“A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life. Do not be concerned with escaping safely — lay your life before him.” This is one of the many inspirational quotes inside UFC, this one by Bruce Lee, that summarises the tenacity and detail gone into the new instalment of the previously stellar THQ franchise. EA Sports’ take on MMA is ruthless as it is beautiful. When you first step into the octagon you are struck, figuratively and literally by the raw power of the Ignite engine, backed up by the vividness of MMA engagements, all from a development team that clearly sleeps and breathes the franchise. To say the depiction of realism in UFC is brilliant is an understatement. From the wisp of a hair on your head to the blood that splatters upon the floor of the arena, it is obvious that this game has been painstakingly crafted, refined and then refined another time in order to concoct everything that a fighting game should be.
Don’t anticipate UFC to be anything like Fight Night or even any fighting game you have laid your hands on. Only the incredibly determined will be able to play this title, furthermore, only those who posses the insanity and determination of a MMA athlete will be able to fully comprehend the control scheme and overcome a move system that is difficult but distinctively respectful to the sport it represents. Intricate and authentic, UFC changes a lot about what you and I understand about fighting games; attempting to run in all guns blazing was the first mistake I made. Almost immediately the floor became my best friend, I spent a lot of my first seven or so games sprawled out cold on the deck of the octagon. The reason being was because I failed to recognise the abrupt level of thought required to even try and play the game. Tactics, height, stamina, ability and focus all come into effect when you begin to understand how the title functions; as with MMA (mixed-martial-arts) itself, discipline is crucial. If you’re interested in adrenaline-pumping games like this, there are also other sites like 카지노사이트 that are surely worth your time.
All of this falls down to the control scheme. In previous UFC titles and even other generic fighting games, combat often descends into a violent sprawl of fisty-cuffs with one luckier person walking away happier. However, with UFC pick-up-and-play is non-existent, the control scheme and your grasp of it alongside the general flow of play of a match-up will dictate the winner. Convoluted would be the word to describe the layout of buttons, upon receiving the game I was greeted with an email containing nine different pages all explanatory of the controls and the circumstances of when to use them. It was tough and I am no newbie to this genre, although nor am I an elitist. The general consensus in the end was that about ten games should set you up with the necessary skills to play, alongside the mandatory tutorial you have to play at the beginning of the game. Mandatory is a word I hate in video games but this was one hundred percent vital to my play. Although it sounds ridiculous, the game as you progress almost moulds you into the mindset and regulation of a UFC contender. You begin learning the ropes, you progress, get a bit more technical and tactical, then all of a sudden you almost have a mutual respect for the game. It is frustrating but for a damn good cause.
Then there is the actual gameplay. The character models are impressive with real-time bruising and deformation; you can quite literally see your punch ripple the skin and shudder the bones of your opponent. In submissions you can see the degrading oxygen levels change facial expressions and modify the color of the skin, while watching the blood and sweat trickle down yourself. I expect a lot from next-generation machines, not just to applaud 1080p/60fps games but to really be shocked and UFC is above that line of expectation. It is, in a word, sensational. Even while creating my career fighter I was politely stunned. Gazing at the detail of lighting that reflected off of his eyes and how subtle hair and facial hair drifted upon movement, it felt pretty surreal.
The game offers a fairly simplistic career mode, fighting is followed by training to boost your stats followed by more fighting coupled in with variations of tournaments. Although that seems fairly simplistic there is a good variation in there and stepping into each arena with different combatants always adds to the mix. The AI mimics a fighter really well making the career more challenging and enjoyable, something which is often missing from sports games in general. Essentially you fight for the top spot to own the championship belt of your weight division and defend it all costs. Statistic wise UFC is pristine, your performance in game is accurately monitored from significant strikes to take-downs and each performance affects your career. Say you perform incredibly well, you gain a tonne of XP and points to increase your characters abilities, add to his arsenal of moves and attach little perks to his play in the form of a ‘game plan.’ You can even gain fans based on your play and with the statistics theme you can actually see real-life stats and goings-on in UFC.
There were though, a few things that unsettled my overall career experience. For example the cheesy cut-scenes where players and staff congratulate you, they just felt wrong because of the use of actual real-life video. I was hoping for more NBA 2K14 type scenes where animated characters use actual audio, which feels a lot more pleasant and a little less superficial. There also comes a time in your players career where he hangs up his gloves based on the collective damage he has endured through all matches, so should you get battered regularly, expect a short career and to have to start all over again. Finally, the whole career is downgraded by a lack of customization, you get very few options as to the structure and presentation of your character physically and most of the gear you get in future through sponsorship’s doesn’t amount to much.
When I finished up with some AI focused career I pressed toward online where a good array of modes can be found. You are offered three modes: Quick Match, which is just a simple jump in game, Online Rivalries where you pitch up to other players on your friends list and finally Online Championships. Championships is a mode where you run a career practically online but without your custom player. You play a series of quick matches, which give you points, these points then dictate if you will go up a division or be relegated to a lower division; it’s fairly similar to EA Sports’ FIFA online seasons. They also throw in a number of tournaments to compete in, each holding different weight classes and rules, so as a result you are left with a good array of online modes and even a challenge mode (Online Training essentially). Online really stresses core mechanics of every fighting game and often the player who spams the most buttons wins but this is far from the case in EA’s UFC. Balancing is good and players who don’t transfer the skills and discipline learnt in career mode are often punished quickly. I have had one laggy game out of about 56 now, even then the lag didn’t wholesomely effect the match, the matchmaking has been pristine and overall I have had little trouble enjoying online.
As for the core mechanics of the game, when talk fighting both offline and online, few issues arise. You may see that the odd kick or so that appeared to land sweetly had little effect but most systems of the game operate under all circumstances. Submission in the game is well thought out both AI wise and online, it works fluently and factors in things such as stamina so overall you get a pretty sweet result. When it comes to transitions (movement to get the upper-hand) be it when grappling or on the ground, once you get used to them you should be okay, admittedly from the get-go they are a bit odd and somewhat frustrating. In the end you admire the complexity and detail of the game, it shows respect toward the sport it represents and as you firmly grasp hold of it, you are allowed to reap the awards and perform to the best of your ability. UFC is not a game for the fainthearted and clearly was never designed to be, I hated the game initially because I sucked at it but once you get into the stride of things and come to admire it, UFC may be the best fighting game you’ve ever played.
Overall, it is safe to say EA Sports’ first outing into UFC is a clear success. The game is fluent and all aspects of MMA are understood and appreciated by the development team at the heart of it all. They have taken a sport and given it the necessary makeover and engine to be one of the best fighting games I’ve played and believe me, I am no pro at the moment. Still I’m finding myself often flat on my face in the arenas but I bloody enjoy every bit of it. There are a few rough edges with transitions and character presentation but nothing to hinder what has been a fantastic experience, I hope to see more from UFC, with hopefully great DLC/updates to follow and you can expect to see me playing this beyond the review as one of my new regular titles.
EA Sports UFC has shown the potential to change fighting games through next-generation hardware for the better. Its combat system is unlike any other, graphically it is outstanding and fans of UFC will be proud to play this game, even those who are new to the entire sport will enjoy what is at hand. I am not the biggest UFC fan but I felt engulfed by the franchise through this singular game and it has prompted me to watch more, learn more about mixed martial arts and enjoy every tiny aspect of detail this title has to offer. As a PS4 gamer this was what I needed to mix up my collection of games and EA Sports UFC will be a perfect addition to anyones gaming setup on any platform.