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EA's 'UFC 4' focuses on your fighter's backstory
EA's 'UFC 4' will revamp your backstory and fighting mechanics when the game arrives on August 14th.
EA Sports UFC kicks back on EA Access next week
The full version of EA Sports UFC will be available through EA Access starting next Thursday, December 18. The mixed martial arts game will enter the Xbox One streaming service's "Vault," allowing subscribers to play the game as much as they like. EA unveiled its $5 per month ($30 per year) subscription service in July, and EA Access went live for all players in August. EA Sports UFC just received its sixth free content update this week, which added popular and legendary fighters such as Mark Coleman and Brock Lesnar to the game. Thanks to its various updates, EA Access players have 18 new brawlers to use as well as new fighting mechanics like manual taunts and kick catching compared to when the game first launched in June. [Image: EA Sports]
Brock Lesnar among MMA legends now in EA Sports UFC
EA Sports issued its sixth content update for EA Sports UFC this week, introducing four new fighters to the game. The free update focuses on four legends of the octagon: one welterweight, one light heavyweight and two in the heavyweight division. The two heavyweight fighters are Mark Coleman and Brock Lesnar, the former being a member of UFC's Hall of Fame and winner of the organization's first heavyweight championship. The other two new playable MMA fighters are Matt Hughes (welterweight) and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (light heavyweight). While our review of EA Sports UFC found it to be a "barebones fighting game," the publisher has introduced a handful of free updates since its June launch. This week's four legends join 14 other fighters that were added to the Xbox One and PS4 game, such as Diego Sanchez and Matt Brown. The free updates also added a number of game mechanics like "Finish the Fight," manual taunts, kick catching and guillotine takedown reversals. [Image: EA Sports]
EA Sports UFC taunts three new fighters
EA Sports UFC received a new content update today that expands the game's roster and offers a few tweaks to its gameplay formula. The mixed martial arts game now includes heavyweight fighter Stipe Miocic as well as welterweight fighters Matt Brown and Mike Pyle. The game's first content update arrived just over a month ago, and also added three fighters to the mix: TJ Dillashaw, Takeya Mizugaki and Tyron Woodley. As for gameplay changes in today's update, players will now be able to manually taunt their opponents mid-fight by pressing left or right on the d-pad. They will have the ability to counter their opponents' kicks during parries by catching their legs, which can lead into a single leg to half guard takedown. Also, the referee will put an end to the match if a submissive fighter "blocks too many strikes without trying to improve their position during ground and pound," which will keep fights from stalling. EA also adjusted the stamina lost from successful strikes. Head past the break for a trailer that shows EA Sports UFC's three new combatants. [Image: EA Sports]
Learn to punch, kick and gogoplata with EA Sports UFC primer
That demo we mentioned for EA Sports UFC arrives today, and to prepare players for the octagon, EA has compiled a handy collection of tips on how to best pummel your half-naked opponent into bloody submission. More than a minor primer, EA's guide is a surprisingly comprehensive introduction to the intricate fight mechanics built for the game. Not only does the publisher offer a series of short vignettes designed to instruct players on striking and grappling, but it also covers the basics of defense and proper positioning. After you've got the basics down, you can then move on to EA's guide on how best to make your opponent tap out. EA Sports UFC offers a massive number of submission options, though, as always, you can't go wrong by just snapping a dude's arm in half. Having absorbed all of this information, you are now ready to throw down against a real, virtual opponent. Though EA Sports UFC won't hit shelves until June 17, both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network now feature a gratis demo. [Image: EA]
EA Sports UFC clinches June 3 demo, submits new gameplay video
EA Sports UFC is just a few weeks from entering the digital octagon on June 17 for PS4 and Xbox One, but those looking to get a few practice rounds in can download its demo next week. The demo, which features co-cover athletes Alexander Gustafsson and reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones, will be available June 3 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. EA also offered a new entry in its gameplay video series this week, detailing the game's strategic submission system. The trailer shows Ronda Rousey getting the upper hand on Miesha Tate and ultimately submitting her via her popular armbar move. As detailed in a developer blog, the submission mechanic in the game features a HUD similar to that of THQ's final MMA game, UFC Undisputed 3, in which players must flick the right stick in one of four directions to either advance their submission attempt or defend against the attacker. Past videos showed off EA Sports UFC's career mode, which starts players out in its owner version of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, gave players a glimpse at the playable legend Bruce Lee in action and also showed a full round of fighting between Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis. [Image: EA Sports]
One round in the cage with EA Sports UFC's gameplay trailer
This trailer for EA Sports UFC shows a punchy five-minute round between Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis in the game. EA's mixed martial arts game will launch June 17 for Xbox One and PS4, and includes a career mode that kicks off with The Ultimate Fighter and Bruce Lee as an unlockable fighter.
