The prime icons patch is probably the last patch we will get for UFC 4 and I want to share with you what positive and negative changes the game brought while we wait for UFC 5.
STRIKING:UFC 3's striking was the best striking overhaul we have seen in combat sports no doubt, the vulnerabilty and the risk/reward system it offered really was revolutionary. Looking to expand on it, UFC 4 added the ability to block while moving your head which is a really good idea. However, the striking experience (at least for me) felt much downgraded. Apart from the tracking/whiffing issues the game has, the stamina system feels way too generous. Spamming strikes and going forward seems to be the most effective tactic in this game.
Another extremely bad decision in my opinion is the range reduction for hooks and uppercuts. I get it. Hooks and uppercuts don't have the same range as straights. However, this change has downgraded the striking experience and here's why. If you compare a UFC 3 & 4 fight you will see that, the fighters in UFC 4 are way too close to each other because hooks/uppercuts won't land otherwise. Also, trying to hook someone while your opponent throws a kick (while in boxing range), will likely make your hook miss. This messes up the whole boxing and kicking range management and leaves everything to luck and how the animations will eventually play out. This is also why knees are even more powerful than in UFC 3.
The game feels sped up compared to UFC 3. Having a sped up game while reducing the hook/uppercut range makes boxers with low footwork suffer significantly in this game (and generally "nerfs" boxing) . For example Calvin Kattar. He hasn't good kicks and his footwork stat is not that good. The result? His attacks are almost always out of range and since he doesn't have good kicks, he is very limited to ONLY counter punching. Also, body shots seem harder to get in this game but it could be from the hook/uppercut range reduction. But to close the striking paragraph with something positive, we can now dodge spinning body kicks with footwork only and not side-stepping which adds another reason to switch stances. Also the new controls where you "hold" a button for a different move is a cool addition for me since it has some kind of "feint" in it, and actually has less lag input!
CLINCH:One of the new additions to the game was the clinch overhaul. It feels great but is also very lacking. It is fast, it is dangerous just like real life. The animations look beautiful and lifelike. However, it doesn't play as good as it looks. To begin with, it lacks many positions and you can't really hold someone in it. It feels like it was made so that the clinch returns the fight either back to striking or to the ground quicky. It doesn't really have a strategy or solid mechanics behind it. The first fighter to do something is the winner of the clinch, who 90% of the time is the attacker since he has more options, while the defender is unable to block clinch transitions. Cage clinch is also so limited and the attacker shouldn't get a free pass to back clinch. It's a shame because there are so many good animations like the over/under that look EXACTLY like real life. My suggestions would be: High block should block the single collar strikes and the the transition to single under. Low block should block takedowns and all knees. This way we would see changes more transitions from thai clinch to single collar like Masvidal and vice versa. Overall, the idea behind the clinch system is good and in the right path, it needs to be expananded tho since it lacks so many positions, mechanics, transitions. We want a more risk reward system in the clinch!
TAKEDOWNS:Excellent. The takedown system in UFC 4 is revolutionary. Having to "balance" your fighter during the takedown turns is just so satisfying and feels much better than UFC 3's system.This time you have way more outcomes to a takedown than in UFC 3. If you deny late a takedown you will scramble which just looks awesome. I would love to see this system expanded to clinch takedowns as well! One thing I would love to see changed tho is sprawls. Sprawls are the most common outcome of a failed takedown attempt. However, the only way to get them is pre-denying while going backwards on a double leg. In the game however, the most common is the single under clinch position. My solution to this again? A risk reward system! If you pre-deny a takedown, you get the single under position because you denied perfectly a takedown. If you deny early a turn takedown, you sprawl. If you deny late, you scramble. So this makes a system where the better you defend a takedown, the better position you end up in. Also, the counter takedowns/submissions are way more difficult to get this time in UFC 4 which is fair in my opinion.
GROUND: Almost left unchanged, but made some changes. The first one is that every position, has a GNP position. I like the idea and I also like the new GNP system. Before you burn me alive for saying this hear me out. Do you remember what would happen in UFC 3 after getting knocked down? You had to flick the right analog. Now how stupid does that sound compared to actually being able to defend yourself using head movement and blocking hooks during GNP? Yes of course it sucks we don't have elbows and hammer fists but I prefer being able to defend myself. Also GNP now feels dangerous compared to the "throw one punch every 5 seconds" system we had in UFC 3.It looks much more realistic now. There are some changes that want to make the ground game more fast paced, like the well timed counters and the "higher stamina free transitions" during GNP. You can like them or hate them. I personally like them because they make ground game much faster. However, I don't agree that being postured up on full guard should give you a free transition to get up.
SUBMISSIONS:I don't like the new minigames. It feels like they require less strategy than the old ones. And you can't gradually build your escape like UFC 3's subs. I also don't like how everyone are just as good at every sub. Conor and Ortega are just as good at triangle chokes which is very wrong. I do however like how dangerous rear naked choke is, since, well it is really dangerous in real life. On the other hand, I don't like how easy it is to get to the back sitting position and generally dangerous positions. Finally, give us back submissions counters from the GNP. They looked and felt cool.
CONCLUSION: UFC 4 made some solid changes to improve the game especially on the takedown system. It's a shame tho that striking, something that UFC 3 had almost perfected, got downgraded so much. What we need in UFC 5? A more polished striking system, similar to UFC 3. An expanded clinch system. Some few improvements on the takedown system. A revamped ground game using RPM technology. Generally, the path to a good balanced game is a good risk reward system! What is your opinion on UFC 4?
