THE BORE
General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: Stoney Mason on March 15, 2010, 05:14:52 PM
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMFWIl0aWlc[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtfE-wbjyw&feature=fvw[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAGuK79fUBQ&hd=1[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY516PfhOdU[/youtube]
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The dude interviewing Dana is the reason why everybody thinks this hobby is for nerdy ass dipshits.
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Green Man is on the money. Undisputed isn't a bad game but there's so many ways it could be improved.
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MMA sounds like it'll be the superior game. Too bad it's going to completely bomb (in the US, at least) since it doesn't have UFC in the title.
meh.
Undisputed had issues but then every wrestling/mma game always does. It's particularily hard to start from scratch. Even the great Aki games took years before they refined their formula and had enough development time and cycles to reach their maturation.
We'll see how EA handles it, but I'm no more or less confident in their product than the undisputed product. EA still has never nailed boxing for example.
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Color me curious.
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ODaXRQUluE[/youtube]
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animations in the EA MMA game are a lot better
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animations in the EA MMA game are a lot better
From that video I would agree it does animate better.
But a lot of EA Sports products animate well but don't end up actually feeling very fluid.
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animations in the EA MMA game are a lot better
From that video I would agree it does animate better.
But a lot of EA Sports products animate well but don't end up actually feeling very fluid.
I felt this way with the Fight Night games, even though I kinda liked them.
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yeah, fight night r4 had a bit of a delay, but right now all I can be judging on the visuals. it helps that it's being compared to the ufc game that has really stiff animations that doesn't seem to transition well at all. but at least I know that the UFC game is fun based on the last game's demo.
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I felt this way with the Fight Night games, even though I kinda liked them.
I have a bit of an annoyance issue with the Fight Night series. It's an alright enough game but its a perfect example of how the average gamer lets graphics blind them to issues in a game. (Comment not directed at you)
@swaggaz
The day Yukes makes a well animated product will be the first time that's happened. :-\
They are notorious for their relatively poorly animated games with poor transition work between animations.
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Will be interesting to see how EA markets this, I can't remember the last time they've had a sports game without a major licence.
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I felt this way with the Fight Night games, even though I kinda liked them.
I have a bit of an annoyance issue with the Fight Night series. It's an alright enough game but its a perfect example of how the average gamer lets graphics blind them to issues in a game. (Comment not directed at you)
I agree. The main issue I have with those games are the controls, specifically.
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Will be interesting to see how EA markets this, I can't remember the last time they've had a sports game without a major licence.
Well they had that college baseball game for a couple of years which tanked and they quickly dropped. And they've done Arena football games before which also tanked.
One thing they have going for them is that MMA in general is hot at the moment. And Strikeforce is on CBS so you will get so co-promotion there to a large network audience. I'm guessing their expectations are probably realistic considering they are competing against a UFC product.
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But Strikeforce isn't really that hot, UFC is what's hot. Being on CBS helps but there aren't Strikeforce fans like there are UFC fans, and their fighters are virtual unknowns to most people.
I don't doubt they wont market it well, I'm just interested to see what their focus is. Presumably Randy v Fedor will be the main point.
edit: re "large network audience", without Kimbo or Gina they're really doing 2.0's to 2.5's on a Saturday night on CBS, which isn't really a large audience at all.
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But Strikeforce isn't really that hot, UFC is what's hot. Being on CBS helps but there aren't Strikeforce fans like there are UFC fans, and their fighters are virtual unknowns to most people.
I don't doubt they wont market it well, I'm just interested to see what their focus is. Presumably Randy v Fedor will be the main point.
Oh don't get me wrong. It won't sell a fraction of what the UFC product will. But they will market the game in such a way I'm betting that some average consumers will see guys fighting MMA style in an octagon with the EA name behind it and think well this is that UFC thing or close enough. I think the pull will be EA sports and MMA fighting. Not necessarily "Strikeforce" as a promotion which normal joe's don't know. I'm sure before the game comes out there will be a sponsered co-promoted event on CBS with wall to wall promotion of the game.
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One thing in their favour is that they can probably do better in Japan than the US since they have a ring/Dream rules and some Japanese fighters like Aoki that could promote it.
I think having a better game is more important for this sort of release than the promotion of it.
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There is a school of thought that EA is just trying to position themselves for the UFC license when it comes up despite how Dana White appeared to be totally against such a thing ever happening.
But all this sales talk and promotion talk is just inside baseball talk.
All I really care about is the quality of the game and competition in any sport is always good so I welcome their product. I wish they had some compeition on the football side. ::)
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I think that's the best thing about this, Dana wont tolerate them having a better game.
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Competition is /always/ good for the consumer/gamer. Just imagine where Madden might be now if ESPN/2K had stayed in the running.
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyzMlnEVVuc[/youtube]
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I guess we'll see in November how well EA can play catch-up.
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiAATykXCFY[/youtube]
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Swaying And Clinching With UFC Undisputed 2010
Added by Jeff Gerstmann on March 29, 2010
When I think about the downsides of last year's UFC Undisputed, I remember the clunky career mode, with its tedious calendar system and meaningless e-mails. I also think about the clinch system, where two standing fighters would grab onto each other and sway around the octagon for awhile. The good news about UFC Undisputed 2010 is that both of those things are changing, and it sounds like they're changing for the better. THQ flew a group out to New York last week to get a fresh look at the game in action.
The career mode, unfortunately, wasn't on display. But the ability to create a fighter was available, and it appears to be way more detailed than last year's version. Now, rather than selecting one striking style and one grappling style, you'll be able to go deeper into your fighter's moves, spending points on individual attacks and powering them up through three different levels. At some point, it starts to resemble what THQ has done for its WWE SmackDown! series, which also allows you to assign different strikes and holds to specific button combinations. Placing tattoos on your body and sponsor logos on your trunks is more flexible, moving away from the slot-based system and going for a more freeform application. You can also choose from more names and locations for your fighter, which should make the commentary when using a created fighter a bit more realistic.
On top of that, your fighter will have a voice. This year's career mode gives you some out-of-the-ring choices, such as whether to respect or disrespect a fighter during a weigh-in. This sort of thing will govern which training camps you work with, which training camps are out to get you, and which fighters will be considered your main in-ring rivals.
Once you're in the ring, you'll probably find that the game doesn't immediately feel like an all-new game. Conceptually, the act of fighting and the way you take other fighters down and work the ground game are extremely similar. But once you spend a little time with it, you'll start to notice things like the combo system, which has been thrown out the window and rebuilt an an all-new way. Now, any strike will theoretically string into any other strike, rather than making you learn a group of style-specific button presses. The catch, of course, is that some attacks won't string together quickly enough to be unblockable, so you'll need to experiment and figure out which attacks get out fast enough to do damage.