EA Sports UFC trailer empties its mind with Bruce Lee
This trailer for EA Sports UFC discusses Bruce Lee's impact on the sport of mixed martial arts and shows snippets of Lee in action within the digital octagon. Lee was revealed as an unlockable character for the game in April, available to those that beat the game's career mode on pro difficulty or higher. EA Sports UFC's career mode was detailed at the end of April, and offers players the chance to fight their way out of the reality show competition The Ultimate Fighter while improving their fighter's skills and attracting money-making sponsors. Career mode players will need to balance "longevity" and "popularity" gauges by finishing their battles in spectacular fashion while also staying healthy to prolong their time in the UFC. Players will want to extend the amount of time they spend with the game, as EA CEO Andrew Wilson contemplated a bi-annual release schedule for games in the series in late March. That may free up the publisher's Fight Night team to develop a new boxing game, as the series is currently on hold while the team works on EA Sports UFC. The MMA game is due out June 17 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and a demo for the game is expected either before or shortly after it launches. [Image: EA Sports]
Become the Ultimate Fighter in EA Sports UFC's career mode
EA dished out some details today on EA Sports UFC's career mode, which will drop created fighters into the game's version of the UFC's popular reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Participating in the TUF tournament lands players on a team coached by a real-life fighter, training and battling to earn evolution and experience points to boost their combatant's physical skills and unlock special abilities. The game's career mode also features popularity and longevity gauges, the former impacting the attention players receive from sponsors and other fighters, who send players video messages in the game. So long as championship hopefuls fight smart and don't take too many hard hits in their careers, their longevity meter will stay steady enough to grant them lengthy stays in the UFC. EA Sports UFC will enter the octagon on June 17 for Xbox One and PS4 and includes Bruce Lee as an unlockable fighter. [Image: EA Sports]
EA CEO: Publisher may skip a year between future UFC games
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson recently contemplated a bi-annual release schedule for future MMA games that follow EA Sports UFC, which is slated to launch on Xbox One and PS4 this year. In an interview with CNN's Fortune Tech, Wilson described the frequency of some games and the "appetite" players have for them, noting that the UFC brand "feels like it's in that every-other-year mix" without committing to that release schedule as a guaranteed development plan. "We get a new GTA game every four or five years, but there is an immense appetite. What we're looking at right now is how long is it going to take us to build a truly innovative game in that genre, and when do we think gamers are going to be ready for that next one," Wilson said. EA announced the acquisition of the UFC license at E3 2012 following the demise of THQ, which published three UFC games. THQ's crack at the series began with annual releases in UFC 2009: Undisputed and UFC Undisputed 2010 prior to a two-year absence in the series. THQ's final game, UFC Undisputed 3, reportedly failed to "break even" at two million units sold as of June 2012. "Do I think that UFC would be an every year game? I don't know," Wilson said. "It feels like it's in that every-other-year mix, but in all honesty we haven't made that decision yet. That really comes down to how long it's going to take to make a great game and when do we think the audience is ready." EA Canada's Fight Night team is behind EA Sports UFC's development, led by creative director and Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion gameplay designer Brian Hayes. Wilson previously noted that the Fight Night series is "on hold" while the developer works on EA Sports UFC. [Image: EA Sports]
EA Sports UFC trailer gets knocked down, but it gets up again
One of the lacking aspects of previous mixed martial arts games like THQ's UFC 3 is the true sense of physical contact between the fighters on screen. EA Sports UFC will attempt to close that gap on next-gen consoles, if the game's latest trailer is any indicator. Creative Director Brian Hayes discusses the interaction between fighters and their surroundings in the gameplay trailer, putting skin-rippling kicks and arm-wrenching submissions on display. It also shows the effects of a "full-body deformation system" in which "flesh displaces flesh," which sounds pretty gross the more we think about it. EA Sports UFC will launch sometime this year for Xbox One and PS4. [Image: EA Sports]
EA Sports UFC footage details fighter likeness
If there's one major selling point for EA Sports UFC, it's the detailed likeness of its fighters. The publisher touted as much in its latest trailer for the PS4 and Xbox One MMA game, which is due out this spring.
EA considering free-to-play UFC game for Brazil
During a talk at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, EA CEO Andrew Wilson noted that the publisher is leveraging opportunities to create free-to-play games for Brazil. Among the two properties Wilson said the publisher is actively considering for the region was a new game using the UFC license, as Brazil is home to a strong fanbase for mixed martial arts. Additionally, Wilson said the company has plans to launch FIFA Online World in Brazil and Russia leading up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup event slated to take place in Brazil. The free-to-play game is built on the same technology as FIFA Online 3, which EA will bring to China after having already launched it in Korea with Nexon as its publishing partner. "We are absolutely looking at [Brazil] in detail, and we think we have at least two, but likely more products that will have strong appeal there," Wilson said.