Peace!
STRIKING:UFC 3's striking was the best striking overhaul we have seen in combat sports no doubt, the vulnerabilty and the risk/reward system it offered really was revolutionary. Looking to expand on it, UFC 4 added the ability to block while moving your head which is a really good idea. However, the striking experience (at least for me) felt much downgraded. Apart from the tracking/whiffing issues the game has, the stamina system feels way too generous. Spamming strikes and going forward seems to be the most effective tactic in this game.
Another extremely bad decision in my opinion is the range reduction for hooks and uppercuts. I get it. Hooks and uppercuts don't have the same range as straights. However, this change has downgraded the striking experience and here's why. If you compare a UFC 3 & 4 fight you will see that, the fighters in UFC 4 are way too close to each other because hooks/uppercuts won't land otherwise. Also, trying to hook someone while your opponent throws a kick (while in boxing range), will likely make your hook miss. This messes up the whole boxing and kicking range management and leaves everything to luck and how the animations will eventually play out. This is also why knees are even more powerful than in UFC 3.
The game feels sped up compared to UFC 3. Having a sped up game while reducing the hook/uppercut range makes boxers with low footwork suffer significantly in this game (and generally "nerfs" boxing) . For example Calvin Kattar. He hasn't good kicks and his footwork stat is not that good. The result? His attacks are almost always out of range and since he doesn't have good kicks, he is very limited to ONLY counter punching. Also, body shots seem harder to get in this game but it could be from the hook/uppercut range reduction. But to close the striking paragraph with something positive, we can now dodge spinning body kicks with footwork only and not side-stepping which adds another reason to switch stances. Also the new controls where you "hold" a button for a different move is a cool addition for me since it has some kind of "feint" in it, and actually has less lag input!
CLINCH:One of the new additions to the game was the clinch overhaul. It feels great but is also very lacking. It is fast, it is dangerous just like real life. The animations look beautiful and lifelike. However, it doesn't play as good as it looks. To begin with, it lacks many positions and you can't really hold someone in it. It feels like it was made so that the clinch returns the fight either back to striking or to the ground quicky. It doesn't really have a strategy or solid mechanics behind it. The first fighter to do something is the winner of the clinch, who 90% of the time is the attacker since he has more options, while the defender is unable to block clinch transitions. Cage clinch is also so limited and the attacker shouldn't get a free pass to back clinch. It's a shame because there are so many good animations like the over/under that look EXACTLY like real life. My suggestions would be: High block should block the single collar strikes and the the transition to single under. Low block should block takedowns and all knees. This way we would see changes more transitions from thai clinch to single collar like Masvidal and vice versa. Overall, the idea behind the clinch system is good and in the right path, it needs to be expananded tho since it lacks so many positions, mechanics, transitions. We want a more risk reward system in the clinch!
TAKEDOWNS:Excellent. The takedown system in UFC 4 is revolutionary. Having to "balance" your fighter during the takedown turns is just so satisfying and feels much better than UFC 3's system.This time you have way more outcomes to a takedown than in UFC 3. If you deny late a takedown you will scramble which just looks awesome. I would love to see this system expanded to clinch takedowns as well! One thing I would love to see changed tho is sprawls. Sprawls are the most common outcome of a failed takedown attempt. However, the only way to get them is pre-denying while going backwards on a double leg. In the game however, the most common is the single under clinch position. My solution to this again? A risk reward system! If you pre-deny a takedown, you get the single under position because you denied perfectly a takedown. If you deny early a turn takedown, you sprawl. If you deny late, you scramble. So this makes a system where the better you defend a takedown, the better position you end up in. Also, the counter takedowns/submissions are way more difficult to get this time in UFC 4 which is fair in my opinion.
GROUND: Almost left unchanged, but made some changes. The first one is that every position, has a GNP position. I like the idea and I also like the new GNP system. Before you burn me alive for saying this hear me out. Do you remember what would happen in UFC 3 after getting knocked down? You had to flick the right analog. Now how stupid does that sound compared to actually being able to defend yourself using head movement and blocking hooks during GNP? Yes of course it sucks we don't have elbows and hammer fists but I prefer being able to defend myself. Also GNP now feels dangerous compared to the "throw one punch every 5 seconds" system we had in UFC 3.It looks much more realistic now. There are some changes that want to make the ground game more fast paced, like the well timed counters and the "higher stamina free transitions" during GNP. You can like them or hate them. I personally like them because they make ground game much faster. However, I don't agree that being postured up on full guard should give you a free transition to get up.
SUBMISSIONS:I don't like the new minigames. It feels like they require less strategy than the old ones. And you can't gradually build your escape like UFC 3's subs. I also don't like how everyone are just as good at every sub. Conor and Ortega are just as good at triangle chokes which is very wrong. I do however like how dangerous rear naked choke is, since, well it is really dangerous in real life. On the other hand, I don't like how easy it is to get to the back sitting position and generally dangerous positions. Finally, give us back submissions counters from the GNP. They looked and felt cool.
CONCLUSION: UFC 4 made some solid changes to improve the game especially on the takedown system. It's a shame tho that striking, something that UFC 3 had almost perfected, got downgraded so much. What we need in UFC 5? A more polished striking system, similar to UFC 3. An expanded clinch system. Some few improvements on the takedown system. A revamped ground game using RPM technology. Generally, the path to a good balanced game is a good risk reward system! What is your opinion on UFC 4?
Peace!
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