EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[Stumbleweed]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Yeah I was crappy at defending the takedowns, but the little controller buzz cue really helps.

[Phobia]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I downloaded it last night and I liked it. I fought with Mayhem vs. Shields and he took me down over and over again. I suck at defending the take-down. I'm using Classic Controls and I still find myself trying to use UFC controls at times too so, I probably just need to get some more practice in.

Also, the graphics are definitely top notch. SMH at dude comparing them to a N64 game. That's just plain hate right there. Come on.

Anyways, I plan on getting some more game time in tonight or throughout the weekend so that I can make a decision on whether this is a day one purchase or not. Either way I'll definitely pick it up at some point. Good job EA

Yea all creditability he had went out the window long before that though, that was just the icing on the cake lol

[SA1NT401]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Yea all creditability he had went out the window long before that though, that was just the icing on the cake lol

LOL...No kidding.

[sb24]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Your goal against a transition spammer SB should be to just DENY DENY DENY DENY. This will then make them extremely tired and easy to slap on a sub. That is the counter to transitions spammers. They expel all their energy making it easy for you to sub them.

Now someone that looks to protect themselves and pace themselves on the ground THEN you look to land shots and pass while they are defending the punch.

From the sound of it, it sounded like it went the way it should of. Except I would of demolished him on the ground from the get go if he was spamming.

Yea I was using the time to learn things about the game (parry) instead of dominate him. If I tried to hard he would have quit playing. I am liking the game the more and more I play it, but I still have issues with the AI.

1. throwing elbows from clinch or mount is the same motion you use to throw a hook.

2. Postering up is the stand up button. When you do it full mount, he will push down on their fore head with his forearm and sit straight up .

3. Putting hooks in is a transition move.

Guys keep in mind the direction your press the LS along with the transition or takedown button also effects what kind of moves you will do too. There is more then just one type of move.

Thanks! I thought everytime I have used the stand up button we would stand all the way back up, but I am not sure I ever tried it from full guard. In full mount you can also just press the normal transition button to posture up. Also didnt realize the direction of the LS made a difference so thanks again.

I think the Parry system is one of the most important aspects of the game. It allows you to take no damage, throw the strike to the side or catch the kick, removes a large chunk of stamina from attacker, and can be used on both ground and standing.

It is extremely important on the ground. Covering up and blocking will force you into taking shots (realistic, little gloves still HURT). But parrying will prevent you from taking the damage while tiring the opponent which allows you to pass OR get them off you.

The draw back to the parry is it is risky. You must pick the correct side they are attacking. So while it has great reward, the big draw back is if you choose wrong then you eat a punch unguarded.

I am starting to understand the parry system better now. I am not a huge fan of it, but I guess that just means most of my fights will be on the ground. Normally I like to stand and bang but I am not going to risk the KO.

[jugganott]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Oh yeah have any of you guys watch somebody ask play the game and noticed how life like the people move on the game ? Kind of hard to really notice it when you are the one playing.

But the way they go about transitioning and going for subs, it is life like. You see them using their hands to push off, twist their hips on the ground to try to get back into full guard. When they go for triangle chokes, you see them push the shoulder down before they put the leg up over it.

Same thing with the clinch up against the cage. You see them pushing their arms through trying to break the grip. And seeing a wizard off the cage is so life like. Because none of the moves are like BOOM its there, it happen.

All of them gradually happen. You see them struggling and attempting to pull it off and see the other guy struggling and attempting to keep you from pulling it off. So when you do see a wizard off the cage or triangle choke, it makes even more rewarding.

Same thing goes for back control. You just don't automatically take somebody's back and have both hooks in automatically. You got to manually get both hooks in. And you can manually choose to take one hook out for you can better balance yourself.

Same thing with elbows, one of my friends was pissed because he wasn't throwing elbows in the clinch. I told him this game is different, you don't automatically do anything, if you want to throw an elbow, you manually have to choose to do so, just punching not going to give you an automatic elbow.

Yes. That was one of the FIRST things that I noticed. It's really good to be honest. You can kinda get a visual of what they are trying to do and counter. You can really understand what's going on because of how realistic the movements are, they are spot on to me. As I understand what's going on I'm doing more and understanding what I should be doing. The visual aspect of the game is really great.

[jshmoopy]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I played a few matches of this last night, but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It was fun, but I was having a difficult time due to the UFC Undisputed controls being drilled into my head.

