EA Sports UFC 3 has been revealed, with Conor McGregor’s lovely face once again gracing the cover. However, this is more than a simple roster update with some minor improvements to graphics. UFC 3 has completely rebuilt the striking game and overhauled movement, thanks to a new animation capture system.
If you’ve played previous UFC games, the first thing you will notice is how smooth fighters move around in the octagon. There’s a whole load of technobabble as to how this is happening, but the short answer is EA has developed a new way to capture animations and string them together to create incredibly lifelike and fluid motion. Fighters shuffle and weave when getting close together, while dropping their guard when further away.
This more freeform style of moment applies to both how a fighter looks and how the model moves when playing. Because of the broader range of animations, players can position themselves perfectly against an opponent to land more devastating blows or lock in a take-down.
Also, this new system allows fighters to actually punch on the move. Perhaps the most unrealistic thing about UFC 2 was how fighters planted their feet before each strike. In UFC 3, players can advance while throwing punches, or try to get a quick jab in while dodging an incoming attack. It really helps to iron out the gameplay and make everything look even more smooth and realistic.
One thing I did notice in my time with UFC 3 is that each match tends to be incredibly short. While real-life UFC fights can end in seconds, the only times I found myself going past the first round was when both my opponent and I were trying to figure out how the submission system worked. I’m not sure if there’s a way to balance damage to push fights into later rounds, or if that’s even a smart decision to make, but this meant I spent more time in menus and skipping cutscenes than I did fighting in matches.
Speaking of the submission system, it took a number of fights and tutorials to figure out how it actually worked. The person getting submitted must spread a marker across one of the four zones that pop up reach all the way to the edge of the area. If this happens, the submission is broken up. The person performing the submission can stop his or her opponent from spreading the marker while also flicking the left stick when prompted to advance the submission hold. Each hold has a number of stages to progress through until the fighter taps out.
It sounds complicated, and it is at first. Once you understand how the system works, it gives a less risky way to end fights. I started my time with UFC 3 only throwing fists and kicks, but ended it by trying to take my opponent to the mat at any opportunity to lessen the chances of getting caught with an unsuspecting huge blow to the head.
I haven’t spent much time with a UFC game in the past, but I am very interested in playing more of UFC 3. The career mode, which I didn’t get to try at this event, is shaping up to be more in line with the story-driven modes found in recent Madden and FIFA games, and EA has put an extra focus on making local multiplayer a bigger priority. That, to me, sounds like the makings of a great game.
EA Sports UFC 3 will release on Feb. 2 for Xbox One and PS4.
So what do you think? Are you interested in knowing more about UFC 3 and all the ways it improves over UFC 2? Will you be playing as McGregor or looking to shut his mouth? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
