EA Sports UFC Reviews
It was obviously EA and UFC's goal to give fans of the sport a video game franchise that encapsulated all their was to love about it. EA Sports UFC is absolutely that, even if all aspects of the sport are not adapted equally.
As great as it looks, EA Sports UFC fails to capture the high stakes excitement that makes MMA such a great sport.
EA Sports UFC is a game capable of brilliance. It's let down by some curious design decisions, signs of a team perhaps too interested in capturing non-essential moves seen on YouTube rather than nailing the essence of the sport. But when it flows against human competition, it offers beautiful destruction and glorious drama. Landing a picture-perfect head kick in the final minute of the fifth round of a title fight? Well, it doesn't get much better. And if that's not worth a fistbump, I don't know what is.
EA Sports UFC boasts incredibly detailed fighters and great combat. However, this debut effort from a new publisher lacks the single-player balance and the variety of modes that previous UFC games brought to the ring.
The fighting system has a bit of a learning curve to overcome before you can appreciate the combat
EA Sports UFC feels barely held together, a collection of parts that are often as frustrating as they are poorly explained. Somewhere, in all of the complication and opacity, is a game unlike anything else out there, that finds the unpredictability and wildness that set MMA apart from other combat sports. But there's an awful lot of bad to dig through to find it.
EA Sports UFC looks almost as good as a real MMA fight, but poorly balanced systems dull the excitement.
EA Sports has been developing their first UFC game for some time now and, while they have shown they know their material, it's unfortunately weighed down by shortcomings. On one hand, the mechanics are satisfying as timing counters and ground passes are down to precision.
EA Sports UFC is great next step for MMA games. The career mode and realistic gameplay will gain the love of diehard UFC fans and hardcore sports gamers.
EA Sports UFC wouldn't be bad for a first shot at the MMA genre. But EA had already dipped their toe into the genre, and seem to have done little to move on from there. The striking is very satisfying, and the new submission system is interesting and creates a more level playing field than in the past, but the game is let down by poor wrestling and transition mechanics. There's enough here to show that a second UFC title from EA is likely to be a great game, but this one just needed a bit more time in the gym.
EA Sports UFC could have been great, but thanks to a lack of modes and customisation options, it's simply ok.
All in all EA Sports UFC is a great fighting game that embodies the strategy and fighting prowess needed to be an ultimate fighter. The game does a great job making each punch, kick, takedown and submission feel as real as it gets without having to step into a real Octagon. This is a must have for any MMA or UFC fan and a must try for anyone who really wants to learn the sport and understand what it is all about.
EA Sports UFC hits pretty hard for the debut of a new franchise.
The worries I had regarding passing the reins over to another developer and publisher are laid to rest here. It is far from a perfect game but the fighting, particularly striking, is the best it has ever been. EA Canada has done a good job of showing that the UFC series is in good hands by delivering an excellent game.
EA Sports UFC has failed to create something as immediately entertaining as it is rewardingly complex.
A surprisingly hesitant start to EA's new sports series, in terms of both the amount of content and the disjointed action.
As Bruce Lee, one of the DLC characters for the game, would say: "Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them." Nothing could be truer for the future of EA Sports UFC.
I would recommend anyone with a little bit of interest in the sport and a lot of patience check out EA Sports UFC. There is a fun game in here somewhere -- it's just behind a lot of barriers.
While less emphasis on DLC, a practice mode, and a better explanation of the submission game would have been helpful, EA Sports UFC gets a no-contest from this reviewer. It doesn't hurt that there's no other MMA game to compete against, much less on PlayStation 4, but the game's presentation has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a fully loaded fight card. You'll have to stop short of beating the virtual opponent in front of you to death, but bruises and blood will leave you feeling like your TV just fell on you and got the clinch in two moves.
EA Sports UFC is what every fan wanted from the game but it still leaves room for improvement.