One of the things I like is the total punch control. I really liked this system in Fight Night and I think it is a much better system then using the face buttons. This system is very fluid to me. What I don't like about the system, and this is just a temporary setback, is the learning curve. In order to kick to the body I have to hold the left trigger and the right bumper, then flick the stick. This will take some time to get used to, but will eventually become second nature as the game is played more.

The striking also seems a bit weak. It seems like the punches aren't hitting hard enough. The jabs and crosses seem so weak. The leg kicks look weak. The punches and knees in the downed positions look better, but when you are wailing on a guy's head from full mount it still doesn't look how I'd expect. Even though it seems a bit weak though, it is very smooth. These guys do not look like robots and that is a HUGE plus in my eyes.

Some of the animations when striking and being taken down look off. For example, when I was Overeem, the AI Lashley began charging to do a take-down right as I punched. Instead of my punch whiffing air and being taken down, my punch just got cancelled and it stopped halfway and I got taken down. It looked awkward. Maybe they were trying to simulate canceling the punch and working on the take-down?

I recently watched a video explaining some of the ground controls and the depth in the take-down and counter systems. The more I see of that, the more I like it. At first I felt that a ton of control was taken from me in that I only pressed A, then Overeem would pass in some kind of way. But now I know that you can press the left stick in a certain direction and choose which way to go and certain people have major transitions also. I will need to play with this further but it is definitely growing on me.

The submission system is a big improvement over Undisputed's shining method. I always disliked tapping systems and systems that relied on twitch movements because just tapping faster will win, where is the skill in that? I feel more in control and it feels like I'm doing more than just wearing out my controller. The choking system took a few tries for me to figure out on my own, but I got it after losing a few times.

I don't like the way fights are finished. When you make a guy tap or ground and pound someone out, it doesn't have any impact. You guy from swinging like a maniac to just stopping. The ref really needs to be there to jump between you and the opponent. In fact, I don't remember seeing Big John in the cage. I remember seeing him before the fight, but after that I don't see him (I may be wrong about this, maybe he just does a good job at staying out of the way).

I love the roster and the variety of venues. I watch a ton of DREAM and Strikeforce so I am definitely pumped to play as Nick Diaz, Joachim Hansen, Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Fedor, Overeem, Mousasi, King Mo and the list goes on. I actually really like the roster. Also, the character models look great. They have a slight exaggeration to them, but it's not huge so it looks good. I'm hoping that each fighter's different style is utlized well and every fight doesn't turn into a kickboxing match. I don't think this will be a problem though. Lashley was going for take-downs like a mad man

I am definitely going to play this demo a bit more before I decide whether or not I am going to buy it. I want it (UFC 2010 was very disappointing to me), but I need to know that I'm going to be playing it for a while. I can still pull out Fight Night Round 4 and play it from time to time, hopefully this will be more of the same.

[Jukeman]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I wonder if you can alter rules to have a stand up only match like K-1

how bout a K-1 type league in career mode...

Career mode looks fun

[Phobia]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

LOL...No kidding.

LOL Saint I love your sig

Yea I was using the time to learn things about the game (parry) instead of dominate him. If I tried to hard he would have quit playing. I am liking the game the more and more I play it, but I still have issues with the AI.

Yea I think the AI is not perfect, but EA is great about post release patches so we should see them do their best to correct community issues that are really being talking about a lot.


Thanks! I thought everytime I have used the stand up button we would stand all the way back up, but I am not sure I ever tried it from full guard. In full mount you can also just press the normal transition button to posture up. Also didnt realize the direction of the LS made a difference so thanks again.
Learning the ground game is not hard, it is just not very in your face as far as what you can do. But once you learn the moves it is no different than UFC's moves


I am starting to understand the parry system better now. I am not a huge fan of it, but I guess that just means most of my fights will be on the ground. Normally I like to stand and bang but I am not going to risk the KO.
Use the parry system on the ground also. Its makes a HUGE difference!!

Yes. That was one of the FIRST things that I noticed. It's really good to be honest. You can kinda get a visual of what they are trying to do and counter. You can really understand what's going on because of how realistic the movements are, they are spot on to me. As I understand what's going on I'm doing more and understanding what I should be doing. The visual aspect of the game is really great.

The visuals are top notch. The animations are a whole other level compared to UFC's rigid, robotic movements.

Small detail are also there. I saw Jake Shields lock in a triangle on me last night. I have seen quite a few in the time playing the demo. Most throw their legs over and lock it in. This one was different, he threw his legs over, then grab his ankle and repositioned this leg so it was positioned over the neck and THEN locked the other leg over for the choke.

