraba may be missing his swollen 'wrestler's ears' and trademark masks, but for the most part, it's all good. Though some animations seem a bit robotic at times (especially when a fighter gets KO'd in a mount stance), Pride FC easily delivers lifelike movements and mannerisms in the ring. It's nice to see a degree of fluidity not found in previous UFC games, especially on the PS2.

The developers did a bang-up job on arena design, as well; hundreds of lights and effects fill the screen during each fighter's custom intro, and confetti blasts from the ring corners after a Grand Prix final match (just like the real thing). If anything, the audience members do look like flat, jagged cardboard cutouts with two frames of animation per person, but I can't think of a single arena sports game that doesn't do the same.

Not to be outshined, the sound department accentuates in-game action nicely, providing airy swooshes for missed high knees and resounding thuds for well-placed body blows. The crowd screams in excitement with each wallop, adding even more adrenaline for players to feed from. And of course, each fighter has his own pre-match intro theme song, including Darude's popular 'Sandstorm'.

Being essentially an arcade-style brawler, Pride FC seems fairly barebones at its core. Players can choose between Grand Prix, single matches, Training, and Create-a-Fighter Modes; sadly, no 'World Tour' or stat-building campaigns were included to keep things fresh, but versus matches alone should have most gamers occupied for weeks.

The main gameplay itself isn't too complex. Players execute combinations of two-button presses for tackles, submissions, escapes and reversals, while the face buttons by themselves control left and right punches/kicks. One hour in the Training ring should be an absolute requirement before going into any real matches, however, as most reversals require flawless timing to keep a successful submission at bay. If you're a skilled masher, you're also safe as well; most escapes can be performed by wailing on the buttons a certain number of times before your fighter taps out. The more stamina you have left, the less work your thumb has to do.

Versus matches can end up as spectacular displays of timing and technical skill (usually played out in bouts of 'who has the faster finger' in mount stances) or quick-and-painful first round knockouts (occasionally featuring one-punch KO's!). Just remember to mash often and build a strategy for each fighter, and you're guaranteed a good time with your buddies -- especially if you're all real-life Pride fans.

Create-a-Fighter definitely adds a welcome element to the mix, allowing players to model their own versions of other Pride fighters not included in the default selection, or building their own bizarre wrestler from scratch. My own personalized fighter, 'Clowny Jones' -- a fat, balding, cross-eyed old man in a wife beater and striped shorts -- boasts the coolest combos and takedowns in the game, despite his pathetic stature. Players can edit two combo chains per appendage, submissions, custom intros and music, wacky win poses, personal stats, etc. You name it, it's in there. And boy, it sure is funny to watch a bald geriatric man dance like a villain after knocking out Wanderlei Silva in the first round!

On Easy, nearly anyone can win match in under 20 seconds. On Normal, the CPU opponents put up a bit of a fight -- but it's only on Hard where a serious challenge presents itself. Still, the game should include a fourth 'Real' difficulty setting in which each fighter performs even more so like himself in actuality. You know, where Don Frye could only lose by a knockout, Royce Gracie's stamina would never deplete, and Sakuraba wouldn't tap out within a tenth of a second of having a standard arm bar pulled on him. But, that's just me.

The two-button maneuvers are insanely easy to pull off in the heat of a match, except for dodge moves which require Square and Circle or Triangle and X to be pressed simultaneously (not too easy using one thumb). Otherwise, Pride FC's control scheme works beautifully with its engine, smoothly enough for first-timers to pick up within seconds.

One of the coolest things about Pride FC is the attention paid to small details. For example, getting in a particularly hard lick in a mount will occasionally splatter your opponent's blood all over the camera. Also, between rounds, be sure to watch your corner man's head as the ring girl passes by to see his attention shift completely from your face to her ass (with an approving nod, to boot). Priceless. Alternately, the most aggravating objection lies in the fighters' apparent immunity to bruises after a merciless pounding. Even after four rounds of blood-spewing blows, nobody shows a single mark on their skin. Hopefully this will be addressed in a possible follow-up title.

It's unfortunate that Anchor didn't include any interesting unlocks here -- hidden Create-a-Fighter accessories or crazy new fighters would've been nice -- but Pride FC still carries enough to keep any UFC or Pride fan happy for quite some time. One can only hope for a near-future sequel with every feature and fighter not included in this installment, preferably with a ported release for all three consoles... but until then, pick this one up and get ready for the beating of a lifetime!