The submission system has been reworked a bit, as well. Now, you can't just hammer the face buttons to break free. You'll have to rotate the right analog stick to get out of holds. Skilled submission fighters will be able to transition from one submission attempt to another, and this will force the defending player to rotate the stick in the opposite direction to continue breaking the hold.
The clinch controls have changed to work more like the ground game, where quarter- and half-circle sweeps on the right stick perform transitions that give your fighter an advantaged position. Major transitions, in this case, move you between a striking clinch and a body clinch, which is better for throws. When clinching, you can also press your opponent up against the cage itself, which gives you another set of options, like leg trips and transitions into double- and single-leg takedowns. There's a risk vs. reward scenario at play in a lot of this stuff, so going for the less-reliable single-leg takedown might not work as frequently, but when it does you'll end up in a better ground position once you get there.
Undisputed 2010 also benefits from a new sway system. By holding down the high guard button and tapping the left stick in various directions, you can plant your feet and sway around incoming strikes. It requires a quick tap of the stick, which differentiates it from the similar swaying system found in Fight Night Round 4, but much like EA's boxing game, you can throw counters off of a sway. The sideways sways are a bit trickier to perform, since you have to guess which side the strikes are coming from, but their counters are more impactful.
The roster in this year's game is expanding, but how much of it you get will depend on how and where you buy the game. Four fighters from the UFC's reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter, will be available with GameStop pre-orders. The PlayStation 3 version of the game will also feature more fighters than its 360 counterpart, including some classic combatants, like Royce Gracie. A handful of UFC fights will also make their way onto the Blu-Ray version of the game.
I enjoyed UFC 2009 Undisputed a great deal, so I was already sort of on-board with this year's model as soon as it was announced. After checking it out for myself and spending some time talking to some of the folks behind it, it really feels like the team of THQ and Yuke's is making some very smart decisions about how to evolve its newest franchise. It sounds like the team is days away from submitting a final build for approval from Sony and Microsoft, so it sounds like its late-May release date is totally locked in.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/swaying-and-clinching-with-ufc-undisputed-2010/1935/
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have they said whether they were toning down the mount? that was my main problem with the first game: the mount was way too dominate.
also, it should be a lot harder to crank out subs with wrestlers that never subbed someone in their life like but have high strength Lesnar, Rashad, Rampage etc...
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Mount was ridiculous. Also need to fix:
Spamming submissions
Spamming running strikes
Spamming transitions/blocks
They got it wrong last year - submission skill was how likely you were to submit someone, but not how likely you were to lock it on. I submitted some fool by armbar with Rampage.
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZwJYa6OLDU[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YnNf4mcSvk[/youtube]
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Experiencing something that I normally won't be able to is one of the key things that attracts me to video games, this is probably why I enjoy racing and shooter games more than games like The Sims for example.
The money and time spent on this game alone is enough to get you into a real MMA training club for half a years training where you not only get a much better experience but get in shape and get yourself real friends too.
To me, fighting MMA in video games is like having sex in a video game, your movements are very restricted and limited and you are pretty much not getting the experience that you would want to out of it, almost like riding a roller coaster in a video game.
Football has improved a lot in my opinion, not a big fan of it in video games but I would much rather spend time playing it than MMA at the moment.
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Experiencing something that I normally won't be able to is one of the key things that attracts me to video games, this is probably why I enjoy racing and shooter games more than games like The Sims for example.
The money and time spent on this game alone is enough to get you into a real MMA training club for half a years training where you not only get a much better experience but get in shape and get yourself real friends too.
To me, fighting MMA in video games is like having sex in a video game, your movements are very restricted and limited and you are pretty much not getting the experience that you would want to out of it, almost like riding a roller coaster in a video game.
Football has improved a lot in my opinion, not a big fan of it in video games but I would much rather spend time playing it than MMA at the moment.
stupidest god damn post i have read all day.
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Experiencing something that I normally won't be able to is one of the key things that attracts me to video games, this is probably why I enjoy racing and shooter games more than games like The Sims for example.
The money and time spent on this game alone is enough to get you into a real MMA training club for half a years training where you not only get a much better experience but get in shape and get yourself real friends too.
To me, fighting MMA in video games is like having sex in a video game, your movements are very restricted and limited and you are pretty much not getting the experience that you would want to out of it, almost like riding a roller coaster in a video game.
Football has improved a lot in my opinion, not a big fan of it in video games but I would much rather spend time playing it than MMA at the moment.
stupidest god damn post i have read all day.
I might be wrong, after all we don't all play video games for the same reasons.
What I am trying to say is that I still find that it lacks smoothness and randomness, I feel very restricted and limited, very robotic in a way too which comes in my way of fully enjoying the experience.
I can't seem to get over this to enjoy what the game has to offer in terms of entertainment, probably because I look at it as if it is supposed to be a simulator.
Until I can enjoy the game the way I want to I would be much happier practicing real MMA, but thats just me.
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Experiencing something that I normally won't be able to is one of the key things that attracts me to video games, this is probably why I enjoy racing and shooter games more than games like The Sims for example.
The money and time spent on this game alone is enough to get you into a real MMA training club for half a years training where you not only get a much better experience but get in shape and get yourself real friends too.
To me, fighting MMA in video games is like having sex in a video game, your movements are very restricted and limited and you are pretty much not getting the experience that you would want to out of it, almost like riding a roller coaster in a video game.
Football has improved a lot in my opinion, not a big fan of it in video games but I would much rather spend time playing it than MMA at the moment.
most boxing/bjj gyms cost $80+ a month in a fairly conservative area, not to mention it is a lot more convenient to unwind with a video game than to drive miles to physical exert yourself or get hit in the face. your argument is stupid and can be applied to any genre, as video games, by their very nature are extremely limiting and restrictive.
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He is right about it feeling very stiff, though; that's one of the reasons I ended up trading in '09. But then again I'm not too big on sports sims in general
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most boxing/bjj gyms cost $80+ a month in a fairly conservative area, not to mention it is a lot more convenient to unwind with a video game than to drive miles to physical exert yourself or get hit in the face. your argument is stupid and can be applied to any genre, as video games, by their very nature are extremely limiting and restrictive.
Half a year of boxing in my town costs less than a copy of mw2. It takes 10 minutes with the bike to get there, you can think of the journey as a warm up.
This is not really an argument, this is just personal preference so its not necessarily true for everybody in the first place, as it is obviously the case right now, so I don't really understand why its being labelled as stupid.
