The “EA UFC” series has adopted adjustments with every new edition, so of course things are no different with the fourth iteration, which dropped worldwide on Friday for Xbox One and Playstation 4.
As with any fighting game, especially one that requires navigating through the complexities of mixed martial arts, there are going to be kinks in the system. As an avid follower of the series, and someone who has done hands-on reviews for every game thus far, it’s safe to say this is an upgrade.
A massive upgrade? Maybe not. But the play style is different, courtesy of some key changes.
For people who have never played the series, picking up EA UFC 4 requires some patience and a bit of a learning curve. Button-mashing will only take one so far in this fighting game. To get past players with any remote level of skill, taking some time to learn the controls is essential. Judging distance, strike selection and cardio management are all keys to success, and things can get quite technical depending on the approach of the players.
To EA’s credit, it has attempted to simplify the ground work, which has historically been the biggest challenge of these games. The direction of how to advance position, escape position and set up submissions are more clearly defined for newbies. For veterans, the legacy controls from the previous game remain available for use, as well.
The other major change to gameplay comes within the clinch. In the previous game, the clinch work was slightly agonizing. An overhaul allows a smoother flow from striking at range to battling on the inside to stepping in for takedown or sweeps. It takes some adjustment for players familiar with the old way of doing things, but thus far, it seems to allow better flow in the action.
Those are the biggest impressions from the actual EA UFC 4 mechanics, but there are some other elements of note, too.
- The roster is deeper than ever before, and for the most part of the character models are sensational. EA has done a brilliant job transforming the real life athletes into the game and not only making them look good from a visual perspective, but making their tendencies when fighting close to authentic. The developers executed this very well once again.
- Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua made it into the game as bonus characters who can be earned through either a pre-order or completing Career Mode. That’s fine and dandy, but most MMA fans would likely have preferred a top contender like Calvin Kattar not be snubbed in place of boxers. EA has historically done well to address missing athletes, though, and Kattar should show up in the first wave of roster updates. Hopefully.
- Speaking of Career Mode, this year’s version provided mixed feelings. There were definitely new elements, such as how training camps are structured, the ability to build rivalries with other fighters via social media beefs and setting contract goals, but the same problems of past plagued past versions still exist. A feeling of tediousness comes pretty quickly with the rinse-and-repeat process to going from training camp to fight over and over. Assuming you’re a decent enough player to get out of the early portion of Career Mode and establish yourself as a UFC fighter, it doesn’t take long before you’re fighting the same opponent multiple times and it gets somewhat dull.
- Once you get through Career Mode, however, there are other gameplay options that should offer hours of entertainment. There’s an option to create custom events or set up tournaments, in addition to online play.
Overall, EA UFC 4 is in line with what should be expected. Complaints around the previous game obviously resonated with developers and changes were made. Oftentimes gameplay changes can create new flaws, which is unavoidable. However, thus far there’s nothing that’s caused frustration to a degree of being-off putting, especially for veterans of the series.
For anyone who enjoys UFC video games, EA UFC 4 is going to offer hours of entertainment in the same way the previous one did. Is it perfect? No. But does it provide the most thorough and intricate MMA gaming experience we’ve see thus far? Yes.
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EA UFC 4 keeps in tone with MMA's signature video game series
