I always felt that UFC Undisputed 3 had gameplay systems that worked very well when viewed in a vacuum, but those very same systems lost something when you tied them all together. Don't get me wrong: I was a fan of the game, and I gave it a good score, but there was something about the gameplay flow that always eluded the devs at THQ. The connective tissue, if you will, that bridged between standing grapples, striking, ground fighting and submissions just didn't quite materialize, even in the last game.

What this meant is that certain fight styles would be hard to pull off, as the game engine just didn't support specific strategies in an organic fashion. This would manifest in several ways, as judging wouldn't reward technical striking, damage modelling was applied inconsistently, certain strikes were overvalued, and special moves could be spammed too often. The floaty nature of some of the foot movement also hindered certain types of flow and rhythm, and that's another aspect that looks to see improvement in this upcoming release.

This isn't to say that branching out in UFC Undisputed 3 didn't result in some varied outcomes, but it always seemed difficult to employ more cerebral styles when an opponent was able to just bully you with power shots and not give a damn about stamina (which is why I enjoyed the simulation mode). With that said, these are four fight styles that would be great to see as viable options in EA Sports UFC.


One strategy that needs an increased emphasis in the upcoming game is that of the patient sniper, a fighter waiting for his moment to pounce and land a hard counter shot. Now, UFC Undisputed 3 did have a fairly decent dodging system, but it was somewhat robotic, and you often had to stay in the pocket to try and avoid a strike. I'd like to see more feints and step moves for a fighter, like a Lyoto Machida, to get in and out of danger and be rewarded for doing so. You certainly could land a counter punch in THQ's games that would drop somebody, but the logic of this always seemed inconsistent to me.

If someone wants to operate from the outside and try and look for those surgical strikes that are going to do the most damage, that should be a viable way of playing. Just the same, as in real life, it comes with all the perils of that strategy (being perceived as a runner, inconsistent judging, a few risky moments, etc.), and the person employing that style would have to respect that. I think the footwork overhaul for EA Sports UFC is going to help big time for a fight style like this, as the animations and movement of a fighter dictate a lot about the fidelity of his or her actions.


Another interesting strategy that some fighters use, albeit not an exciting one, is to wear an opponent down with superior cardio. This usually involves being evasive around the ring, cage fighting, quick strikes and generally using their own body weight to tire an opponent out. The main deterrent to this type of strategy is a stamina system that actually punishes a player for swinging wildly and chucking bombs without a care in the world. UFC Undisputed 3 did have a “simulation” setting to help with this, but I'd like to see less of an emphasis on crazy looping shots and more of a focus on bursts of strikes and conserving your energy.

If the stamina is adjusted correctly, and if a fighter has the appropriate cardio rating, they should be rewarded for using that tool in their toolbox, just like someone with superior range, better speed, etc. The more an opponent has to exert defensive energy — whether that's on the ground or against the cage — the more their inferior cardio should be tested. This is certainly a difficult style to balance, but UFC Undisputed 3 was certainly getting the idea with tired animations for fighters and a simulation setting. I hope to see this go further for EA Sports UFC.


Limb damage was a curious beast in the THQ games, as it often took so many kicks or targeted strikes to have any meaningful impact. A handful of players did discover the few specific strikes that would do crazy body damage or that would hurt legs more directly, but none of this was presented well or made clear to the average player. There wasn't enough feedback if you wanted to only target the legs or the body. There was a bit of discoloration on the leg, and a fighter would eventually be a bit hobbled, but this usually took so long and was so incongruous with the amount of strikes landed that it just wasn't worth the risk. Rather than try that, it seemed safer to just go for looping right-hand shots.

I understand how it's probably hard to code something like a leg break from a checked kick, ala Weidman and Silva, but going for the legs should be a meaningful strategy if your fighter is equipped to throw those techniques. It just took too many shots in the THQ games to do any sort of damage. Just the same, going for the body should be easier to do and should have tangible results. I'd hope to see changing animations and stances based on the damage incurred, and this is where the “game-planning” that EA has talked about would probably come into play for the CPU. If the computer had taken a bunch of leg damage, they'd likely try and take you down or get in close, as running away just wouldn't be an option. Above all, I want strikes that don't land on someone's noggin to actually mean something.


While the ground game has been a part of all MMA products in the last number of years, it still doesn't look or feel how it needs to in order to reflect actual MMA fighting. A big part of this is in the animation system, but this is where there needs to be less of an emphasis on stand-up striking for certain fighters. Their main goal should be to get you down and keep you down, and there needs to be a way for them to hold you there when they bring you to the floor. Sure, that happens in THQ's games, but it's usually just a spam of transitions and goofy animations. It would be nice if there was some cooldown to the animations so that a grinder could actually work his game a bit if he used his superior wrestling to hold an opponent down.

With the amount of transition spamming that often goes on, it can be hard to get any kind of flow for a Chael Sonnen–esque fighter. While they do have an advantage in their grappling stats and moves, savvy players can just wait them out and time silly reversals that they'd never be able to normally get with a given fighter's skills. Grinder-style fighters should be the ones who can land the most damage in someone's guard or half guard, and they should have a longer window to do that damage. You should fear a fighter like that taking you down, and your defense while standing should take that into account.


With the upcoming EA Sports UFC using a lot of the gameplay systems from THQ as a jumping-off point, it's safe to assume that some of these styles will at least work as they did in those games, if not a bit better. It does seem like they're borrowing enough from EA Sports MMA to possibly augment some of the ground game, so that could be an aid to fight styles on the mat. I hope the footwork, exertion, damage modelling and judging has also been tuned to allow these other styles to have some viability.