I don't really want to go off topic but give real MMA a try and you will see what I mean by the very limited movements that these games suffer from.
''Move like a butterfly, sting like a bee'' - Mohammed Ali
Unfortunately when it comes to MMA in video games they focused too much on the stinging part that they almost forgot about the movement of the player.
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He is right about it feeling very stiff, though; that's one of the reasons I ended up trading in '09. But then again I'm not too big on sports sims in general
i traded it in after two weeks, mostly due to the aforementioned problems in pilonv1's post. but the whole durrr guitar hero why play a game of something you can do in real argument is asinine, even more so in this context.
most boxing/bjj gyms cost $80+ a month in a fairly conservative area, not to mention it is a lot more convenient to unwind with a video game than to drive miles to physical exert yourself or get hit in the face. your argument is stupid and can be applied to any genre, as video games, by their very nature are extremely limiting and restrictive.
Half a year of boxing in my town costs less than a copy of mw2. It takes 10 minutes with the bike to get there, you can think of the journey as a warm up.
This is not really an argument, this is just personal preference so its not necessarily true for everybody in the first place, as it is obviously the case right now, so I don't really understand why its being labelled as stupid.
I don't really want to go off topic but give real MMA a try and you will see what I mean by the very limited movements that these games suffer from.
''Move like a butterfly, sting like a bee'' - Mohammed Ali
Unfortunately when it comes to MMA in video games they focused too much on the stinging part that they almost forgot about the movement of the player.
i have been boxing for over a year and have done bjj in the past which i intend to start again...
btw, it's spelled Muhammad
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i have been boxing for a year and have done bjj in the past which i intend to start again...
btw, it's spelled Muhammad
I might have written his name the way some Swedes tend to, but you get the point.
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i have been boxing for a year and have done bjj in the past which i intend to start again...
btw, it's spelled Muhammad
I might have written his name the way some Swedes tend to, but you get the point.
actually, i really don't get what point you were trying to make at all. ???
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actually, i really don't get what point you were trying to make at all. ???
What I love about MMA is the ability to move freely around your opponent and practice your own stand up, have your own guard, become unexpected in your moves, fast, random, surprising, all over the place do your own thing.
The movement in the video game is limited to approach, move away, move clockwise or anticlockwise all in the same pace and patern.
I wish that they add some sort of perks that allow you to mix up and change the pace and break and the robotic and stiffness of your guard and movement.
In real MMA, if an attack or a move is blocked you can still go for it by applying more force, throwing yourself at him, taking more risk, exposing a different part of your body, read him and play mind games, it is not as robotic as option A is currently unavailable, please try B or come back later.
Right now it just feels like your throwing attacks when you are close to your opponent and just countering what ever he throws at you with whatever is available for you in the game.
If you are a fighter with some experience indeed I wouldn't need to tell you what is missing in the game but your comment on real MMA doesn't sound like its coming from the mind of a mixed martial artist to be honest. so I am not very surprised that we are still discussing this.
it is a lot more convenient to unwind with a video game than to drive miles to physical exert yourself or get hit in the face.
No hard feelings, what I have mentioned is what I love about MMA and unfortunately its not given much attention to in this game. Until it develops a more ''realistic'' feel I would rather be in the ring or playing something else.
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If you are a fighter with some experience indeed I wouldn't need to tell you what is missing in the game but your comment on real MMA doesn't sound like its coming from the mind of a mixed martial artist to be honest. so I am not very surprised that we are still discussing this.
I play football with my friends during the weekends and I now I can't pay madden anymore because it lacks the realism of a real NFL game cause I'M A FOOTBALL PLAYER AND YOU'D ONLY KNOW IF YOU WERE ONE LIKE ME..
get the fuck out of this thread
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If you are a fighter with some experience indeed I wouldn't need to tell you what is missing in the game but your comment on real MMA doesn't sound like its coming from the mind of a mixed martial artist to be honest. so I am not very surprised that we are still discussing this.
I play football with my friends during the weekends and I now I can't pay madden anymore because it lacks the realism of a real NFL game cause I'M A FOOTBALL PLAYER AND YOU'D ONLY KNOW IF YOU WERE ONE LIKE ME..
get the fuck out of this thread
Calm down buddy, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk.
I don't quite seem to understand why some of you get too worked out by the fact that the stiffness in the players movement comes in my way of enjoying the game.
You don't have to be a mixed martial artist to know what the game lacks but being one and still not being able to understand what disappoints me in the game after all I wrote isn't a good sign to be honest.
The game seems fun but it just isn't my cup of tea, for now at least.
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I don't give a shit that you don't like the game. Feels stiff and makes the game unenjoyable for you? good thats all you had to say but no you go on saying stupid bullshit that makes you come off as a complete fucking douche
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In real MMA, if an attack or a move is blocked you can still go for it by applying more force, throwing yourself at him, taking more risk, exposing a different part of your body, read him and play mind games, it is not as robotic as option A is currently unavailable, please try B or come back later.
:lol :lol :lol
are you implying to apply force to punch already blocked after it's thrown? over committing to a punch is never a smart idea, baiting an opponent and forcing a punch that is already neutralized are two different things.
i don't think you train. your comments sound like typical tapout bro that thinks he can fight because he watches mma. your comment on gym pricing left me skeptical, even for a junior membership at an community gym i doubt you would find prices like that. $30 for half a year without monthly gym dues? doubtful, even for a boxing gym, much less a mma gym which are more expensive and most likely borderline nonexistent in sweden. believe it or not training isn't as glorious as you make it more often than not you are drilling repetitive techniques, and even more surprisingly you aren't going to be sparring every time you enter a gym, so you wouldn't be able to perform your magic guard breaks as often as you like. i don't train mma, i box; and surprisingly enough, you, a mmartist, haven't once mention the ground portion of the game. curious.
regardless, your argument is the game is limited. my response is: yeah, so what? all videogames are.
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I don't give a shit that you don't like the game. Feels stiff and makes the game unenjoyable for you? good thats all you had to say but no you go on saying stupid bullshit that makes you come off as a complete fucking douche
Easy boy :D
:lol :lol :lol
are you implying to apply force to punch already blocked after it's thrown? over committing to a punch is never a smart idea, baiting an opponent and forcing a punch that is already neutralized are two different things.
What I am saying is that there are a lot more things that you can do when you are getting blocked in reality, applying extra force is one way to pass through a guard.
