Review for EA Sports UFC 4. Game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/08/2020
Ready to go back to the Octagon? EA Sports UFC 4 takes us back to the octagonal cage without too many frills, but with many improvements. Before we get into what the title is, what is the UFC? It is an acronym that stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it is a "tournament" in which the best mixed martial arts fighters (which for simplicity we will call MMA) clash, fighting to win the belt of best fighter of a certain division, which is divided by weight, just like in most part of combat sports. MMA includes every fighting style in existence, from boxing to judo, through Greco-Roman wrestling, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
EA Sports UFC 4 is the latest iteration dedicated to this sport, have you managed to improve? Absolutely yes, here's how.
Career mode
You might think that EA Sports UFC 4 does not have a plot but you are wrong. Obviously, do not expect unique twists, it is not a single player adventure, yet its career mode manages to surprise also and above all because once the game is started will be the mode that will introduce us to the tutorial and the "how-to" of the game. We will create our character, we will declare our weight, we will choose our fighting style between boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and Jiu jitsu and from there our coach, Davis, will give us tips to become the "new undisputed champion of the world".
As he said Muhammed Ali: "Matches are won in the gym", and it will be here that we will train our fighter. Before each match, we will have to train our fighter (or wrestler) in the martial arts in which we want to improve, but not only. We may also invite other fighters, so that they teach us their moves, but this will be paid. It is possible to lower "the price" through a friendship system. That is, if we are always provocative and grumpy we can create rivalries, while if we behave like everyone's friends, then we could have a "friendship bonus" by doing get the price down.
Also before the meetings you won't just have to train, but we will have to increase the "hype" (or hype) for the meeting. Like? By direct streaming of our training or by writing on social networks: we will have to be fighters in and out of the Octagon and once the weeks of preparation are over, we are ready to enter the cage and beat our opponents. The combat is very similar to that of EA Sports UFC 3, but fortunately it has been greatly improved, making this new "chapter" much more of a MMA simulatorrather than an arcade. The footwork (the movements) are very important and everything is within reach of the pad. Nothing is particularly difficult in the phases of standing struggle. But what happens if you get knocked down with a takedown?
This has always been the Achilles heel of the UFC series, but in this case it is possible to say that it has been simplified and improved, making it accessible even to those who do not know anything about mixed martial arts. To prevent our enemy from doing what he wants with us, it will be necessary avoid ground fight transitions, to avoid it will be enough hold R2 (RT) and from here arrows will come out that will help to understand where we have to move the right lever, so as to avoid the transition and any submissions or terrible ground and pound, moment in which one who has the advantageous position starts to hit violently so as to force the referee to suspend the match, winning by TKO. This help is obviously eliminated when you decide to play online or at maximum difficulty (legend).
Become the best: online
Winning an online match, especially at the beginning of our MMA "career" it could be one of the most frustrating situations videogame speaking since exactly like "in real life", if you want to be the best you have to learn to lose. The most loyal online mode is definitely "Online World Championships" and being classified matchmaking is much better while in the case of a quick match, it may take an infinite amount of time before being able to win. But these are not the only modes available, there is a new one, called "Blitz". Here you will have a condition to win, such as "you win the match in the first minute of the first round" and if you lose you are thrown out. The maximum of Blitz matches are five, therefore no, it is not infinite.
Something really funny is the kumite. It is not a real mode, but it is one of the “maps” available when fighting, which makes it appear to be protagonists of the film Ong Bak, with Tony Ja. But not only that, the sounds and the music change and it will look like a Mortal Kombat-like, complete with a voiceover that screams "nice shot" with a deep voice.
Technically well done
From a technical point of view, the graphics sector has suffered a slight but visible improvement. But what stands out certainly is the leap forward made with animations, which are much more realistic and less rigid.
Something that goes hand in hand with animations are the sound effects, which always manage to be spot on and rather realistic, a joy for the ears, less for the bones. Remaining on the audio sector, the only flaw is the music, which is very nice and with relatively well-chosen lyrics, but unfortunately very bare. In a week of play we could already learn all the songs by heart and their moment of reproduction. A little pity, but not so bad as to destroy the gaming experience.
So, we've come to the most interesting moment for your pockets: is EA Sports UFC 4 worth buying? For us absolutely yes, if only to experience the thrill of fighting inside the Octagon. It is also very useful as a base for those who have never played a title in the series. It is currently available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at full price.
► EA Sports UFC 4 is a Sports type game developed by EA Sports Electronic Arts and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/08/2020
