The same sadly cannot be said for MMA’s most nuanced and intricate disciplines, wrestling, grappling and jiu jitsu.

The convolution of the system is a small price to pay for the first time you slip a shot and land Conor’s crushing left.įights, while standing anyway, feel less static and stiff than before, with new knockdown animations and ragdoll KOs adding to the drama. The right stick is now exclusively given over to head movement, meaning you can combo a well-timed slip or bob into a devastating counter. It may take two buttons to throw an uppercut, but now you can do it while sliding laterally away from an incoming strike. It feels like madness at first, but it’s all in service of movement. The elegant system of old that saw button presses combine with directional tilts of the left stick for straights, hooks and uppercuts has been replaced by a multi-button tangle that often requires three or even four simultaneous button presses just to execute a specific strike. Let’s get one thing out of the way quickly though – this is absolutely the finest of EA’s UFC trio a more kinetic, dynamic representation of the sport than those that came before it, one with a completely rewritten animation and striking system that will confound experienced series veterans until they wrap their heads around it, and wrap their chosen fighter’s shin around a stricken opponent’s head.įighters can now move and strike at the same time a fact that seems trivial written down, but fundamentally changes and hugely improves the experience.

And like real life, EA UFC 3 shows great promise a fighting and sports game on the precipice of greatness, but also one that flatters to deceive, leaving you wondering what could have been with more time, more care and more craft. This is clearly the direction the UFC had intended to go, until Conor decided to take an extended hiatus, leaving now champ Ferguson to battle Dagestani grappling machine Khabib Nurmagomedov in a colossal April showdown, but not one that has the gravitas and sheer magnitude of a McGregor fight. The intro ends with the appearance of Tony Ferguson, the unusual, lithe, rangy contender set to unseat the Notorious one from his throne, and then quickly moves into a fantasy match up between the two for the lightweight belt.īuy UFC 3 now from Amazon UK | Available February 2 on PS4 and Xbox One (Version Tested)ĮA UFC 3 kicks off with a stirring montage documenting Conor McGregor’s remarkable rise to fame and prominence, intercut with in-game recreations of his most infamous knockouts and press conference exploits.

Ea ufc 3