This is one of the many things that makes the game lack the realistic feel that it is trying to achieve.
i don't think you train. your comments sound like typical tapout bro that thinks he can fight because he watches mma. your comment on gym pricing left me skeptical, even for a junior membership at an community gym i doubt you would find prices like that. $30 for half a year without monthly gym dues? doubtful, even for a boxing gym, much less a mma gym which are more expensive and most likely borderline nonexistent in sweden.
Welcome to socialist Sweden :D
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://www3.idrottonline.se/templates/Page.aspx%3Fid%3D340090&sl=sv&tl=en
Thats my club.
MW2 costs 599 Kr, 1 term costs 500 Kr.
believe it or not training isn't as glorious as you make it more often than not you are drilling repetitive techniques, and even more surprisingly you aren't going to be sparring every time you enter a gym, so you wouldn't be able to perform your magic guard breaks as often as you like. i don't train mma, i box; and surprisingly enough, you, a mmartist, haven't once mention the ground portion of the game. curious.
I am a boxer too and not a mmartist.
Not all parts of the training are as fun as sparing or as a match could be but I enjoy every single part of it, at least more than playing the videogame version of the sport.
regardless, your argument is the game is limited. my response is: yeah, so what? all videogames are.
Of course they are, but I find this game much more limited than the other ones that I enjoy especially in places that I find crucial in the sport that it is trying to simulate. This limitedness of the players movement comes in the way of the realistic feel that I need in order to enjoy such a game. Now Until the characters free movement is enhanced to a point that I can tolerate I would rather spend my time doing the real thing or playing something else.
Are we clear or do you still insist on only one of us being right about this?
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I just noticed that all the photos on the site are from the under 15 years old group :D but anyway thats where I train and it costs 500 kr for half a year, good training, awesome sport and I currently enjoy spending my time being there than playing the video game.
If you insist on a reason I will tell you that it is the limitedness of the players movement that comes in my way of enjoying what the game has to offer.
Lets just agree to disagree and end it right here.
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I don't know why Skidmark's valid criticism drew out so many ad hominem attacks. He (or she) neatly describes the very nature of videogames: how they cannot deliver the same stimulus as the acts they are emulating, and offer a limited set of player actions than the actual sport.
Part of the attraction to UFC as a league, and Undisputed as a videogame, is that there is the depth of the experience without the inherent cost (getting off one's ass and working out) and risk (getting groined, ACL, hyperextended joints, or KTFO'd). And if you look at the average "Tapout Bro" they are more likely to be found at KFC or McD than a gee-why-ehm. Professional sports are always about vicarious achievement.
Sports games are interesting to make sim-like, as they are commonly described by rules which become more strict and limiting at a professional level. The more rules which are involved, the more limited the actions can be, and therefore the simpler it becomes to simulate high-level play. Though the UFC is no longer defined by "There are no rules," there are certainly fewer rules than in pure boxing or even kickboxing, and therefore more possible actions.
I am curious though, if Skidmark (hi, and welcome to EB's "tough love" -- if you can remain this tolerant and reasonable people will be offering the tauntaun hump soon) thinks football is now close to representative (American football or soccer?), as a boxer yourself, how does something like Fight Night hold up for being realistic?
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I just tried both games again to make sure that I remember them correctly.
I found the players movement in Fight night a lot more realistic and less limited, I can sway and block attacks easier but its harder to make openings and follow them with proper planned combos.
In UFC I had fewer options on my feet which made it easier to control the player and perform planned combos, plus I was a lot more comfortable with the controls layout.
I guess less limitations come at the price of more complexity which should be understandable for mma sports.
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Of course they are, but I find this game much more limited than the other ones that I enjoy especially in places that I find crucial in the sport that it is trying to simulate. This limitedness of the players movement comes in the way of the realistic feel that I need in order to enjoy such a game. Now Until the characters free movement is enhanced to a point that I can tolerate I would rather spend my time doing the real thing or playing something else.
Are we clear or do you still insist on only one of us being right about this?
all you had to say was you don't enjoy it. coming in and saying why play it when can do the real thing and then going to say no one that trains could enjoy the game is pretentious. like i said i sold the game after two weeks myself, it wasn't very fun.
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Whatever dude
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hay guys whats going on in here
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MMA sounds like it'll be the superior game. Too bad it's going to completely bomb (in the US, at least) since it doesn't have UFC in the title.
Probably not; EA's timing is very good. They're not launching MMA in opposition to Undisputed, but half a year later. The audience for the MMA game will be ready for more. Also be prepared for something that's easier to pick up and play than Undisputed.
Based on playing Need for Speed Underground and Fight Night, I also expect MMA's equivalent Career will have more entertaining moments than Undisputed, but will actually be "on rails" and more of a controlled experience, less freeform.
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That would be fine but there's no audience for "MMA", the audience is for UFC. To the vast majority of people the only MMA they know of is UFC and that's what they watch.
See, Football and NFL.
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Or the boxing league. People only watch boxers who are part of that... oh, wait there isn't one. ;)
But largely, I see what you're saying and I agree. UFC basically /is/ the sport at this point. Any other league is full of fighters who are struggling to "get into the big show" or they're on their way out of the UFC, have a name but are either asking for more than they're worth to the UFC or past their prime.
But if EA does anything exceptionally well, it's marketing. They're going to figure out how to sell this to the UFC fans even without a license, and may end up drawing more fans to Strikeforce, etc. through that effort.
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I don't disagree with EA having a good marketing arm behind it, and probably the better game. Unfortunately it's the licence that sells, and I disagree that they'll sell this to UFC fans.
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I didn't say it would be a better game, I said it would be easier to pick up. I think it will be pretty shallow overall, but I'm biased.
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Related:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcxeru_ea-mma-new-gameplay-king-mo-vs-mous_sport
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPfZZ1D5yN8[/youtube]
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This game looked horrible on the CBS show. Although with the terrible rating I doubt anyone saw it.
