EA Sports MMA Release Date Information & Preview
EA Sports MMA Release Date Information
There has been plenty of anticipation & hype surrounding EA Sports first venture into the world of Mixed Martial Arts. After an initial boom period during 2009, the UFC Undisputed franchise published by THQ (EA’s main competitor in the MMA market), found little to no gains on their 2010 annual update. Because of this, THQ decided to throw out the annual release schedule, concentrating instead on a two-year development cycle.
This is where the EA MMA release comes into the fray. Having a clear path going into 2011, EA Sports MMA will carry the expectation of many hardcore MMA fans on its back, along with casual fans who appreciate the sports game developers high quality output. With games like FIFA 11, Madden & even NBA Jam, EA are firmly held in high regards when it comes to sports games and the EA MMA release looks to continue that trend. This article will outline the EA Sports MMA game release date and serve as a preview guide to the game before it hits shelves in the next couple of days.
EA MMA Release: The Basics
The aforementioned EA Sports MMA game release date is October 19th 2010 and will feature a huge roster of 60 fighters, 5 real & fake organisations to fight in and plenty of real life & created venues to choose from. The roster extends to the five weight divisions seen in the UFC Undisputed titles, with Heavyweight-Lightweight being the full spread, each with at least 10 competitors to peruse through. Additionally, the ability to create fighters and subsequently share or download them online, yields a new dimension to the editing features.
Initially, the controls are set to “Total Fight Control”, mimicking Fight Night Round 4‘s eponymous right analog stick for combos et al. This new control scheme can be changed in the menus however, reverting it into something similar to the UFC releases, with the face buttons being used for kicks/punches if needed. The new system takes some time to get used to and players will likely find the timing based face button presses for counter-grappling or submissions hard to master. Also, combos with the analog stick will initially feel less smooth or fluid in comparison to UFC Undisputed but that can change after handling the game for a couple of hours.
A Preview of EA Sports MMA + Release Date Info
Unfortunately, a design flaw or oversight was found in the recently released demo, as opponent AI seems to lack depth when it comes to stratagem or algorithmic thought processes. It isn’t that the AI is horrible or under-developed as much as it doesn’t replicate a realistic fighter’s game plan or tactics. For instance, a wrestler will attempt takedown’s in real life when they see the opportunity present itself, whereas in the EA MMA release wrestling centric opponents will shoot continuously for takedown’s without limits on posture or position. This was further accentuated by the demo, which contained two of the most takedown-heavy fighters in the full game, Bobby Lashley & Jake Shields.
The graphics match or even surpass its main competitor, with some stunning likenesses on ring announcers & referees, adding to the impressively handled roster of fighters. Also, the ability to fight in both a ring or cage is a bonus, as well as being able to fight 5 minutes rounds in real time as opposed to Undisputed accelerated periods lasting roughly half that.
The EA MMA game release date is fast approaching and it has plenty of features, fighters & mechanical know-how to provide a decent representation of real-life Mixed Martial Arts. Although problems may still persist, insofar as fighter AI and some bugs found during the demo, it still has enough to at least rival the UFC’s monopoly on the MMA market in video games. With the EA Sports logo behind it, the EA MMA release will undoubtedly be successful, with plenty of advertising & marketing going into this proposed biannual release. Let’s just hope it has the longevity to remain playable for the next two years -or even one if Fight Night Round 5 makes it way to homes by winter 2011.
