On the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 it was Fight Night; for PlayStation 4 it is UFC. It just happens to be a "coincidence" that both Fight Night and UFC are published by Electronic Arts.
UFC is a drop dead gorgeous game. Little details like sweat, muscle and tattoos look photorealistic. Even the instant replays show off the games graphical prowess. Seeing every muscle react to an opponent being punched in slow motion shows what these next generation (now, current gen) consoles are capable of.
The one issue I've always had with most sports games, especially fighting games is how convoluted and confusing the fighting mechanics can be, especially if you tend to forget things easily like I do.
Thankfully, the actual career mode has a training area that brushes up your skills between each fight. The training in the Career mode forces you to master moves by repeating them over and over again in a set period of time. It sounds boring, but the Career mode is probably the best place to dive in. You start off the Career mode as an unknown fighter, attempting a meteoric rise to fame in the world of ultimate fighting. The career mode is full of real cut scenes in between matches making you feel like you are auditioning for an Ultimate Fighting reality show.
UFC’s features a pretty robust character creation, which helps boost the emotional attachment to your spunky fighter. You can customize everything including character faces, body types, tattoos, hats, etc.You can spend a good half and an hour creating a perfect fighter. The only downside is that you can only create male fighters, even though the game features a roster of professional female fighters .
The other main offline mode is Versus. Versus is great if you've always wanted to see some of your favourite fighters battle one another. There's also an online mode that plays lag free for the most part.
The standing game is probably where UFC is at its best. Each set of kicks and punches can be changed using modifiers and you can even unlock more moves as you progress through the career. On top of that, player attributes can be levelled up so your fighters skills progress over time. The game gives you a great deal of control over customizing your characters progression. You can choose which attributes to add skill points to so you can choose create the perfect offensive or defensive fighter.
The ground game is probably where UFC is at its weakest. Whenever the fight would transition to the ground game I would do my best to get out of it as soon as possible. The ground game revolves around rotating the right stick to switch between positions, while also guessing where the AI is going to go next. It feels a little too simplistic and not as exciting as the standing game.
UFC feels like a good first attempt for EA. It's not quite a knockout, but rather a difficult submission. UFC's not a game that's simple to pickup and play. It requires a good deal of time spent in the tutorials learning and mastering each move. If you're a casual player, it may not be as accessible as you would like it to, but fans of UFC are definitely going to find something to like.
- Siddharth Masand
The Good:
- Drop Dead Gorgeous Game
- Good deal of character customization
- Training in career mode keeps your memory fresh provided you invest the time
The Bad:
- Weak ground game
- Casual players maybe scared away by control scheme