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[youtube=560,345]9Wj7B18qxVM[/youtube]
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZc_AC4o_kU[/youtube]
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The full roster for UFC Undisputed 2010:
KEY
• (N) New fighters to the UFC Undisputed franchise
• (P) Fighters accessible exclusively with retail promotions (e.g. GameStop in the US)
• (L) Legendary fighters exclusive to the PlayStation 3
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Mustapha Al-Turk (N)
Andrei Arlovski
Pat Barry (N)
Shane Carwin (N)
Mirko Cro Cop
Junior Dos Santos (N)
Todd Duffee (N)
Gabriel Gonzaga
Antoni Hardonk
Heath Herring
Marcus Jones (P)
Cheick Kongo
Brock Lesnar
Justin McCully
James McSweeney (P)
Frank Mir
Roy Nelson (P)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Eddie Sanchez
Brendan Schaub (P)
Dan Severn (L)
Kimbo Slice (N)
Stefan Struve (N)
Cain Velasquez
Fabricio Werdum
HEAVYWEIGHT & LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Mark Coleman
Brandon Vera
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Ryan Bader
Stephan Bonnar
Jason Brilz (N)
Luiz Cane (N)
Steve Cantwell (N)
Rashad Evans
Forrest Griffin
Matt Hamill (N)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Keith Jardine
Jon Jones (N)
Chuck Liddell
Lyoto Machida
Tito Ortiz
Mauricio Rua
Thiago Silva
Krzysztof Soszynski (N)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT & MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Vitor Belfort (N)
Michael Bisping
Rich Franklin
Wilson Gouveia
Dan Henderson
Anderson Silva
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
Yoshihiro Akiyama (N)
Ricardo Almeida
Alan Belcher (N)
Patrick Cote (N)
Kendall Grove
Dennis Kang (N)
Chris Leben
Demian Maia
Nate Marquardt
Drew McFedries
Dan Miller (N)
Yushin Okami
Nate Quarry (N)
Chael Sonnen (N)
MIDDLEWEIGHT & WELTERWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Martin Kampmann
Mike Swick
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
Thiago Alves
Carlos Condit (N)
Marcus Davis
Jon Fitch
Royce Gracie (L)
Dan Hardy (N)
Dustin Hazelett (N)
Matt Hughes
Anthony Johnson
Dong Hyun Kim (N)
Josh Koscheck
Chris Lytle
Karo Parisyan
Amir Sadollah
Georges St-Pierre
Paulo Thiago (N)
Frank Trigg (N)
James Wilks (N)
WELTERWEIGHT & LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISIONS
BJ Penn
Diego Sanchez
Matt Serra
Sean Sherk
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
Nate Diaz
Frankie Edgar
Efrain Escudero
Terry Etim (N)
Spencer Fisher
Kenny Florian
Hermes Franca
Tyson Griffin
Clay Guida (N)
Joe Lauzon
Gray Maynard
Cole Miller (N)
Ross Pearson (N)
Kurt Pellegrino (N)
Jens Pulver (L)
Dennis Siver (N)
Joe Stevenson
Caol Uno (N)
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4iqFgkVmXk[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idd9Iu5JFWw[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF9gBuE4Nc4[/youtube]
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If you register at the site they will send you an early demo code. Mine just came.
http://community.ufcundisputed.com/
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Please post impressions!
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I won't be able to play it tonight unfortunately but I'll probably give it some time tomorrow. The early impressions on GAF seem to be positive but then I think the early impressions on every game seem to always be be positive. It's only when the game comes out and people are able to put serious time in when the flaws become more obvious.
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My early impression is that its an incremental upgrade.
Unfortunately there is no practice mode like last year and I've forgotten a lot of the stuff so I have to practice in exhibition. On a technical level its the exact same game. The striking looks no better. The transition animations are no more smoother. etc ,etc.
Like the Smackdown games this is very clearly an iteration on the series. Of course I kind of expected this so it more matters if they fixed some of the issues from last year which will take me a bit to figure out as I've honestly forgotten how to play.
I know the flash ko and striking portion of the game isn't striking me as vastly improved. MMA by its very nature is hard to replicate in this manner and last year didn't get it right and I don't think this year did either.
Of course a big part of this game is playing against another person so without the MP part, its also hard to make certain evaluations.
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Pretty sure there will be a Practice mode in the full game; I'm sad to hear you feel it appears to be incremental.
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OMG at the freakin' crybabies on Facebook and Neogaf who are all assrapingly butthurt over the demo not being available when they thought it would be. Wow.
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To be fair, the only type of upgrades I think are possible are incremental on a yearly cycle. So its not like that is honestly the issue. It's more when I picked it up, I had forgotten how sort of non-pick up and play it was and how some of the fundamentals of the game just feel very far off from being the way they should. On a general level, I just think the game should be more accessible.
But a lot of the impressions from people who were really into the game last year are pretty positive.
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The Clinching system IS greatly improved, but, like Stoney, I've pretty much forgotten how to play, and the clinching system is new anyways, so at one point I basically kneed the hell out of someone in a Muay Thai clinch. (I played Machida vs. Shogun for the title first off)
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Shaq is unlockable:
(http://middleeasy.com/images/stories/organizations/videogames/shaqmask.jpg)
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO9SiYj4dIk[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lDVSasjwpE[/youtube]
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Look at the hit detection at 00:34, that Hansen kick against Aoki. :smh
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdaGM6kNAIM&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]
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Yeah, it's a day 1 purchase for me despite (or perhaps because of) my feelings about the UFC, and the sport in general.
I laughed out loud at the portrayal in the game -- a fight that big happening in a regular gymnasium. Then again, the various forces involved would not want it depicted in any Strikeforce venue. It's a shame that the Couture/Fedor fight will only ever happen inside a videogame; even Randy has speculated that Fedor is dodging fights which would provide a real challenge.
Fedor's management is doing a stellar job of managing his brand, maintaining his aura of invincibility, but I don't buy the idea of him being the ultimate warrior. He might be "the last emperor" of all the territories which aren't the UFC, but that's like saying "king of the world, except the biggest territory that ever existed."
The E3 IGN footage looked smoother than the stuff they're showing in that trailer. Lots of pops and starts in the animation.
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A-heh, heh, heh:
http://e3.gamespot.com/story/6265835/ufc-trainer-hits-kinect-move-wii-on-january-1
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[youtube=560,345]DZx8AIQtf9I[/youtube]
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Animation wise its very smooth and the transition animations are nice. Both much better than Undisputed. But the impact of any contact is terrible. Nothing has any weight behind it.
The models look a bit shiny and fake to me.
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The transition blocks look really good. Very intuitive feeling. I'm not sold on the stand up, and the floatiness is killing me. It might be unnoticeable when playing though.
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http://kotaku.com/5608659/sixteen-fighters-make-up-ea-sports-mmas-heavyweight-division
http://kotaku.com/5615274/light-heavyweights-add-another-dozen-fighters-to-ea-sports-mma-roster
Career looks pretty good, too:
http://kotaku.com/5592042/ea-sports-mma-calls-it-a-career
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[youtube=560,345]EdXCz00BPIs[/youtube]
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The striking portion looks terrible. The ground game portion looks better if not simpler. There will be a demo at the end of the month.
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I'm waiting for that demo with 'bated breath, though I'm pretty sure this is still a day one purchase.
