EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

[Steve_OS]

Gaming Trend has posted their EA Sports UFC hands-on preview, as they took Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson into the octagon and talk about presentation, controls, atmosphere, ground game and much more.

The interface is simplicity itself, showing a stamina gauge, a clock, the current round, and a silhouette of a fighter in the upper corners. This character representation shows a gradiated damage model for all four limbs, the torso, and the head. Taking damage on an arm makes it less effective at blocking and striking and also causes redness and chafing. Taking repeated strikes to the legs will make your fighter move slower and with a limp, less likely to fire off a kick in a rapid fashion. Shots to the torso tend to wobble the fighter, sapping their stamina. Given that EA Canada is the team behind the Fight Night series, it’s not surprising to see such a simple yet elegant approach.

The stunning presentation aside, it was time to pick up a controller and see the game in motion. Marching the fighters in the ring, Brian Hayes gave us a preview of the striking controls. The four buttons on the controller control the four limbs on your fighter. Pushing forward or away or using L1 and R1 act as modifiers. L1 makes your fighter deliver a “heavy” version of the strike on the limb you selected. Bouncing off a cage wall, a Superman punch, a leaping knee, and other highlight reel-worthy strikes are all delivered with the more “animated” delivery via R1. Defense is as simple as holding down the right trigger to quickly block, but it’s not 100% effective. If you hold the trigger and then hit a punch or kick button to provide a high or low block you’ll stop that incoming strike, if you are quick enough to predict and intercept it.

Read plenty more here.

[Irishwhiskey119]

They are gonna screw this up i'm betting. This game needs to be as realistic as possible or i'm gonna be pissed. This is my ****ing sport.

[hakeemdaprince]

They are gonna screw this up i'm betting. This game needs to be as realistic as possible or i'm gonna be pissed. This is my ****ing sport.

What you mean realistic that's the problem with games now.People like you want it to be real go watch tv cuz developers are trying to blur the lines and it's taking fun out of sports games.Before patches games looked crappy but were fun.Unless you want to get on Kickstarter and create your own game,you're either going to have choppy or animation heavy movements.

[JDrew8]

What you mean realistic that's the problem with games now.People like you want it to be real go watch tv cuz developers are trying to blur the lines and it's taking fun out of sports games.Before patches games looked crappy but were fun.Unless you want to get on Kickstarter and create your own game,you're either going to have choppy or animation heavy movements.

That's completely subjective. IMO there is nothing wrong with making games realistic. It just shows how innovative the game can be whilst being fun simultaneously. Keep in mind that not everybody has your mentality and that there are people who find fun and are passionate in simulation gaming.

[Gators1984]

Realism is key. You can make a game fun and accessible while still striving for realism. Realism is in everything, from wanting proper foot planting, proper speed of animations, stamina, hit reactions, physics from takedowns and cage positions. Why would anyone not want that to be as real as possible?

[aholbert32]

Re: EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

Realism is key. You can make a game fun and accessible while still striving for realism. Realism is in everything, from wanting proper foot planting, proper speed of animations, stamina, hit reactions, physics from takedowns and cage positions. Why would anyone not want that to be as real as possible?

Because most casual fans dont need that to have fun. They only care that their favorite fighter is in the game and that they can KO people online.

The two most "sim" major sports games right now are NBA 2k and the Show and they out of the box and without slider tweaks they play extremely arcade. What does that tell you? That game companies recognize that most gamers want an easily accessible and fun game without a ton of realism. They dont give a crap about accurate foul shots or ball/strike percentage.

To bring it back to UFC, all those things you listed are great and I'm sure all fans would enjoy them but they arent geared toward the casual fan and the casual fan is what matters when it comes to significant sales. If EA gives me sliders that work or a sim mode like UFC 3, I'll be fine.

[Beantown]

Re: EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

I wouldn't consider myself just a "casual" MMA fan, but ****, man, I'll be that guy - I'd prefer the "arcade realism" that games like Fifa (which I think is the best realism representation in sports gaming), or The Show, bring. I'm not trying to spend fifteen hours learning how to move the stick just right so my character's foot plants at the exact right angle. I want to play a video game and at the end of the day, that's what most people want.

Now, I don't mean I want an arcade game. I want a realistic game, but I still want a game, not a simulator. If that makes sense. And it probably doesn't...it's late.

[hakeemdaprince]

I wouldn't consider myself just a "casual" MMA fan, but ****, man, I'll be that gay - I'd prefer the "arcade realism" that games like Fifa (which I think is the best realism representation in sports gaming), or The Show, bring. I'm not trying to spend fifteen hours learning how to move the stick just right so my character's foot plants at the exact right angle. I want to play a video game and at the end of the day, that's what most people want.

Now, I don't mean I want an arcade game. I want a realistic game, but I still want a game, not a simulator. If that makes sense. And it probably doesn't...it's late.

Thank you Beans that's the point I'm trying to drive.Guys get all huffy over imperfections and forget what the point of gaming.Don't get me wrong I want balance.I don't think it's fair to think a computer can replicate the infinite amount of movements the human body can make.As long as the AI is strategic and unpredictable I'm good.That I believe is achievable in any genre (arcade/sim).