Such a small detail but you see it all the time in real MMA.

[DaveDQ]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I wonder if you can alter rules to have a stand up only match like K-1

how bout a K-1 type league in career mode...

Career mode looks fun

That would be cool.

[Taur3asi3]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I wonder if you can alter rules to have a stand up only match like K-1

how bout a K-1 type league in career mode...

Career mode looks fun

EA Full Contact Kyokushin Karate?

Even though it isn't an MMA game, the Fire Pro Wrestling series offers you that feature. You can do pro wrestling matches, MMA style fights, K-1/Boxing matches, and shoot-style pro wrestling matches with knockdowns and 10 counts, among numerous others.

I can't recommend Fire Pro Wrestling Returns high enough.

[Phobia]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

I played a few matches of this last night, but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It was fun, but I was having a difficult time due to the UFC Undisputed controls being drilled into my head.

One of the things I like is the total punch control. I really liked this system in Fight Night and I think it is a much better system then using the face buttons. This system is very fluid to me. What I don't like about the system, and this is just a temporary setback, is the learning curve. In order to kick to the body I have to hold the left trigger and the right bumper, then flick the stick. This will take some time to get used to, but will eventually become second nature as the game is played more.

The striking also seems a bit weak. It seems like the punches aren't hitting hard enough. The jabs and crosses seem so weak. The leg kicks look weak. The punches and knees in the downed positions look better, but when you are wailing on a guy's head from full mount it still doesn't look how I'd expect. Even though it seems a bit weak though, it is very smooth. These guys do not look like robots and that is a HUGE plus in my eyes.

Some of the animations when striking and being taken down look off. For example, when I was Overeem, the AI Lashley began charging to do a take-down right as I punched. Instead of my punch whiffing air and being taken down, my punch just got cancelled and it stopped halfway and I got taken down. It looked awkward. Maybe they were trying to simulate canceling the punch and working on the take-down?

I recently watched a video explaining some of the ground controls and the depth in the take-down and counter systems. The more I see of that, the more I like it. At first I felt that a ton of control was taken from me in that I only pressed A, then Overeem would pass in some kind of way. But now I know that you can press the left stick in a certain direction and choose which way to go and certain people have major transitions also. I will need to play with this further but it is definitely growing on me.

The submission system is a big improvement over Undisputed's shining method. I always disliked tapping systems and systems that relied on twitch movements because just tapping faster will win, where is the skill in that? I feel more in control and it feels like I'm doing more than just wearing out my controller. The choking system took a few tries for me to figure out on my own, but I got it after losing a few times.

I don't like the way fights are finished. When you make a guy tap or ground and pound someone out, it doesn't have any impact. You guy from swinging like a maniac to just stopping. The ref really needs to be there to jump between you and the opponent. In fact, I don't remember seeing Big John in the cage. I remember seeing him before the fight, but after that I don't see him (I may be wrong about this, maybe he just does a good job at staying out of the way).

I love the roster and the variety of venues. I watch a ton of DREAM and Strikeforce so I am definitely pumped to play as Nick Diaz, Joachim Hansen, Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Fedor, Overeem, Mousasi, King Mo and the list goes on. I actually really like the roster. Also, the character models look great. They have a slight exaggeration to them, but it's not huge so it looks good. I'm hoping that each fighter's different style is utlized well and every fight doesn't turn into a kickboxing match. I don't think this will be a problem though. Lashley was going for take-downs like a mad man

I am definitely going to play this demo a bit more before I decide whether or not I am going to buy it. I want it (UFC 2010 was very disappointing to me), but I need to know that I'm going to be playing it for a while. I can still pull out Fight Night Round 4 and play it from time to time, hopefully this will be more of the same.

Loved your review Moopy. This is what guys like biizz can learn from someone like you. State what you dislike but it is in a constructive manner and also state what is good in your opinion. Not just constant random hate.

I agree with basically everything you mentioned and completely agree with the Ground and Pound striking and finishing of a opponent by using GnP just looks BAD right now. Hopefully the full game has smoothed this out some.

[Jukeman]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Even tho the ref doesnt dive in and stop a fight like in UFC's game, I find the finishes I had (KO or TKO) more "realistic" in EA MMA, I pray the fight night gameplay is similar to this game...

It just feels organic to me, I like!!!

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Big John is in the ring, he just stands way off. Usually way off to the top or side somewhere. I use the whole ring when I fight so I always see him moving out of the way.