The striking looks markedly better than the King Mo footage they showed previous to his fight. It swims less, the footwork looks better. The announcer animation is atrocious. Like WTF levels of bad. The ringside commentary feels as unnatural as FNR4, sadly.
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What's slightly disappointing to me is how all these mma games struggle to capture the uniqueness of certain fighters. I'm a pretty big Nick Diaz fan so what's cool about Nick is that his striking is kind of different than most other fighters. He is this really high volume guy who just constantly works and throws tons of punches. None of them do much damage but its like this continuous accurate boxing barrage. Little stuff like that never seems to come across in games like this and I'm including undisputed in this. I get that these games can't simulate minute differences in dozens of fighters but still...
I'm still very curious to try out the demo though.
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I'm a pretty big Nick Diaz fan
I used to think you were cool.
Next you'll tell me you like Jon Fitch
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Diaz might be a little distinguished mentally-challenged, but I can't recall him ever being in a boring fight. Jon Fitch is a harsh comparison for almost anyone :lol
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Not comparing him to Jon Fitch, I just hate both of them. Diaz is an A-Grade moron
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I never or at least rarely care about fighters or sports people's personalities. I don't have to hang with them. All they need to do is be entertaining in their sports context. And Nick Diaz is an entertaining fighter. Therefore I like him as a fighter.
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http://www.operationsports.com/newspost.php?id=443383
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Sep 13, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced an updated core games release schedule that reflects a consistent, steady launch of hit titles in fiscal 2012, now including Red Faction(R) ArmageddonTM in May 2011.
In addition to Red Faction Armageddon, THQ's fiscal 2012 core games line-up is expected to include Warhammer(R) 40,000(R) Space Marine(R), MX vs. ATV(R) Alive(TM) and the latest edition of Saints Row(R), as well asthe next installments of fighting games based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) and World Wrestling Entertainment(R), positioning THQ to grow net sales and generate significant earnings and cash flow in fiscal 2012.
THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell said, "THQ's creative organization is delivering a strong pipeline of core game franchises scheduled for release over the next several years, positioning THQ for significant net sales, earnings and cash flow growth. We continue to execute on our plan to deliver great games, market them aggressively and release them in the most advantageous windows."
Primarily as a result of the updated release schedule for Red Faction Armageddon, THQ now expects to report fiscal 2011 non-GAAP net sales in the range of $800 million to $825 million and a non-GAAP loss per share in the range of $0.10 to $0.20.
THQ's core games release schedule* in fiscal 2012 includes:
Title - Anticipated Release Date
Red Faction Armageddon - May 2011
MX vs. ATV Alive - Spring 2011
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Summer 2011
Saints Row - Fall 2011
WWE - Fall 2011
UFC - Winter 2012
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[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTsIv6w-o_M&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]
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1. illegible
2. illegible
3. (2 illegible words) League For Fights (fight camps)
4. No Super CAF (post-patch)
5. Fighters Show Respect
6. True Historical Commentary
7. Boxing Ring
8. Circle Cage
9. Hexagon Cage
10. Walkouts
11. Big John McCarthy
12. Over 200 Nicknames
13. Over 500 Recorded Names
14. No Broken Controllers (:lol)
15. Joint Lock Submission Battles
16. Choke Submission Battles
17. Total Strike Control
18. Fight Replays
19. Rickson Gracie
20. Bas Rutten
21. Militech Fighting Systems
22. Xtreme Couture
23. Fedor Emelianenko
24. Randy Couture
25. Knees to the Head
26. Vale Tudo Rules ( ???)
27. Japan Rules
28. Strikeforce Rules (aren't these just the "Unified Rules of MMA" initially adopted by NJSAC and adopted universally later?)
29. Belt Race (Title Mode?)
30. Hype Videos
31. Soccer Kicks
32. Head Stomps
33. Custom Fight Card
34. Randy vs. Fedor
35. Legendary Trainers
36. EA SPORTS Live Broadcast
37. International Fighters
There are a lot of these already in UFC Undisputed 2010 (bolded), and some of the unique items are kinda-sorta repeated (italicized). EA smells a little desperate. Oh, hai, there's NO OCTAGON in their ring list...
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Ooh, man. Some of the EA SPORTS MMA online stuff looks like a ton of fun:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/111/1112933p1.html
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demo is up
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454108fc/?of=1
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28. Strikeforce Rules (aren't these just the "Unified Rules of MMA" initially adopted by NJSAC and adopted universally later?)
Strikeforce doesn't use elbows on the ground I think.
Oh, hai, there's NO OCTAGON in their ring list...
The Octagon is a copyright of the UFC, no one else can use it. Which is why they've used that round monstrosity and the hexagon before.
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18. Fight Replays
19. Rickson Gracie
23. Fedor Emelianenko
25. Knees to the Head
26. Vale Tudo Rules ( ???)
31. Soccer Kicks
32. Head Stomps
There are a lot of these already in UFC Undisputed 2010 (bolded), and some of the unique items are kinda-sorta repeated (italicized). EA smells a little desperate. Oh, hai, there's NO OCTAGON in their ring list...
Day 1
Not really, but I'll pick it up used for sure. Vale Tudo mode is a pretty neat inclusion, even if it's nothing huge
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I will admit I'm excited for Soccer Kicks and Head Stops.
Do they have Badr Hari?
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So would vale tudo (no rules) mean that there's a mode where there are elbows, soccer kicks, and grounded knees to the head? Or am I misinterpreting "Vale Tudo" as a language when it should be a proper noun with its own meaning?
28. Strikeforce Rules (aren't these just the "Unified Rules of MMA" initially adopted by NJSAC and adopted universally later?)
Strikeforce doesn't use elbows on the ground I think.
Oh, hai, there's NO OCTAGON in their ring list...
The Octagon is a copyright of the UFC, no one else can use it. Which is why they've used that round monstrosity and the hexagon before.
Interesting. I recall that the UFC encouraged other leagues to use the octagonal cage, as a means of unifying and thereby validating MMA as a sport. Did they reneg on that offer at some point?
Playing the demo some today. I am going to have to spend time with it; I'm curious about their native control scheme, but I keep inputting UFC-style controls instinctively. :'(
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To unlock "Classic" Couture you have to send annoying invites to multiple friends telling them to download the game.
However, you still get the points if you;
- Change the text of the message to say something else like "EA MMA sucks"
- Open the message window and then cancel out :lol
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controls
(http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/MMA/1Controls-Buttons_PS3.jpg)
(http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/MMA/1Controls-Sticks-PS3.jpg)
most of gaf seems to hate the game but I didn't get a chance to play it for myself yet.