EA has big plans for its UFC game
It's an exciting time at EA Sports for executive VP Andrew Wilson. He's pretty stoked about acquiring the UFC license, the result of the dire financial situation going on at THQ right now, the previous UFC license holder. "Yes, yes it is," Wilson tells me when I say it must be a good time to be in the sports game, uh, game.But how did EA get the license? Who approached who? How did it all go down? How much did EA really pay for the license? While Wilson couldn't go into the specificity I would've liked regarding some of those subjects, he did at least give me some background on how this new deal came together – and just what it means for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) gaming fans looking forward to the future.
EA Sports MMA takes TGS to the mat
EA Sports MMA enters the TGS ring with new screens and a trailer showing off the Japanese box art, as well as several new Asian fighters who look like they've been known to mess up a dude or two.
UFC Undisputed 2010 video explores career mode
If the above video is any indication, UFC Undisputed 2010 is really looking to provide a comprehensive career experience akin to what you see fighters go through in those MMA reality shows, sans the camera confessionals. In THQ's sequel, you'll get to follow your virtual brawler through almost every facet of the sport -- from weigh-ins to training and even the WFA, to eventual UFC stardom -- picking up a rivalry or two along the way. We'll see if UFC Undisputed 2010 can pull off this ambitious career simulation when it hits the retail mat on May 25.
EA Sports MMA adds Joachim Hansen, Josh Barnett and Vladimir Matyushenko
In its continuing battle for buff dude beat-'em-up supremacy against UFC Undisputed 2010, EA Sports' MMA has confirmed three new brawlers via Twitter: Joachim Hansen, Josh Barnett and Vladimir Matyushenko. In doing some research, we've found out they're all very scary dudes and are apparently adept at the punching and the kicking. They should feel at home with the rest of MMA's roster of ripped rabble-rousers. [Via VG247]
Seven fighters added to the EA Sports MMA roster
EA has just announced that a new round of pummelers and pummelees have signed on for EA Sports MMA. The game's site lists seven new fighters in total: Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez, Robbie Lawler, Ronaldo Souza, Matt Lindland, Scott Smith, and Josh Thomson -- a few of whom have participated in UFC fights in the past. Considering the UFC president's stance toward EA's game, we have to wonder if their participation jeopardizes their chances with the UFC in the future. We've also got a few in-game screenshots for you to train with. Practice your virtual arm bars by checking 'em out in the gallery below. [Via @EASPORTSMMA] %Gallery-80427%
EA Sports MMA signs Strikeforce league, additional fighters
Strikeforce.com EA has announced a deal to feature the Strikeforce MMA league in its upcoming EA Sports MMA. The publisher also finalized contracts with two pro mixed martial artists currently fighting in Strikeforce, Jake shields (pictured, left) and Brett Rogers, to appear on the game's roster. Don't expect the signings to throw any fuel on the UFC vs. EA fire, however, as neither fighter has ever been on the payroll of UFC prez Dana White.Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, Strikeforce's commentary team, will also be recording voiceover for the game. It has yet to be revealed which, if any other leagues will be featured in the game, and if their own commentary teams will be included. Currently, we know that MMA referee "Big John" McCarthy and Strikeforce ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. will also lend their voices and likenesses to the title.While locking up more pro talent and the Strikeforce license lends credibility to EA Sports MMA, we've still yet to see any hint of an actual video game apart from a lone screenshot released late last month. Hey, EA: You do know that, at this pace and given the nature of MMA, these guys could be retired by the time the game actually ships ... right?
Lock your eyes on first EA Sports MMA screenshot
Remember when we used to dream -- oh, so innocently -- of the days when video games would look real? Well, those days have come and gone. Games have now officially entered the realm of too real. See: the first screenshot of EA Sports' MMA (above).Look, we're cool with realistic violence in games -- from a distance. Exploding heads, severed limbs, gratuitous gore -- it's all got to be separated by at least a sword's length; or better: the distance traveled by a bullet.This bare, get-on-the-floor and grapple-it-out violence is just, well, confusing. Look at that balding guy's expression*. Look closer. What is that all about? It's, like, the antisocial rage it takes to snap a man's arm (against one's groin, no less) coupled with the extreme constipation indicative of training the body to destroy people (go on, squeeze it out) and the extraordinary pain brought on by a set of incisors biting into the tender flesh behind the knee -- and then it's all locked together in what appears to be pure ... ecstasy? We know the sport's all about mixing it up, but these are mixed messages. C'mon, folks, we don't need this stuff in the way of kicking ass. Games must not imitate real life.*Ed.'s Note: Sorry dude! We don't follow the sport, and so we don't know your name. Please don't break us![Via Shacknews]
