EA UFC Feature Tease Thoughts (plus first character model pic) - Wiggy's Blog

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EA UFC Feature Tease Thoughts (plus first character model pic) Stuck

Posted on June 4, 2013 at 03:41 AM.

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With EA having completed its tease on twitter of "eight features in eight days" for EA UFC, we now have a better sense of what some of the innovations might be for this next-gen MMA product (scheduled to come out in the spring/summer of 2014). We'll know more at E3 next week, where some more gameplay pics -- and potentially hands-on time -- will be likely, but from what they're teasing, it looks they're focusing on core gameplay as well as realism.

This is what I think is being implied for each day:

Day 1 (Witness the Effort)

As I said in an earlier post, I think this picture, dubbed "Witness the Effort," implies that there will be an added sense of realism in the fights, with detailed facial expressions and intense action. The picture predominantly shows Dan Henderson (and Shogun) exerting heavily, trading bombs. I have a feeling fights that go into deep water will feel that way, from the way the characters carry themselves to the changing impact of the strikes.

Day 2 (One perfect _____ could change the fight)

Day 2, with its implication of one perfect "strike" changing the fight, tells me that there will be a an emphasis on game-changing strikes, potentially even flash KOs. Ideally, the developers will want to create some Kongo vs. Barry surprises in some of the fights, and maybe this means a focus on desperation and counter shots.

Day 3 (One good shot can ruin your day)

The picture for the third day's feature rather overtly points towards revamped damage modelling on the fighters. I bet there will be lots of new possibilities for bruises, cuts, gashes, hematomas and all sorts of other nasty business. I would assume this means that leg kicks will create meaningful damage to an opponent's leg, as well.

Day 4 (Reinvent the ground game)

With day 4, its pretty clear that the developers of EA UFC are going to revamp the ground game, but to what degree? Does this mean a move to EA Sports MMA's style of ground game? Will the submission minigame be revised or eliminated? I would hope it means that progression and guard passing on the ground is more balanced, with less reversals and spamming, but a change of pace is probably a good thing. I like the foundation of what both previous games have done (EA and THQ) on the ground, but trying out some new wrinkles for submissions, transitions and striking from the ground would be welcome.

Day 5 (Smarter Opponents. Tougher Fight.)

The fifth day talks about smarter opponents and tougher fights, which seems like an AI overhaul for the game. Personally, I hope this means that risk-takers will behave brashly and that desperate wrestlers will shoot for takedowns. Previous game still ended up being pretty striking-focused, so it would be cool to see higher-level AI try more than just reversal spamming and the like. This definitely has me excited.

Day 6 (No more plastic action figures.)

Leading into the final reveal picture (of the Benson Henderson character model), this feature tease seems to imply that fighters will look truer to their real-life counterparts, with less "computer man" look to them. This likely to points better "gaze" of the fighters (not just staring off into space), and it means that hair will probably look a hell of a lot better (which the final Bendo pic demonstrates aptly).

Day 7 (Every step counts. Every movement matters.)

The penultimate feature reveal possibly points towards better footwork and more accurate lateral movement around the cage. I hope this translates to less robotic stepping and bobbing than what was found in previous iterations, and it should mean that taller kickboxers should move and pivot quite differently than sprawl-and-brawl fighters. I think this feature's impact will ultimately live or die by the speed at which the new game will move.

Day 8 (Hendo Pic)

The last day brings an actual screenshot of a character model in the game. I'm generally liking the look of the characters here, with Bendo's hair and facial hair looking particularly impressive. I also like the details of the bone structure and veins around his eyes, and the "gaze" of the character, while not totally out of the uncanny valley, is a lot better than in previous UFC games. I would say that his jaw is maybe a little bit too full, but on the whole, it's a good sign for the visual direction of the game.

Final Thoughs

With E3 happening next week, we'll soon know a lot more about how the game looks and plays as well as what all of these feature teases actually mean. I'm liking that the features all seem to focus on enhancements to core gameplay and realism, which should be the crux of what EA does with the first UFC game under their watch. Check back here for coverage on EA UFC next week.

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