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I'll be interested to hear your impressions, particularly if you played either of the UFC games.
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I'll be interested to hear your impressions, particularly if you played either of the UFC games.
I've been busy with a new computer over the last few days but hopefully I can get around to it tonight. I played the first ufc game but not the second. GAF is saying that the AI in the demo is take down happy. And apparently take down attempts don't drain your stamina.
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92x52L8qxCE[/youtube]
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When I played EA MMA, it seemed like the Stamina refilled for both fighters the instant a submission was attempted. They're using a different Stamina model than UFC 2009, which had a sluggish refill. 2010's Stamina is a rapid refill, but not instantaneous, which is what this felt like.
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And then there is this:
http://www.supremacymma.com/
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I tried it for a bit today. I don't hate it as much as GAF but it definitely shows as a first effort. The punching and kicking feels weak. It only really feels punishing when you knock somebody silly and that's mainly because of sound effects and it allows you to punch a bunch of times really quickly.
The ground game feels a bit overly simplistic but I think the approach of the game in general is to make it more open and newb friendly than the UFC game. It's nothing that is going to light the world on fire but I'll probably give the full game a rent.
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http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/216960/ea-sports-mma-review/
4.5/5 :-X
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I have it coming in on gamefly so I'll post my impressions. Also EA won't be doing that UFC game anytime soon.
THQ’s just announced it’s extended its deal to develop and publish all UFC games until 2018.
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I'll try not to be butthurt about other publishers locking down the primary licenseholder in a sport. EA wrote the playbook when they locked down the NFL license; it's just hard to believe they didn't see this trend coming and step up for the UFC license when it was available.
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I'll try not to be butthurt about other publishers locking down the primary licenseholder in a sport. EA wrote the playbook when they locked down the NFL license; it's just hard to believe they didn't see this trend coming and step up for the UFC license when it was available.
I never forgave EA for fucking us out of the NFL 2k football series so I'm quite happy they will have to scrape the B league for their MMA license. Petty but that's me.
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Playing through the career now. About 6 matches in. Pretty easy but then I'm fighting scrubs so I assume it will get tougher as I go on. Much simpler and easier to pick up than the THQ game. It seems okay but I'll need to play online or against another person to make any real calls. One of the neat/funny things is that it has a fighter share feature where you can create fighters and upload them for everybody to download. Somebody has already created most of the top ufc fighters and uploaded them already.
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Yeah, I saw that coming a long ways back, looking at all the Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago likenesses in Fight Night Round 4.
I am looking forward to seeing how the Career mode holds up over the long term; being maxed out as a target character after a dozen fights sounds shallow, but the reviewer might have been making someone really lopsided in skills and stats, and not faced anyone who can exploit the holes in their strategy.
Funny thing is, FNR4's Career mode doesn't really seem to allow for lopsided characters, as the training requires broad application of points, and some training subtracts from some areas while adding to others.
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Honestly I sort of view the career mode as just an extended training session for online play. Because the base tutorial is terrible. So the only real way to learn the skills you need in the game is to go through lots and lots of matches or training skill sessions against people with different skills. So I sort of view it more as a glorified practice mode.
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http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-ea-sports-mma/17-3397/
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I think this solves that debate we were having earlier in the thread. A bit unfortunate as I thought the mma title was worthwhile.
The latest sports game from EA is dead on arrival at retail, according to Doug Creutz of Cowan & Company, who also comes down hard on the performance of a number of recent releases from the publisher.
While the company is likely to meet expectations for the full year, Creutz pointed to lacklustre performances of EA Sports MMA, Medal of Honor and Madden 11 - with FIFA 11 the only positive seller from a pack of high-profile releases.
"Medal of Honor earned weak reviews, and we expect sales post the launch period to decline precipitously (particularly once Call of Duty: Black Ops hits retail)," noted Creutz.
"EA's recently released MMA appears to be more or less DOA at retail, while UFC recently announced an extension of its license with THQ, likely putting an end to EA's efforts to expand into the mixed martial arts genre."
EA Sports MMA entered the UK charts this week at number 23. The first iteration of THQ's rival UFC franchise sold very well, but the most recent release hasn't lived up to expectations, with the publisher deciding against annual updates.
Earlier this month EA announced that FIFA 11 sold over 2.6 million units in its first week, while Medal of Honor sold 1.5 million units in five days.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-26-ea-sports-mma-dead-on-arrival
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I don't disagree with EA having a good marketing arm behind it, and probably the better game. Unfortunately it's the licence that sells, and I disagree that they'll sell this to UFC fans.
8)
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One of the problems for the UFC game as well that's been mentioned in various forums is that MMA isn't a seasonal sport and there isn't a spectacular amount of turnover in the overall lineup. As such, the game isn't really screaming for a yearly, full-priced retail update like Madden or NBA stuff. It's possible that EA MMA has been caught by the same thing Undisputed 2010 was: a mess of Undisputed 2009-holding fans thinking "why do I need this?"
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One of the problems for the UFC game as well that's been mentioned in various forums is that MMA isn't a seasonal sport and there isn't a spectacular amount of turnover in the overall lineup. As such, the game isn't really screaming for a yearly, full-priced retail update like Madden or NBA stuff. It's possible that EA MMA has been caught by the same thing Undisputed 2010 was: a mess of Undisputed 2009-holding fans thinking "why do I need this?"
Yeah every 18 to 24 months is the better plan for an mma title sort of like how they handle fight night and just do roster patches for DLC and even charge for it if they want in between releases. You are right. Basketball and baseball, and football work because there is some much free marketing and hype when the season starts for each of those sports.
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Yay! Stoney thinks I'm right! :heartbeat
This made me happy:
[youtube=560,345]5RxJDWitLrA[/youtube]
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Do you play 2010 though?
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caught by the same thing Undisputed 2010 was: a mess of Undisputed 2009-holding fans thinking "why do I need this?"
i bought 2009 and 2010, honey :-*
OK, not all fans. Some of them buy A LOT of games. :-*
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EA Sports MMA arrived a couple days ago, but after its demo I wasn't inspired to drop my Rock Band 3 habit to experience Endless-Takedown-Attempt-flavored A.I. My lunchtime RB3 partner borrowed my copy last night, so I had a chance to crack MMA open. I started a career and ended up playing until after 02:00 this morning. Today I'm more than a little tired.
The Career mode grind is more fun than I expected. First off, in contrast to the demo, across 7 career fights and several free sparring sessions, I think I've seen only a couple takedown attempts (that weren't already part of the current training exercise).
