EA Sports MMA Game Review

When it comes to Mixed Martial Arts THQ's UFC series is leading the way, but with EA Sports deciding to dive into the octagon what can we expect for their first attempt with EA Sports MMA. While EA lack the big-name license, they still manage to provide a great roster of fighters along side solid gameplay and most importantly a game which feels as brutal as the sport itself.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) it's a sport which pits two men against each other much like Boxing, the difference is due to the lack of rules the fight is more of a no-holds-barred affair. Each fighter is placed inside an octagon, or Boxing ring with a pair of gloves (smaller than traditional Boxing gloves) and the action begins. Unlike Boxing the action can take place on the ground as well as the standing game, this allows for different forms of fighting to compete with each other. You will use traditional Boxing techniques alongside Muay Thai, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate and much more to defeat your opponent. The sport is immensely varied and allows players to be whatever type of fighter they want to be. This also helps create very interesting matches between two opposing styles.

(EA Sports MMA Middleweights)

You might be initially put off by the game because it lacks the big-name license that THQ's UFC game has but don't let this fool you. EA Sports MMA provides organizations such as Stikeforce who have allot of talent and the game does have a great line up of fighters. While THQ's UFC series focuses on only one area of the sport, EA's MMA feels more like a Global game with it's variety of rings and rules from different nations around the world. The game overall feels much more open and varied in what you can do and achieve in the game compared to it's competitor. THQ will definitely have to step up their game if EA can provide such a rich experience with their first attempt.

The main thing with any fighting game is the action inside the ring, or octagon. EA manages to provide a game which feels as brutal and realistic as the action we all love to watch on our television screens. First of all the control scheme is handled better than any other MMA game. Just as in EA's Fight Night series MMA allocates striking to the right analog stick. Swirling the right analog stick in any direction will result in a punch, hook, jab, and uppercut can all be achieved with the one analog stick. The same motions will result in a different kick when holding down the left trigger.

While the stand up game is pretty simple to learn, hard to perfect, the ground game takes a bit more experience to learn. Essentially (A) advances your position or performs a takedown, (X) performs a submission in the proper situation, (Y) will enter a clinch or stand up when on the ground, and (B) blocks your opponents attempts to take you down or advance on your position. There are moves that can modify in each area but these are the standard moves allocated to the buttons.

One of the impressive new features to a MMA game that EA has implemented is the strategic pass system. The way it works is by lowering the opponents stamina with every blow you land which makes it easier to pass. In multiplayer the strategy is taken a step further, when you strike an opponent it will rumble their controller as well as lowering their stamina. The same goes for pass attempts meaning you can disguise pass attempts with strikes. If you land three strikes when on the ground the opponent might expect the same routine next time, next time you can land two and then make an attempt to pass while the opponent is attempting to block a strike which never came. The controller will still rumble and disguise your pass as a strike leaving you with a window to change the fight, this was fun to use online and created some tense moments when on the ground.

The single player campaign and two exhibition type matches complete the solo modes in the game. Career mode is where the majority of the games action can be found. It allows you to create a fighter (sing Photo GameFace, if you wish) and outfit him with one of the many fighting styles before selecting the tightest pair of shorts you can find. You are then sent off to train under Mr. Bas Rutten however the game stays very true to the sport and doesn't just limit you to Bas's gym. You are able to travel the world, learn new fighting styles and get a much more international experience from your training than in THQ's UFC. You get a different trainer with each gym you use and you can learn new special moves with each new style of fighting you want to study.

EA Sports MMA implements a system that allows you to easily simulate training activity's after you've completed them. For example if you earn an A grade in Kickboxing1 then you can attempt Kickboxing2 and so on. This is much more satisfying than the traditional fighting games which ask you to go through long frustrating training exercises between fights.

In Career mode you will enter a league with your created fighter and after you reach the top you will be moved into a tougher league and repeat the process.

The online portion of the game is where the other half of the fun with this game can be found. There are allot of great modes in EA's MMA but my personal favourite was the Live Broadcast, which allows players to set up a fight with another fighter, arrange a time, and send out a simple URL to any friends so they can watch the bout either on their console or PC. i thought this was such a unique addition to the game and something we have not really seen before in any fighting game. There are also hype videos, you can create a hype video to boast proudly about your fighter and all friends and viewers will see this before the fight. It's strangely just for the viewers though, not the two fighters. I don't understand why you would not allow each fighter to watch the others hype video but at least it can bring allot of interest to your game if two people go to war with their vocabulary before hand.

You can also build out your own fight card which is essentially building your own pay-per-view. You build out a list of combatants who can watch each fight taking place before competing. With a group of friends this can be a fantastic thrilling experience and you can have just as much fun watching the fights as you will taking part. 

In regular ranked matches players can fight for belts in each weight class.

The game looks great as well, much better than THQ's stiff and repetitive animated UFC game which seems to focus on how shiny character models look. The game uses Fight Night Round 4's engine to produce the physics-based combat that looks more natural than any other fighting game, when muscles flex and sweat drips it really does look impressive. The fighter movements look fantastic and most importantly, realistic. I just want to mention the blood as well, i noticed in the UFC game it squirts and falls unrealistically but in MMA it smears and drips with a realistic look which only enhances the fights intensity and believability more.

(EA Sports MMA Heavyweights)

The audio is solid for the most part, the ring announcers do a good job of not becoming repetitive and the punches and blows by each fighter sound and feel realistic rather than arcadey. It would be nice to hear some more grunts and pain from fighters who are in a struggle or heavy breathing but overall the audio is solid throughout the game.

If you are a fan of Mixed Martial Arts then you are stuck with two choices, they are not too bad either so don't worry. EA Sports MMA and THQ's UFC series are both great games but EA's MMA is the superior game when it comes to gameplay and visuals, if all you care about is the star names then UFC might be your best option, but if you love the sport and want a true experience which feels more like a dedication to the sport then you will definitely want to go with EA Sports MMA.

EA Sports MMA is the first step by EA into the Mixed Martial Arts world and it's a very impressive one. Gameplay is fantastic and captures the intense brutal pressure of the octagon in a way which no other MMA game has. The visuals are impressive and they amount of unique online features make this game the stand out choice.

  

EA Sports MMA is a Brutal destructive fighting at it's best 8.0