More realistic, more dynamic, visually spectacular: EA Sports UFC 5 is the result of very specific choices, arising from the need to create a true benchmark in the field of fighting simulators. For this reason, the developers have made the difficult decision to abandon the cross-gen approach typical of sports titles and adopt Frostbite in an attempt to push themselves hard on a technical level.
More than three years after the release of the previous edition, the result of this strategy is a particularly solid and plausible product in its mechanics, still a little fragmented in terms of pace but certainly capable of meeting the expectations of enthusiasts of the art of mixed martial arts, you will find everything you are looking for in this episode and even more.
So warm up a little, put on your gloves, and get ready to enter the octagon for ours. EA Sports UFC 5 Review.
Gameplay: all the new features are there
The concept of a sequel in the sports field is a bit of a story in itself, in the sense that for purely commercial reasons there is a tendency to distribute new releases, especially the most relevant ones, in different editions while reiterating the established structure. year after year, up to that point, usually with little variation beyond simply updating rosters and stats.
Here, in the case of EA Sports UFC 5, also thanks to an above-average wait compared to the previous episode, we find instead Several new elements that practically focus on gameplay and visual performance. of the experience, which however is also functional to what happens inside the octagon, to the multiple variables introduced for the occasion.
In fact, a lot of work was done on the animations and we even went to a more severe rating compared to the violence described in the EA Sports UFC 4 review to bring a greater amount of blood and a much more detailed and realistic representation of the wounds that you can suffer during a match, from swelling to lacerations.
Disadvantages that in the game have a direct and concrete impact on what happens to the athletes involved: depending on the "damaged" part of the body we may have problems moving, defending ourselves and taking shots, with entire aspects of our strategy that will be affected. engaged . As long as the federal doctor does not intervene, who may do so in the event of injuries considered serious. decides to suspend the match.
A completely natural element in a combat sport is thus transformed into a game mechanic, albeit with predetermined settings. its impact seems limited: During our experience it was very rare to witness the doctor's intervention and much less the announcement of the interruption of the match due to the inability of one of the contestants to continue.
The situation regarding takedowns, clinches and everything that can happen in this situation is very different: the developers have completely redesigned that part of the game, simplifying it and making it more dynamic to avoid downtime and cumbersome times. In fact, it is enough to act with the right analog stick and possibly with the lats to change position after a takedown and perhaps aim for a submission.
Let me be clear: The feeling of separation between the standing action and the action on the ground is still very present., and in the same way there are situations in which we remain on the ground longer than we want in an attempt to escape from our opponent's grappling attempts, but the improvements compared to the past are concrete and evident and with a little practice it is possible to dominate. these mechanisms too.
For the rest, the permanent combat boasts good impact performance and, although it may not be as dynamic and fast as we would have liked, it gives a lot of satisfaction when perhaps a downward hook lands and stuns the opponent, opening an opening that must be taken advantage of quickly to close the fight: an eventuality, that of a technical knockout fast, which actually happens perhaps too often.
Content: conservative but with some ideas.
If it is true that the news of EA Sports UFC 5 focuses mainly on the system, from the point of view of content The new edition seems fundamentally conservative, without some new ideas, such as online racing: a more than welcome addition to add depth and progression to a mode that is often limited to single multiplayer encounters, a shame only for the frequent lag.
Among the new features is also the Contract Meetings option, which in a way corresponds to the classic FIFA Match Day, with its correspondences with real events that become meeting opportunities, putting different athletes at our disposal depending on their real commitments within the federation.
Fight Now is basically like quick combat, a fight that we can face against the CPU or a human opponent, in local multiplayer, choosing the two athletes from the wide available roster (which, depending on the bonuses, May also include Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.), the sand and the context. There is also no shortage of options to create an event or fighter.
This last possibility is also linked to Career mode, which represents the fulcrum of the experience and will once again see us starting from the bottom, in the role of an unknown fighter who becomes noticed on social networks during a clandestine fight and is given the opportunity to fight professionally, charting a path that will lead him to enter the main UFC roster.
Although decidedly inflated, the assumptions of EA Sports UFC 5 career They are still capable of exerting a certain charm and the progression linked to this mode represents an excellent way to learn the mechanics linked to the combat system and its many facets, while we face new opponents to make a name for ourselves.
The problem is the repeatability of the different phases- You sign a contract, accept a challenge, prepare for a certain number of weeks between training, studying your opponent, sparring and promotions aimed at increasing the excitement of the event, face the match and then use the experience points to improve the character and then start again from scratch.
Technical realization: sports entertainment.
The abandonment of previous generation platforms, with all that this entails, and the move to the Frostbite graphics engine are decisions that the development team has made to offer a next generation viewing experience, to say it in his own words. The context allows it: in the center of the scene there are only two characters and it is on them where the resources are concentrated.
As it was mentioned already, Animations have been increased. compared to the past and it is in the various connections that it is possible to perceive the great work behind those movements, when the limbs intertwine and a blow is not completely given because it finds an obstacle in the opponent's own body, all this without even a polygonal interpenetration: congratulations to you.
Much had been said about kinematic repetitions and it must be said that at the direction level these sequences are really impressive, while in purely technical terms a lot depends on the lights and the physical conditions of the fighters, on whose skin blood and/or sweat can flow, both managed by realists . physics that also includes the transfer of droplets from one body to another.
The entrances of the fighters and the public in general are truly spectacular, but it must be admitted that in these circumstances frame rate takes some hits and drops below the 60 fps that typically accompanies the action during the actual match. However, little to say about the sound sector: commentary in English of reasonable quality, signed soundtrack as is traditional in sports productions, but without high notes.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 Price 79,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (13) 8.0 your voteEA Sports UFC 5 will not fail to excite fans of MMA and combat sports in general, thanks to the innovations introduced in terms of gameplay and a substantially improved technical sector, which gives spectacularity to each sequence but, above all, It is put at the service of the experience and its mechanics thanks to the animation system, the physical management of the different elements and the emphasis on realism that also translates into a more detailed representation of the wounds. Very solid, very multifaceted and in some ways less fragmented, the Electronic Arts title can also count on a certain substance, even without major innovations in this regard.
PRO
- Improved, solid and compelling gameplay.
- Good variety of content.
- Visually spectacular
AGAINST
- The race could use an update
- Some mechanics are still a bit stiff.
- Online multiplayer with some latency problems.