Far as the punching not looking hard enough, I don't know if that is because of the visual or is it more so of the sound effect they use. Maybe it is a combination of both.

But I do know sound of something greatly impacts how something looks visually. Like the diving punch into guard. You can clearly hear it and sounds like your face just got broken.

However the sound from ground n pound, with punches anyway sound like taps. Elbows on the ground sound a tad bit better then punches that is for sure. I guess the best way to describe it is that they need more THUMP like you get when you hit a heavy bag, instead of the sound you get when you hit a speed bag.

So more observations......

Anybody perform or seen a leg lock yet ?

Out of all the submissions move I did or seen in the demo, they are the following.

1. 3 variations of the arm bar from full guard
2. 2 variations of the kimura
3. Guillitine
4. Darce
5. Americana
6. Arm triangle
7. 3 variations of the triangle from full guard
8. Triangle from mount
9. Arm bar from back mount
10. RNC
11. Omaplata

Haven't been able to do or seen any knee bars, ankle locks, achille toe hold, peruvian neck ties, anaconda, gogaplata, kimura from full guard bottom, kimura from half guard bottom.

Also noticed there isn't a north south position.

I did notice though people with BJJ skills do go for submissions often on the ground, like Mayhem, so that is a very good thing.

I do wonder though how come Shields can do submission chains but Mayhem can't ?

But anyway grant it though none of the fighters in the demo are high level BJJ guys like a Jacre, so maybe thats why I haven't seen certain submission moves yet.

[jshmoopy]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Big John is in the ring, he just stands way off. Usually way off to the top or side somewhere. I use the whole ring when I fight so I always see him moving out of the way.

Far as the punching not looking hard enough, I don't know if that is because of the visual or is it more so of the sound effect they use. Maybe it is a combination of both.

But I do know sound of something greatly impacts how something looks visually. Like the diving punch into guard. You can clearly hear it and sounds like your face just got broken.

However the sound from ground n pound, with punches anyway sound like taps. Elbows on the ground sound a tad bit better then punches that is for sure. I guess the best way to describe it is that they need more THUMP like you get when you hit a heavy bag, instead of the sound you get when you hit a speed bag.

So more observations......

Anybody perform or seen a leg lock yet ?

Out of all the submissions move I did or seen in the demo, they are the following.

1. 3 variations of the arm bar from full guard
2. 2 variations of the kimura
3. Guillitine
4. Darce
5. Americana
6. Arm triangle
7. 3 variations of the triangle from full guard
8. Triangle from mount
9. Arm bar from back mount
10. RNC
11. Omaplata

Haven't been able to do or seen any knee bars, ankle locks, achille toe hold, peruvian neck ties, anaconda, gogaplata, kimura from full guard bottom, kimura from half guard bottom.

Also noticed there isn't a north south position.

I did notice though people with BJJ skills do go for submissions often on the ground, like Mayhem, so that is a very good thing.

I do wonder though how come Shields can do submission chains but Mayhem can't ?

But anyway grant it though none of the fighters in the demo are high level BJJ guys like a Jacre, so maybe thats why I haven't seen certain submission moves yet.

You are definitely right on the sound issue, the sound when you do that diving punch into guard is nasty. Maybe a bit too nasty.

[Phobia]

Re: EA Sports MMA Demo Available, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

Well after a another 20 rounds or so. I found out what is wrong with Legend difficulty.

The CPU AI parrys' very little ground strikes. Where a human can see which arm is coming and parry at a way higher completion percentage. This results with the HUM to be on top more often than not because the HUM has no issue parrying and making the CPU AI stamina drop to nothing. Then a quick reversal and you are in top control.

At this point the CPU AI freezes and pretty much just covers up. But the damage received even blocking will still put you out in a few seconds. So the CPU needs to be parrying these punches to allow them to survive and not sit there like a human punching bag.

I too can pretty much destroy the CPU AI on legend now. Yahhh me lol

Edit: I take that back, I can dominate on HEAVYWEIGHT only. Jake shields taps me pretty much every time.

AGGG after like my 5th match with Miller. I can't beat Shields for nothing. He submits me every time.

Edit #2: Jake Shields is insane at chokes on legend

Edit #3: Well I dominated in the heavyweight class with pretty much either fighter. But once I went to the middle weight I got choked out by either one pretty much every time. I can' stay with the CPU in chokes. They are to consistent staying "in the zone". Outside of the chokes they were to weak in the stand up. It they did not have the advantage in the chokes then it was pretty much won by me every time.