UFC 3

Venerable in it’s own right, THQ’s Undisputed line of the last generation got better with each release, culminating in the astute Undisputed 3. Although consistently on the “arcade” side, the fighting systems worked very well, had stellar collision detection for 2012, and offered Pride FC fighters and presentation for good measure. EA acquired the Ultimate Fighting Championship rights from the THQ rubble and debuted with the first UFC in 2014. On a ~24 month cycle, UFC 2 followed in 2016. Staying in-step, the first quarter of ’18 brings us UFC 3, another at bat for the EA Canada development team to clean up lacking aspects and fine tune the positive aspects.

What’s been effective for six years worth of games is striking. Each fist and leg are assigned to one of the four face buttons. Taps equate to jabs, straights, and low leg kicks. The R/L suite is used as modifiers for advanced, powerful significant strikes as well as swinging knees and elbows to unleash all “eight weapons.” Couple X or circle with L1 to execute a brain jarring head kick. Want to throw a ‘bow? Hold R2 with triangle or square. The coolest may be R1, which engages a fighter’s signature assault so you can swing with flair! My favorite go to maneuver is the uppercut. Tapping circle with triangle or X with square commands a quick, in close missile to the chin that can prove to be a decisive blow when the other participant is on red bar. Defense has been simplified a bit, with R2 blocking high and R2+L2 shielding low. This makes it easy to commit to cognitive and eventually muscle memory. Flicking the right stick offers fast parries, allowing you to trade salvo “in the pocket” with lessened damage. Speed is about what it was two years ago, but it all seems more crisp. There’s better snap to all strikes and the door for counters after successful blocks opens faster. Movement is natural and fluid, providing a stable platform for correct positioning and “Octagon control” to occur. Stand up continues to be the stronger gameplay paradigm.

Mat work lagged behind its on-the-feet counterpart by a decent margin in the first game. Admittedly, the gap was narrowed in the sequel, but there was still a noticeable difference in pacing. UFC 3 continues to nudge closer in this regard. Attempt a takedown with R2 and right stick towards the opponent and thwart a shot with R2 and right stick down. Once the fight goes horizontal, transitions are handled with gesturing said right stick in highlighted directions. Available options are shown by a HUD display and vary depending on the current position. Finding yourself on the bottom is usually not an auspicious place, unless attempting a high level submission. Hold right or left to fight back to half guard and continue the directional hold to get up. Make sure to peek at your stamina so you don’t gas out while moving as it may be necessary to halt your progress for a second or two during the process. From mount position, however, you can shovel down some serious damage with hammer fists and elbows. To keep your foe where they are, move the (you guessed it) right stick in the direction they’re attempting to move in concert with R2. Holding L1 will unveil submissions. The patented “gate” mini game is back again, with an added emphasis on skill and fatigue. From my time with the beta and now the full release, I really feel like fighters with better grappling stats and a fuller tank have an easier go of syncing or refuting subs. My biggest complaint from UFC 1 and 2 was how the flow would suffer with ground action. As a fan of MMA, I enjoy adroit grappling as much as proficient striking. While there wasn’t the overhaul in mechanics and controls I’ve been lightly calling for, things seem quicker. I didn’t feel a stark parachuting of movement this time. It’s as if the proverbial beats-per-minute were turned up a few notches, and the overall arrangement is better for it.

Welcome to your quest to become the GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. Career mode has been revamped to map your journey from rags to martial arts riches. Utilize create-a-fighter or import the “likeness” of a guy or gal currently on the UFC roster from one of ten included weight classes (the newly minted women’s flyweight and women’s featherweight might be too nascent for inclusion without delay). The journey starts in World Fighting Alliance, a former “feeder” league to upper echelon organizations that went belly up in 2006. Sign a contract for your pro debut, then plan a fight camp. Select to work out from home (which costs no funds but doesn’t allow for progression) or pay for a gym membership. Opting for the latter makes available a profusion of preparation options divided into four categories.

