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EA Sports UFC Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

EA Sports UFC Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Is This What MMA Is Like?

MMA games are a strange little niche in the video game world. They aren’t exactly fighting games as the idea of gameplay, spacing, mix-ups and frame data never really come into play. They aren’t exactly boxing or wrestling games as they aren’t very mashable and their gameplay proceeds at a fast pace. They are, for all intents and purposes, a sports game, owing more to simulationist principles than anything else. EA Sports’ latest outing, EA UFC , built upon the newly acquired official UFC license, attempts to capitalize on this simulationist feel, but it seems to miss the mark just a bit. The game boils down to a brutal man on man fight to a series of numbers that, while exciting for fans of the sport, can be somewhat intimidating for only casual watchers of two sweaty men punching each other and at times just feel… inaccurate to the actual feel of MMA itself.

Before you notice anything else, you will notice that this game is absolutely gorgeous. As a next generation exclusive, the fighter models take a flying leap over to the uncanny valley. If you didn’t know better you might actually think that you were watching a Pay-Per-View event. Blows land with sick and wet crunches and snaps, flesh ripples and unshielded impacts of fist and feet hit home, and you even get to see competitor’s heads snap back and forth like a broken bobble head when a knockout blow is landed. Everything from sweat dripping down on the mat, to the bruises and cuts you get while fighting, are represented in the game’s graphical suite. I say this with no hesitation: EA Sports UFC is the best looking MMA game in existence, period, and possibly the best looking sports game on the market right now.

Unfortunately, once you get past the outer layer of realistic sweat physics, the game breaks down a bit. It’s not readily apparent, as you can jump right in and start mashing and you’ll have a fun enough time. Each face button corresponds to a different limb, and on the surface there is a sort of Tekken like simplicity to that. However, the sheer amount of button combinations when you take into account all of the game’s modifiers what with directions and shoulder buttons and the like, is staggering, so much so that it’s easy to throw a move that you didn’t want to throw.

EA Sports UFC Screenshot

As I said before the game is not very welcoming to mashers and this, as much as I hate to say it, may be its core problem. Your moves are tied to a stamina mechanic, and that means that you are very likely to tire yourself out quickly when you are first learning the ropes of the game. The game’s defensive dodge, block, parry system is very interesting but, once again, is not transparent for new players. If you spend enough time with the game you’ll eventually have these really awesome fights where you block and parry and dodge and weave and respond to each and every one of your opponent’s moves.

But is this MMA? Granted I’m only a casual watcher of the sport, but I’d wager not. MMA is quick and vicious and fueled by emotion clouding your mind of the years of skill and training you are trying to draw on. The striking game feels too calculated, and unfortunately there is a HUGE disconnect when you enter the grapple game.

EA Sports UFC Screenshot

Once you choose to initiate a clinch—which honestly I rarely found a reason to–your options reduce significantly. You can strike, move your position, and try to make your opponent submit, but your options are dwarfed by the amount of striking options. Here it starts to feel like a wrestling game, with each animation taking you from one grappling state to another, with a small window of time set aside for counter maneuvers. Submissions utilize this Simon style mini-game in order to try and force the opponent to submit and while it’s tense and interesting for the player, it looks kind of goofy on screen. Not to mention it’s just flat out hard! It seems so much easier just to stay on your feet, which unfortunately is very unlike the actual sport of MMA.

The mode suite in EA Sports MMA is decent. The career mode features the Ultimate Fighter TV show, which just goes to show that reality TV is even invading our video games, but what can I say? It’s fun. Online mode is solid. Lag is minimal and the ability to work your way through belt promotions is a nice touch. There’s not a lot you can do on your own once you’ve spent enough time in career mode, but the game really does shine as a multiplayer only title.

EA Sports UFC Screenshot

However, this is also the biggest problem with the game, and it’s the problem that I have run into in basically every MMA and Boxing game I have played. In a simulationist environment, multiplayer can start to feel cheap. You can get knocked out in the first few seconds of a match. You can have someone ground and pound you into submission. You can screw up a button input and find yourself throwing a slow and clumsy kick that will eventually be your downfall. Maybe I’m just too much of a newbie to the genre but, it feels like a novelty more than a fun versus experience. There’s no frame data to study, no timing to get down, no combos and mix-ups and gimmicks that a traditional fighting game would boast. There’s just fists flying at each other, and in my opinion this is more fun to watch than to play.

If you like EA’s first venture into the MMA world, you will probably like EA UFC . If you are a UFC fan, you will definitely like EA UFC . Heck, the roster is over 100 fighters huge, and that’s saying something. However, if you are a fighting game fan, this isn’t the game for you. If you are looking for a sports like simulation experience, this isn’t the game for you. If you aren’t looking to play with other players, this isn’t the game for you. In the end, you just can’t take EA Sports UFC all that seriously, and if you can manage that, it’s a pretty fun distraction to play with friends and fans of the sport. However, if you are looking for a lot of replay value or a deep strategic fighting experience, then you are probably climbing into the wrong ring.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 5.0 Graphics
An incredible next-generation graphical experience, from the bruises to the takedowns. 4.0 Control
The striking controls feel like they are way more complex than the grappling controls. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The commentary and voice acting is decent enough. I’m not a big enough fan of MMA to tell if it’s authentic. 3.0 Play Value
It’s more fun to watch than to play, but that still might be worth a purchase. 3.5 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Real Damage: Every fighter knows that one good shot can ruin your day. EA SPORTS UFC introduces a non-linear damage system which can result in big damage coming from a single strike. The system produces a greater variety of cuts and contusions.
  • Dynamic Striking: A mixed martial artist uses the environment to his advantage and for the first time in a UFC game, you can too. A dynamic environment allows you to pull off jaw-dropping moves using the Octagon, including roundhouse kicks, superman punches and much more. Combine those abilities with the best striking technology in the industry and that one perfect strike could change the fight
  • Real-Time Exertion: A UFC bout is one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet requiring mixed martial artists to give it their all with every movement. Real-Time Exertion brings each moment of that action to life in your gameplay experience. Through real-time vein popping, skin discoloration, muscle flex, as well as signs of fatigue setting in through the course of each round, you will witness the effort it takes to be one of the best fighters in the world.
  • Strategic Submission Battles: To own the belt, you have to be dominant on your feet and on the mat. EA SPORTS UFC re-invents the ground game to create a battle for position and control that captures the strategy of a submission battle. Like the real sport, in EA SPORTS UFC fighters will work through multiple stages as they work to advance or escape from a fight-ending submission.
  • Fighter Likeness and Facial Animations: EA SPORTS UFC will set a new bar for character likeness and emotion in gaming. For the first time in an EA SPORTS game, every single licensed athlete in the game has been created from high resolution 3D head and body scans to deliver revolutionary character likeness and authenticity. Powered by EA SPORTS IGNITE, new facial animation technology delivers more expression, emotion and will communicate greater sense of awareness and intelligence in the Octagon.

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