Training mini-games are fun, but they're a little too easy after Fight Night's high difficulty bar; in FNR3 and FNR4 I can't seem to do their exercises to save my life. I get minimum points and always feel like I'm going to have to re-start my Legacy Mode fighter for having "wasted" so many chances to progress my fighter. In contrast, in MMA I get Rank A on the first attempt most of the time, consistently on the second. And your best training game performance can be re-used whenever, so there's unfortunately no need to repeat the exercise, even though they're effective at player training. It's as though EA heard players complaining about the Fight Night training exercises being boring and frustrating, took it to heart, made them fun and then ran too far with making them both easier and optional. Fortunately, more advanced ones open up pretty quickly
Clinching and takedown are a little too easy to lock in, and from clinch it's pretty easy to move the rope or cage, which becomes an overwhelming advantage. But it's problematic in the Training sessions, where the LT(away)+Y Button doesn't seem to register the same as standing clinch, but rather prioritizes pulling away from the cage in a clinch. This ends up breaking the combo, requiring the exercise to be re-done. I've learned to avoid the cage while clinched, just so I can finish my Training, but it's accomodating a hole in the control scheme.
When it's time to move to a Camp and learn additional special moves, my progress hit a wall. I went from scoring Rank A's in practice, and 1st Round stoppages in my professional fights, to having Randy Couture bitch me out ceaselessly while I try to progress from open guard to full mount. Bas may have ragged on me for a couple of biffed combos, but Randy clearly wanted nothing more to bail on my session and go get a protein smoothie. And it sounded like he was doing it over the phone, quality-wise, like they'd recorded pick-up lines using Skype. What got me though, is that I couldn't do the task. Today it dawned on me that, unlike the training A.I., the Special Move learning is probably subject to harsher completion parameters, and likely uses stronger A.I. and contests against the player-character's own skills and attributes. UFC 2010 has the same problem, where a beginning CAF has the option to attend a camp and make progress toward learning a new move, but in likelihood his skills are not going to allow him to complete the win-condition, leaving the new skill unlearned. I was entirely unable to get it, despite trying some exercises 20 times, each attempt with its own loading lag.
Speaking of which: Remember people complaining about UFC 2009's cumbersome menus and slow loading times? It is UNFATHOMABLE that I've not seen a single mention of EA MMA's loading times. God's pearlescent testicles, it takes forever to transition from your gym to the fight venue, and the fight is sometimes over within the first 30 seconds... and the trip back to the gym. And then a trip to another gym immediately if you "travel" get enhanced training. Sloooooow.
I looked around to see if any reviews specifically mentioned this, and found this link:
http://www.pastapadre.com/2010/10/20/ea-sports-mma-hard-drive-evaluation
So I'll be running it from the HDD as of this evening onward. It makes sense that the reviews don't mention it if preview copies are now largely downloaded from Xbox Live via code... they're not on disc, so they're not slow. But, man, I was feeling the wait like a weight last night, and it was heavy.
Overall the game is fun. There are some really spotty presentation problems in sound and non-fighter animation (referee is weak, the ring announcer looks like a stroke victim or an animatronic doll). But three hours flew by and left me screaming obscenities at my TV in the wee hours.
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Had my first three-round Career fight. It was a war, but I feel like it exposed some AI cheapness.
Apparently everything in the game is contextual, so a "defend" against any given transition or takedown, if timed appropriately, becomes a "counter." A perfect transition block becomes a transition-reversal. Pretty clever. However, despite using a special "difficult to defend against takedown technique" (Dashing Takedown), the AI consistently was able to get off its own perfectly timed "finish with a strike against successful takedown blocks" - which rocked me every single time. It feels like the investment in that special move, and my insanely high takedown skill is meeting a cheap AI wall, and that's frustrating.
I watched a full Strikeforce EA Sports Live broadcast last night. It was pretty cool. Two guys, presumably from QA or the dev team were giving live commentary, with Josh Barnett adding color commentary. I like Barnett more now; he sounds like a complete horndog, doesn't seem to take himself real seriously.
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EA MMA's AI is not up to the task of exposing the depth of the gameplay. I guess that's true of any fighting game. EA MMA has a fundamentally different model of the sport than the UFC game. I'm not ready to say better or worse, but I will say the game deserves to sell better than it has. I've played 30 career matches, and an online 4-fight card today versus a friend in Enn Zedland who has also played a mess of UFC with me. He took the time to school me on some of the subtleties, and I'm newly appreciative of its systems.
There is a clear rock-paper-scissors structure to the choices made between striking or improving position (including initiating a submission). There's a need for managing Stamina, because a fighter's current energy level directly affects striking power and likelihood of success during transition/submission attempts. No energy means -no- chance of transition or denying a transition. Or a sub, I guess, since they work to make them consistent.
So on the ground, when a fighter strikes for damage the targeted player can either defend the strike straight or with a directional parry which saps the attacker's Stamina. (Alternately the defender may interrupt the strike with a transition attempt, which seems identical to UFC).
Transition attempts are preceded by some telltale vibration in the defender's controller; it's pretty easy to deny a transition if it's just thrown without preamble. However, strikes landing also cause vibration feedback in the defender's controller. The attacker can use strikes to mask transition or sub attempts. It's possible to block a strike or deny a transition, but if you're denying a transition, a strike will get through. If you block a strike, a transition can get through.
And strikes seem to be a more strategically used element. It's pretty common to rock someone out of the gate with a single high-powered strike, and flash KOs from counterstriking are also standard. There doesn't seem to be a "wearing down" of the HP like there is in UFC. You can create momentary weaknesses in the stat pretty quickly, which can be overwhelmed, but if the defender gets to safety for any length of time, it appears to reset the value entirely. So individually landed strikes may count toward the final score if it goes to the judges, but it seems like there's no building up a weak spot for the duration of a fight.
Things I still don't like:
- Tiburon said "no button-mashing!" but the recovery from being rocked is a straight button-mash.
- Choke submissions are unfathomable. I'm never sure where I'm supposed to be pointing my stick. The sweet spot probably has some kind of behavior of its own which is further influenced by either fighter locating it, but I'm unable to discern its pattern.
- Presentation elements like non-interactive cutscene visuals and sound design are very limited, and what they do have seems sub-quality for an EA effort.
- Career mode gets boring after the top-tier championship is taken. It's less than halfway through the 40 fight run, if you're undefeated (and those first 10 fights are exceedingly easy), and from that point forward, there are no more big fights, no Special Moves to be learned if you're trained up. There isn't much to do.
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chronovore is doing some post graduate analysis on EA MMA.
;)
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It's nice to be appreciated. :-*