Everything is always going in and out of style — “History repeats itself.” It’s seen in fashion, entertainment, and in civilizations. This particular instance may be unique to me, but recently two big games that I was obsessed with back around 2009 have finally made their return. One is a direct sequel while the other is sort of a spiritual successor (from a new studio).

The two games that have recently taken over my nights are two sports games that are making their long-awaited comeback, EA skate. and Undisputed.

EA skate. is a brand new take on the classic EA Skate franchise. This iteration focuses on an online playground style where players can all shred together. It’s currently in Early Access and Free-to-Play with crossplay and cross-progression.

This time EA decided to go with the Fortnite model by releasing a free-to-play game and selling cosmetics and season passes. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I’m playing skate. just like I did so many years ago. I cruise around the city (San Vansterdam) and complete challenges at my own pace.

The second title taking all of my extra time, Undisputed, is a brand new IP from a brand new studio, Steel City Interactive. It’s been over a decade since we’ve had a proper boxing video game, but back when the Fight Night franchise was available I spent so many hours in those games.

Undisputed isn’t a full-on Fight Night clone or replacement, but it is up there for me. I’ve seen many “spiritual successors” to classic games come out and fail — maybe because they claim to be the “spiritual successor” of something we loved. Undisputed is giving me that real boxing sim I crave, but introduces some new elements — and may have a few missing elements as well.

While skateboarding and boxing may be polar opposites on the sports spectrum, in the video game world these two games have one big commonality. The main action in each game (tricks and punches) may be controlled using the thumb stick. In skate. it is the whole point, in Undisputed you may choose between using the stick or buttons to throw blows.

Skate Revolution

The EA Skate franchise revolutionized skating games by giving the player full control of their feet using the now iconic “Flick-It” system. I still love the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, but Skate brought a more grounded skateboarding sim to the gaming scene. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games are all about high scores and big combos — it’s more of an arcade-style experience.

Playing EA Skate games always felt more like producing a skate video with your friends. It reminds me of going out to a skate spot with friends. You want to perform the perfect line and hit each spot with a flip-trick, grind, manual, or whatever move.

The game’s camera angle is that of a fellow skater following you with their handheld camcorder. There are still outrageous and unrealistic parts to this game, but it’s way more real than the games in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater universe — which I still have love for.

Fight Revolution

The Fight Night series also came around and revolutionized the way boxing games were played. The “Total Fight Control” stick was introduced as the new way to fluidly throw jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts.

At the time, Fight Night even included an all-star lineup of boxers, both past and present. Of course, you can’t have a boxing video game without including the GOAT, Muhammed Ali. Current boxing stars were also in there, like Roy Jones Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, and more. Today’s fighters are not as recognizable, but maybe that’s my fault for not keeping up with the sport.

Still, Undisputed has a good mix of fighters from different eras and different weight classes, but I still want more. I know they have been releasing new fighters as DLC packs — including Jake Paul’s dumb ass.

The team at Steel City Interactive has done an amazing job at focusing on the fighting. Each match is beautifully presented. You can feel each punch with the close-up angles and knockout replays. Playing Undisputed today feels just as good as I felt playing Fight Night all those years ago. I’m not sure if this team contains any devs from previous boxing games, but I can really feel the influence.

What’s missing is Fight Night’s mini games. There were training games between matches, and you could even control the cutman between rounds. Undisputed is more about the matches themselves, with some boxer management (from hand-selecting your coaches to choosing your specific training camp routine).

Within each match there is a lot going on. As the fight progresses there are meters along the bottom of the screen giving you real-time updates on you and your opponent’s head, body, block, cuts, and more — basically whatever is relevant in the moment. If EA isn’t going to bring back Fight Night, I’m happy someone brought back some version of a well-made boxing sim.

Coincidental Releases

It’s funny how these two games/game genres have returned at the exact same time, but just a little different. EA skate. is now different with the whole online component, but it actually works in today’s gaming market. I’m not wasting any real money on cosmetics and season passes at the moment, but I’m sure plenty of other people will.

While Undisputed is not a direct sequel to the Fight Night franchise, I’ll definitely call it a spiritual successor. Sort of like how NBA 2K took the crown from NBA Live — although Fight Night has been a dormant franchise for far too long.

Due to all of those hours with Fight Night’s “Total Punch Control” I immediately felt at ease in Undisputed. Whether or not these Steel City Interactive devs worked on Fight Night, I can tell they definitely played it.

While these two games are similar in the way they are played, they both give off totally different gaming vibes. There are so many stupid ways to lose a fight in Undisputed when you think you are winning. Even when laying the smackdown on your opponent, you can still get knocked out at any moment with a sucker punch. You can also get tired by throwing too many punches and essentially knock yourself out — which I have done plenty of times in early matches. I’m now working on patience in matches.

Whenever I play skate. I’m looking forward to a chill time. I can shred the streets of San Vansterdam. Complete challenges — when I feel like it. Try to capture the perfect video of a sick line of tricks to share with friends.

Both of these games have become my nightly games before bed. The problem with both of them is that they are highly addictive. I tell myself I’m jumping in for a quick fight or a few challenges. Three hours later, I’m saying “one more fight/line,” to myself. 

I’m very happy to have a proper skateboarding and boxing game in 2025, and I look forward to seeing how both games evolve.

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*myVGBC.com was given a review code for Undisputed by the publisher. EA skate. is currently free-to-play in early access on all platforms, so I just jumped in once it was up.