Game Reviews

There’s no question that the UFC is the star of the MMA world. It has the most recognizable stars, the biggest pay-per-view events, and a solid video game franchise in THQ’s Undisputed. It’s all too easy to forget that there are other organizations with world class fighters out there. With EA Sports MMA, EA draws the task to show that MMA doesn’t need the UFC label to be noticed.

Tackling the control scheme in a sport as complicated as MMA is a daunting task and it’s the aspect that intrigues me the most. There are three discrete “phases” of an MMA bout—standing, clinching, and ground—and getting each right, along with the transition from one to the next and back, is key. The Undisputed series has what is arguably the best control scheme yet devised but it isn’t without its flaws and suffers from a steep learning curve. EA Sports MMA has gone the opposite route by simplifying everything as much as possible, and for the most part it works.

Striking is accomplished via the “Total Strike Control” system, essentially a modified version of the Fight Night series controls. A flick of the right analog dishes out jabs, hooks, and uppercuts in seamless fashion. The left trigger modifies the strikes to kicks while the right bumper adjusts the height. Familiarity with Fight Night makes the controls easy to pick up although things get confusing when stringing together combos with kick and height modifiers thrown in. The analog striking is a more natural and involved control system when compared button pressing, and I personally hope it becomes the genre norm.