EA SPORTS UFC® 1.9.3786573

MMA mobile games usually leave a lot to be desired due to either poor graphics or difficult controls or glitch-laden gameplay. EA Sports UFC is a sports game that promises better results. We look at the app's gameplay, controls and graphics to help you decide if you should try the game out or not.

The UFC sports game centers on a career mode where you choose a fighter and then pick fights against other opponents in the same category. The AI controls the opponents with the fights becoming tougher as you progress further. Apart from the career mode, you can also play multiplayer games where you are paired against another online player and you can pick fights to see if you can dominate other human players or not. There are special tournaments offered as well though you can only enroll in the tournament if you have an unlocked fighter in the category required for the tournament.

The most important thing for MMA sports games is their controls. Mobile gaming requires the ability of having simpler controls that are easy to remember and that are very responsive. The problem with most MMA console games is that their controls are usually too complicated with multiple moves possible via different button combinations. Some mobile games struggle with the same aspect as the provision of multiple combos usually requires the use of a combination of different buttons. EA Sports UFC passes this litmus test with excellence. The game introduces you to the controls in a guided tutorial so that you learn how you can strike your opponent and how you can escape the opponent's response. There are two options for launching an attack with the swipe leading to uppercuts and tap leading to crosses and jabs. As you build your fighter's confidence with strikes, you unlock special combos that can be thrown at the opponent with the touch of a button. When you become capable of striking a takedown, you can do more damage by furiously tapping the screen.

The graphics for the game look solid on the screenshots and there is no denying that they look equally good on the phone's screen. The game is upwards of 1GB in size but the graphics warrant the slightly higher file size. The fighters are hauntingly similar to the fighters in real-life while the fighting looks cool and realistic as well. The movement of the fighters is also very smooth with the crowds and the ring also looking spectacular in the game.

The gameplay is where the sports app falters a bit. The app is free-to-play but only provides you one fighter at the start and this means that you can only play with a select amount of opponents – fighters in the same weight category as your fighter. This can lead to repetition as you can only unlock new fighters with the gold currency and it is only attainable with cash transactions. The app does unlock new fighters from time to time but you would need to build and unlock every fighter's combos and other skills from the ground up after the fighter is unlocked. Building the moves base takes silver and it is attainable by picking up points in fights against AI and human opponents. If the app reduces the costs of unlocking new fighters or allows the option of unlocking new fighters through currency earned within the game, it would be attractive to the players in the longer term.

Features:

• Fine tutorial that explains all the controls
• Simple and responsive controls that make fighting a lot more entertaining
• Excellent graphics that provide a new dimension to the gameplay
• Nice Career mode where you build your fighter's career from the ground up

Conclusion:

EA Sports UFC is an excellent sports game that has excellent graphics. The sports game's slightly purchase-driven gameplay can render the game repetitive for players not ready to spend cash. However, if fighting against the same opponents does not seem a problem for you, this game would definitely be entertaining to play!