Train lists simmed workouts that passively boost attribute points. These are nice because of their low fee from the weekly point allotment, but be leery of over training as you may incur an injury. Learn features timed activities of the striking and ground variety that require you to meet goals in order to unlock new moves and perks (buffs to grappling, striking, fitness, and health). I selected my favorite fighter, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, to test this mode. She’s known for using her range to keep girls at the end of her punches and controlling tempo with devastating leg kicks. But because only appearance and measurables carried over into GOAT, I’m using Learn to remap her IRL game. Third is Spar, which puts a minute on the clock against a fellow camper that’ll mimic the tendencies of the upcoming opponent while coaches offer hints on how to circumvent the best parts of the other person’s game. Time invested in Learn and Train proved UFC‘s gameplay lineage is in tact. With the procedural damage system, repeatedly targeting certain parts of the body is an adept attack strat. Ad naseam kicks to the lead leg will hinder movement, keeping them stationary for more impacting strikes. Is this level of reality symmetry that remains the leading hallmark of EA’s flavor. The last camp component is Promote. In recent years, the ability to bless the mic with “good talk” and throwing shade at the other side via twitter has become an important aspect of a fighter’s professional dossier. Look no further than the careers of Conor McGregor and Colby Covington as proof of what going full pro wrestling mode in the media can do for one’s commercial appeal. You’ll utilize social media platforms to generate polemics towards the fellow signee, increasing “hype” for the tilt, gaining fans and exposure. Take care of business in your first couple of bouts and UFC President Dana White will come through to an event with his “Looking for a Fight” buddy Matt Sera. Seize the opportunity to impress, earn a contract into the world MMA leader, and start your climb towards being the best to ever trade 4 ounce leather!

There are plenty of other play options that don’t require as much time and attention. Fight Now is standard exhibition, while Custom Fight Now offers granular adjustment settings to CPU speed, stamina, damage, and so on. Knockout Mode has a 2D arcade fighting feel to the action. Sig strikes relinquish a tally on the health bar. The first to land eight win the round; best two out of three wins the match. Perhaps the best part is that culturally inexorable Snoop Dogg offers commentary to the action. Submission Showdown narrows victory options to tap only, so make sure to take a top level grappler the clade of Khabib Nurmagomedov or Demian Maia. Best of the batch is probably Stand and Bang. Here, takedowns aren’t allowed, requiring the fight to stay on the feet. Unfortunately, clinching is locked out too. IF clinch work was applicable, this would be a near perfect expression of the series. Tournament Mode allows you and a group of buds to setup a single elimination bracket for virtual pugilistic supremacy. Need to increase your erudition in more finite ways? Check out Skills Challenges. Segmented into three areas (Striking, Wrestling, and Ground), individual mini games have you hitting the heavy bag, working on range integrity, sprawling shoot attempts, perfecting submissions, and more. In Live Events, pick the winners for upcoming UFC programs and participate in the keystone matchups to earn rewards.  There are also ways to take the fight across the wire on PSN. Online Quick Fight gets the fray going right away in one-offs. For more involved outings, check out Ranked Championships. Take part in ten placement matches to attain a starting level. From there, you’ll duke it out; three straight wins awards a title shot!

In step with other EA published sports titles, UFC 3 includes a version of Ultimate Team. Per usual, “card” packs are unlocked with earned coins or micro purchased points. Possible items range from fighters and contracts to boosts and perks. Go to the My Team section to set your “starting lineup” of athletes. Dependent upon their stat lines, they’ll have a various number of available attribute slots in Striking, Grappling, and Training. Here, you’ll assign power moves like teep kicks and endurance buffs. Once your stable is where you want it, it’s time to scrap! Solo Challenges offers contests tied to objectives like landing a certain type of strike a set number of times. This is a fast way to farm coins in order to better arm yourself for the other selections. Single Player Championships features divisions separated by points. Said points are earned in fights, doled out in increments relative to performance. A first round highlight knockout affords more scratch than coming out on the losing end. Ultimate Championships has you battling other players and follows the same format as Ranked Championships. Time will tell how Ultimate Team ultimately plays out over a longer exposure, but the varied types of items establishes the potential for solid replay value.

Right behind the gameplay engine in terms of positives, presentation is top of the sports game food chain once again. Fighters show proportionate damage as the minutes pass and is located exactly where shots occur. Collision detection is still outstanding. Strikes and grapples look completely natural, keeping you entrenched in the action. Crowd ambiance flows with in cage happenings, reacting to meaningful moments. Jon Anik makes his series debut, replacing Mike Goldberg as commentator; Joe Rogan returns to his color analyst post. While I’m still a little bummed about Goldie being let go after William Morris Endeavor’s purchase of Zuffa (read: UFC), Mr. Anik has admittedly done a great job stepping into the big chair thus far. That translates to this audio package.

EA Canada knows where their bread is buttered when it comes to this series, and it’s with the stand up portion of play.  As long as that segment is done really well, more than half the battle is won. UFC 3 tightens up the strides made between the first two, holding the biggest positive in tact. The ground work might not have been given the overhaul I would have preferred, but the stark difference in tempo of the past is largely absent. Stamina and stats proctor over how the horizontal dance goes, exactly how it should be. Pristine sights and sounds with a deluge of deep modes contribute to a worthwhile AAA release. And I think EA would do well to use this Ignite Engine powered template in creation of other combat sport games.