[JDrew8]

Thank you Beans that's the point I'm trying to drive.Guys get all huffy over imperfections and forget what the point of gaming.Don't get me wrong I want balance.I don't think it's fair to think a computer can replicate the infinite amount of movements the human body can make.As long as the AI is strategic and unpredictable I'm good.That I believe is achievable in any genre (arcade/sim).

Answer this question. What's wrong with wanting a video game to replicate an infinite amount of realistic movements? If anything, it just shows how far developers are really willing to go. Those guys that "get all huffy over imperfections" are called simulation gamers. That's what they appreciate, simulation style gameplay. They aren't the typical casual that plays COD all day, they prefer actual realism and appreciate the art of a genre. Judging from your posts, I can tell that you are not in that demographic. You somehow prefer arcade/sim games which is completely your opinion thus making the point you tried to make a completely bias statement. If you like that genre, more power to you. Just don't come and bash others for their preferences while you try to make yours seem like a fact.

[p_rushing]

Re: EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

The ground game is impossible to get realistic. You either have to make it all done by the cpu where you just press a button and based on position and skills vs other person timing and skills some outcome happens.

They can't do enough animations to give you full control over each limb with a button.

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[bumpyface]

What you mean realistic that's the problem with games now.People like you want it to be real go watch tv cuz developers are trying to blur the lines and it's taking fun out of sports games.Before patches games looked crappy but were fun.Unless you want to get on Kickstarter and create your own game,you're either going to have choppy or animation heavy movements.

Thank You. This is exactly whats wrong with nba2k. Instead of developers making the game fun and giving the player COMPLETE control, they simulate the game so much that the player has little control over the events that take place on the screen. Early in the video game era, the developers wanted to make games that were FUN to play, now they seem hell-bent on just trying to make the games as realistic as possible. Reaslistic is good, but not when its at the expense of the FUN-FACTOR. I'm so sick of 2k and the likes of it. They got all the tats, and celebration, but when I pick up the stick I feel like the damn game is playing me.

[bumpyface]

I wouldn't consider myself just a "casual" MMA fan, but ****, man, I'll be that guy - I'd prefer the "arcade realism" that games like Fifa (which I think is the best realism representation in sports gaming), or The Show, bring. I'm not trying to spend fifteen hours learning how to move the stick just right so my character's foot plants at the exact right angle. I want to play a video game and at the end of the day, that's what most people want.

Now, I don't mean I want an arcade game. I want a realistic game, but I still want a game, not a simulator. If that makes sense. And it probably doesn't...it's late.

First of all I agree with you 100%, but why do we have to be considered casual? Another question, how do you really define SIM? Is sim simulating the gaming experience as it would happen in real life? For example, I'm playing against someone in nba2k in a ranked matched. They chose the Heat and I chose the Bobcats. This individual has absolutely no basketball IQ whatsoever but because more than not in real life the Heat would SMASH the Bobcats, the AI alters the game so that I end up losing. Is that Sim?

[phillyfan23]

Re: EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

First of all I agree with you 100%, but why do we have to be considered casual? Another question, how do you really define SIM? Is sim simulating the gaming experience as it would happen in real life? For example, I'm playing against someone in nba2k in a ranked matched. They chose the Heat and I chose the Bobcats. This individual has absolutely no basketball IQ whatsoever but because more than not in real life the Heat would SMASH the Bobcats, the AI alters the game so that I end up losing. Is that Sim?

of course that scenario is not sim....that's called bad and lazy programming. An example of Sim is if 2 same skilled players play a game and one use the heat and one use the bobcat....the guy using thr heat should win 9 times out of 10 with a lot of blowouts.

the 2 most successful sports games to me are nba 2k and the show....both represent their respective sports very well in the realism department. 2 most realistic also the 2 most successful franchises...go figure



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[Money99]

Re: EA Sports UFC Hands-On Impressions

In same boat as you Beantown.
Hopefully there are sliders to make it as sim as possible for the hardcore.
For me, I want it to be fun and I want lots of stoppages.

I'm hoping to hear more about career mode.
I really hope it's not the same career mode we've had to endure since Genesis days;
Build fighter, train, add points, fight, add points, move up rankings ladder.

[hakeemdaprince]

Answer this question. What's wrong with wanting a video game to replicate an infinite amount of realistic movements? If anything, it just shows how far developers are really willing to go. Those guys that "get all huffy over imperfections" are called simulation gamers. That's what they appreciate, simulation style gameplay. They aren't the typical casual that plays COD all day, they prefer actual realism and appreciate the art of a genre. Judging from your posts, I can tell that you are not in that demographic. You somehow prefer arcade/sim games which is completely your opinion thus making the point you tried to make a completely bias statement. If you like that genre, more power to you. Just don't come and bash others for their preferences while you try to make yours seem like a fact.

Well it's nothing wrong with trying to achieve that and I did notice you said "strive". The problem is, the nextgen consoles light years behind let's keep it real. It will 15-20 yrs til they can make a game like that. I'm an 80s baby and I remember simulators were mostly PC. Consoles were usually adapted ARCADE games except for RPGs. Simulators usually had no action just words. Towards the end of the PS2 era is where I believe is when the confusion began. Its when developers start flirting with SIM type modes in sports games. After that they implemented realistic VISUALS and then gamers like you started jonesin for more. When all they were trying to do was make our experience better by making players more recognizable (see TECMO BOWL).