Undisputed: The Problem Child Pack Review

A couple of months after Undisputed punched its way onto the Xbox Series X, this rising contender has now aptly punched its ticket with a spice DLC offering in the form of The Problem Child downloadable fighters pack, but should this problem child sit in the corner to sulk, or will it serviceably punch up Undisputed‘s roster with meaningful additions? 

For those not in the know, The Problem Child is the nickname of the grotesquely famous internet celebrity-turned boxer Jake Paul, who acts as this DLC packs headlining addition. Alongside Jake are a batch of six other fighters spanning the boxing divisions such as Zhilei Zhang, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, James ‘Buster’ Douglas, and Otto Wallin. Accompanying these stars are a range of alternative attires, not just for the new boxers, but for the existing stars like Deontay Wilder, Roy Jones Jr., and Terence Crawford. 

There’s enough in this pack to satisfy a hungry Undisputed fan fleetingly, but at launch there were many omitted fighters that Undisputed is left having its work cut out for it trying to appease disappointed fans, though this DLC offers up a serviceable amount of fighters nonetheless.  

Despite how ridiculed Jake Paul is, he is the headlining boxer of this package, and as such the problem isn’t so much that he’s the central figure, it’s that the spread of fighters joining him don’t represent “The Problem Child” title at all. When you’ve got standouts like Buster Douglas and Juan Manuel Marquez in there, then the name of the DLC ought to reflect their inclusions too, even if JP is the marquis name. At least they included the comparatively obscure Otto Wallin, which will come as a surprise to many.  

And why didn’t this Undisputed DLC reflect the prestige of the other fighters? The decorated accomplishments of each fighter in this pack seems negligible next to Jake Paul and his marketability. Boxers like Buster Douglas should have a pack with other boxing legends in it, and he should definitely not exist as a spare part. To be blunt, this DLC feels cobbled together without any direction, which may as well speak for the state of the Undisputed game in general.

In Xbox Tavern’s Undisputed review, there was a strong feeling that this contender was a game challenger, but the litany of problems within held it back from any chance of becoming the champ, and this DLC is a further reflection of the criticisms made. Clearly Undisputed wants to represent itself as the only true boxing game on the Xbox Series X, but if this is to be the case, more attention needs to be lavished on the various problems the game has, and less attention needs to be made on glossing over those issues with sparkly roster inclusions.

The ratings of the new fighters might cause some unrest. Jake Paul is rated 84, which is arguably too high for a boxer who initially found success through boxing other YouTube celebrities, although his professional record is decent. At least JP is the second lowest-rated fighter of the new additions, with only Otto Wallin’s 81 rating being lower than Jake’s. 

The price for The Problem Child pack is £15.99, which is too excessive for what’s on offer here; you may even call the price extortionate because there’s an emphasis on showy attires and a crop of new boxers, than anything truly game-changing. 

Conclusion

As a debut DLC, The Problem Child does pack in a good bunch of fighters and attires, but foregoes gameplay refinements or bigger new additions in order to satisfy roster cravings. If the assortment of fighters in this DLC impress you, then that’s a promising sign for the game’s future downloadable content, but otherwise you don’t need to pay a third of the game’s RRP to experience it, unless you can’t resist Jake Paul and his alluring social media musk. 

This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.

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Good
  • Nice roster additions
  • Attires look snazzy
  • Good diversity of fighters included
Bad
  • Doesn't justify the hefty price
  • Jake Paul is too highly rated
  • DLC is more sparkle than substance
6
Okay
Written by
Although the genesis of my videogame addiction began with a PS1 and an N64 in the mid-late 90s as a widdle boy, Xbox has managed to hook me in and consume most of my videogame time thanks to its hardcore multiplayer fanaticism and consistency. I tend to play anything from shooters and action adventures to genres I'm not so good at like sports, RTS and puzzle games.

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