EA Sports’ UFC games are some of the fiercest and most authentic MMA fighting games that have ever been made. They have you grappling intensely with your opponents and pummeling them with standing strikes.
Every element of these games has been designed to be extremely accurate. You’ll fight your way through various career modes, and your journey to the championship will be determined by the decisions you make both inside and outside the octagon.
We’re going to showcase two of the most beloved UFC games, which also happen to be the two most recent installments. Read on to learn more.
UFC 3
The most meaningful improvements to UFC 3 from the previous installments are visible on the surface. The expressions of the fighters are consistent with what’s happening in-game, and the sounds of impact are thicker than ever before.
When playing in Career Mode, you are able to diversify your narrative with a series of distractions, like obligations for training and social media. The main goal for UFC 3 is to look like a believable copy of real life, and it does that very well.
G.O.A.T. Career Mode
Between each match, you can make promotional choices that help you build your fanbase, gain hype for your next fights, and earn more lucrative contracts from the UFC.
The way that you promote yourself outside of the Octagon is just as important as your performance within it, especially if you want to become the Greatest Of All Time.
Combos
There are plenty of Muay Thai and boxing combinations in UFC, and you would do well to learn a few of them. If your fighter ‘learns’ a combo, they will be able to throw several more strikes when using the combo than they would be able to with individual strikes.
You will also want to know which combos rely on landing, and sometimes missing, the first hit. For example, if you do a large roundhouse kick that fails to connect with your opponent, you are still able to move into a spinning backfist that will punish them if they charge.
Guarding
While it might sound simple, holding the ‘Guard’ button to keep your guard up whenever possible is a vital mechanic in UFC 3. You should always have this button down between strikes, since it can spell the difference between victory and defeat.
UFC 4
UFC 4 is the latest installment in EA’s UFC franchise, and it further improves upon all of the things that were introduced in the previous games. It is more about the small, but much-needed, adjustments to the game rather than any massive overhauls.
One of the biggest changes that UFC 4 made is with submissions, which have been split into two kinds of minigames - one for joint submissions and one for chokes. Both of the minigames are, in essence, a race to be the first to fill up the escape meter or the submit meter.
Career Mode
The career mode will probably be the reason that you pick this game up, unless you're a huge fan of going online and facing other players.
The great thing about UFC 4’s career mode, especially for beginners, is that you are forced to face all of the game’s fundamentals before you’re ever able to make it to the UFC.
Combos
Combos are just as important in UFC 4 as they were in UFC 3. Each character brings a new set of moves and combos to the table that you can try out and experiment with to find which suits you the best.
Square/X and Triangle/Y are used for throwing punches, while Circle/B and Cross/A are used to control kicking. You can also modify these attacks further using L1/LB and R1/RB to create devastating kicks and punches.
Blocking
Again, keeping your guard up is incredibly important in UFC 4. If you are only going on the offense, then your enemy is going to have hundreds of ways to punish and exploit you, and you’ll end up losing very quickly.
Being able to know your combo’s limits and what your weaknesses are, can stop you from exposing yourself to your opponent too much.
Wrapping Up
If you’re a fan of MMA fighting, then you’re going to love EA’s UFC games. UFC 3 and 4 are the best of the best, and they provide the most realistic MMA gaming experience you could ever ask for.
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