The UFC has so dominated mixed martial arts (MMA) in both the real and virtual sports world that it isn%26rsquo;t surprising to see a challenger to their dominance, even less surprising that it%26rsquo;s from EA Sports, the biggest sports game maker around. THQ%26rsquo;s UFC games set quite a high standard of quality, and for most fans the UFC is MMA, just like the NFL is✅ football for some. EA Sports MMA had a lot to prove and pushes itself to be the best, but does it surpass the current champ?

The first break EA makes with the UFC is the controls, which is surprising since the latter game created a very good approximation of the complex sport without being too complicated. The differences begin with the stand-up, as developer EA Tiburon took a page from EA%26rsquo;s Fight Night franchise, putting the strikes on the right analog stick. For those unfamiliar with that series, the precision needed to make, say, a jab-jab-hook combo will feel a little tricky at first, but aft🍷er a few fights you get used to it and will probably agree that it%26rsquo;s a more elegant solution than using the face buttons. Of cꦫourse you also have to throw kicks with the same stick, complicating things a little more, but the whole striking system becomes clear soon enough.

Things get a little simpler on the ground, though that%26rsquo;s not always for the best. Takedowns and ground work are where ꦏthe face buttons come into play, with both attempting to send a man to the ground and sprawling to resist said attempt are one button commands. And once both are on the ground, transitioning between positions and resisting those attempts are the same one button commands. Though real experienced players may note the changes in stamina and pick and choose the right time to attempt a pass, most will probably mash buttons until they get in the desired position, an unsubtle option that will work on most beginners.

Starting a submission is also one button command, as is attempting to prevent one, but once the little minigame for submissions starts it gets much more complicated, and take🌃s real practice to understand. It%26rsquo;s a real cute touch that your progress in the submission is shown via an x-ray of the affected limb, but you have to suppress your urge to button mash, as it%26rsquo;s a very careful and touchy tug of war between players and their stamina. Submissions are fight enders, so they shoulᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚdn%26rsquo;t be too easy, but going for a simple ground and pound win using strikes from the mount is considerably easier, an unfortunate balance issue.

XBox 360 Deals

1 deals available