Hot off the heels of THQ’s success with the UFC franchise, EA has entered the octagon, with their own mixed martial arts offering, EA MMA. Utilizing a Strikeforce licensing, EA MMA is attempting to take a piece of that MMA gaming pie with characters in the MMA world outside of the UFC, with Randy Couture as the exception. Stars such as Fedor and Bobby Lashley are among a roster that is reportedly going to feature several dozen fighters from several different weight classes.
The overall presentation is very reminiscent of the UFC Undisputed titles on the market today, with the additions of longer entrances and music accompanying each fighter. Announcing, introductions, visuals and everything else outside the controls are very familiar if you spent any time with THQ’s offering. The level of detail is just as astounding as UFC Undispited, with some pretty impressive sweat physics and implimentaion as a whole.
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With regards to the controls, fisticuffs are based off the right analog, which feels a bit like Fight Night. You can’t just randomly grapple your opponent and mash the buttons to get a takedown; if you don’t strategically plan out when to dive head first towards them, you will be met with a knee to the mouth. Grappling and reversals are based off X/O for the PlayStation 3, and A/B for the Xbox 360. It will take some time to get used to if you’re jumping from Undisputed to EA MMA, but it’s not a monumental task by any means.
The early glimpse of EA MMA is quite promising. If EA can keep grapple mechanics simple enough throughout, with the complex layer thrown in, we may have a serious challenge for the MMA crown in the world of video gaming. With a creation mode coming, online play, several dozen fighters as well as a gameplay structure that’s coming together rather well, EA MMA looks to pound $60 out of your wallet come mid October for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Until then, check out some screenshots of this hotly anticipated title:
The Boss Bobby Lashley (or at least that was his moniker in TNA Wrestling)
Arguably the greatest MMA fighter on the planet - Fedor Emelianenko.
The ground game shows as much complexity as UFC Undisputed, although Fedor will manhandle anyone it seems, even Bobby Lashley!
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