In 2014, Electronic Arts took their first crack at the newly acquired Ultimate Fighting Championship license with EA Sports UFC. With decently large shoes to fill from THQ’s retired Undisputed line, designing with the Ignite Engine was billed as the key to revolutionizing MMA titles for the Xbox One/ PS4 generation. While the graphical prowess and presentation was undeniably excellent, some of the gameplay factors, particularly control mechanics, clearly needed some ironing out and refining. UFC 2 of ’16 addressed the larger issues and streamlined frayed ends of the ground game. Although despite its best effort, a list of items still felt clunky. I was granted closed beta access for the upcoming UFC 3 to see how dev-ing is going so far.
First thing that jumped off the proverbial page for me was how fluid stand up play felt. Striking has always been a strength of EA’s flavor, but this time the action has more “impact.” Collision detection is scary accurate; laded blows hit unguarded areas clean and arrive with a thud when checked. Control scheme has stayed consistently mapped and acute. Basic punches and kicks are accomplished by tapping the face buttons, while the shoulder suite offers advanced options when coupled. It was especially cool to see fighter specific signature strikes. Throwing the lead right hand of Nate Diaz while holding L1 unleashes that infamous Stockton Slap. Finding the correct range and picking spots to release your pugilistic salvo seems to have a heightened importance. Otherwise, you’ll leave yourself open for oncoming punishment, which is more precise and at a swifter pace. Rather quickly, you learn what works best for you in terms of throwing and guarding. Then the increased pace feels natural and really entertaining!
Unfortunately, all that ails mat work has not been corrected. Since this is only an impressions piece, I won’t delve deep into all the intricacies of control; just know most of what you’ll use is the right stick with the Rs and Ls offering modifiers. Vets of this UFC series will know full on what to expect because not much has changed. I still contend there would be a better way than stick gestures, or perhaps rework them in for a more intuitive experience. I recently reviewed WWE 2K18. At first, I thought the use of quick time mechanics for holds and submissions and such was going to be a misstep. Eventually I got used to these “micro games” and over time I felt myself getting better at them. Through two full games and a beta, I have yet to not be notably frustrated with UFC‘s set of systems. I understand the heat from overusing QTEs gets from players, but at this point I think with the right design, it could be a boon. The one ground positive I found was with submissions. Finally, I feel like ratings, stamina, and damage all play a part in the ability to complete or thwart tap attempts. Hopefully this carries over to the full release.
Despite my gripes and concerns, I’ve remained favorable to EA’s take on the MMA giant. The stuff they get right exceed the wrong by a good margin. It looks as though UFC 3 is on track to carry on similar proficiency. Having said that, I worry there won’t be any real progression from 2016. It’s way to early to tell and we’re talking about a small sample. Still, one can hope breadth constitutes AAA pricing and fingers crossed it’s not too late to enact some changes that makes grappling more palatable. We’ll just have to wait and see come February.
