EA Sports MMA (this time the full version).

[weemadando]

I'll start with the really, shockingly bad.

The game has a showstopper bug for some where on one of the EA Insider "sign up for our newsletter" screens before the menus, it locks control input. You can still hit the guide button and go back to dash or through other menus etc, but you cannot alter or select anything on this screen. The only workaround is to cancel out of the connecting to EA when the game is loading. This happened to me, so consequently I'm locked out of EVERY SINGLE ONLINE FEATURE. Which is kinda the reason for getting this game. Things like live broadcast, fighter share and the like are all fairly integral. EA are allegedly trying to fix this, but if they don't then this is going back in the 7-day return window.

One you get into the game it's actually pretty damn good. I booted into career mode and despite Bas Rutten being animated almost exactly like a Mars Attacks! martian, the tutorial you get in here is WAY better than the tutorial on teh main menu screen. This career mode also features the single most important advance in sports career mode gaming history. When you have completed a drill, you can re-do it automatically and achieve your previous ranking. So, when you do ace that drill and get an "A" rank, you can then simulate that every time into the future, saving yourself time and frustration.

Thus far, in the shitty local leagues, fights have been damn easy - but I get the feeling that's intentional. However, I seem to recall mentioning at some point in my demo impressions that submissions were easy as hell. Yeah, they still are. You can joint lock an AI immediately, even if your stamina is low. It's a really exploitable system as it stands and the AI just doesn't use it right. Chokes on the other hand are just about impossible as it's seemingly random, though I am slowly developing the technique to get better with them.

The striking though is where it really stands out. After about an hour with the controls (and especially after the actually viable tutorial of career mode), I went into a Manhoef v Jacare Vale Tude fight. And it was beautiful. The striking animation is as good as we've seen in Fight Night and once you are familiar with the controls you can just unleash some amazing combos. The flowing combo system here is really so much better than Undisputed's rigid combo system. The ground game/clinch system still feels slightly undercooked in it's implementation, but against a human opponent or high level AI, this may be completely different.

The AI has perked up a lot too - it's not just takedown following takedown following takedown anymore, which is something to be thankful for. Something not to be thankful for? The commentary. Mauro and Shamrock. This game needs Schiavello and Trigg. Or at least Schiavello.

That said, they have plugged in an ENORMOUS database of names and nicknames. But there's still no "Anders". But really, that's eh, considering the depth of choice available.

The greatest thing though? Vale Tudo/Japanese rules. When I stumbled Jacare and then ran in and delivered a massive soccer kick then dived on and just kneed his head until teh ref got there? Fantastic. Sure, it was brutal and uncalled for, but damnit, SOCCER KICKS!

Also: Lenne Hardt. If you know what I'm talking about you'll be as happy as I am.

[Edward Yee]

This career mode also features the single most important advance in sports career mode gaming history. When you have completed a drill, you can re-do it automatically and achieve your previous ranking. So, when you do ace that drill and get an "A" rank, you can then simulate that every time into the future, saving yourself time and frustration.

I don't know why, but for some reason one of the reviewers/fans thought that the ability to sim was a BAD thing...

Agreed re: vale tudo/Japanese rules, worst part about the demo was being stuck with Strikeforce Rules (which so far as I can tell are just the Unified Rules with no ground elbows so that BJJ players and Fedor stand a chance... lol). Personally the chokes were annoying because my DualShock 3's vibration motor wires got unsoldered from the circuit board, but for some reason it seemed like time didn't pass while attempting a choke, thereby preventing a "save by the bell," but I agree that it felt disproportionately 'easy' to secure a joint hold - you can get away with button-mashing, contrary to what the guides may say, and I did kinda like grappling being done with the face button instead of the more error-prone right analog stick.

Two questions though:
1. I understand that the soccer kicks are a "finisher" to be input immediately upon knocking down the opponent (that is, as he falls), but how do the stomps work?
2. Kron or Roger, who you got?!

[weemadando]

This career mode also features the single most important advance in sports career mode gaming history. When you have completed a drill, you can re-do it automatically and achieve your previous ranking. So, when you do ace that drill and get an "A" rank, you can then simulate that every time into the future, saving yourself time and frustration.

I don't know why, but for some reason one of the reviewers/fans thought that the ability to sim was a BAD thing...

WHO THE FUCK WOULD THINK THAT?

Agreed re: vale tudo/Japanese rules, worst part about the demo was being stuck with Strikeforce Rules (which so far as I can tell are just the Unified Rules with no ground elbows so that BJJ players and Fedor stand a chance... lol).

Yeah, having the "Mystic" organisation in there with the full entrance announcements from Lenne etc would have sold more people on the demo as outside of hardcore MMA fans, what are the average gamers going to mesh with? MAD MAD MAD Japanese stuff or boring, stale Jimmy Lennon Jr and no elbows?

Personally the chokes were annoying because my DualShock 3's vibration motor wires got unsoldered from the circuit board, but for some reason it seemed like time didn't pass while attempting a choke, thereby preventing a "save by the bell," but I agree that it felt disproportionately 'easy' to secure a joint hold - you can get away with button-mashing, contrary to what the guides may say, and I did kinda like grappling being done with the face button instead of the more error-prone right analog stick.

Yeah, the choke control just feels too loose, the zone darts around way too quickly and randomly.

Two questions though:
1. I understand that the soccer kicks are a "finisher" to be input immediately upon knocking down the opponent (that is, as he falls), but how do the stomps work?

Soccer kicks don't necessarily finish, but they mess people up. When a guy in down in front of you, just do the "leg kick" input and away he goes. Yet to do a stomp.

2. Kron or Roger, who you got?!

Que?

[weemadando]

Mang, this is rapidly heading into FUCK THIS GAME territory.

I figured out a workaround so that I can actually logon to the EA servers and get access to stuff other than the most basic modes. However I now have encountered a new problem. The online pass code in my nice new title is apparently invalid/already used.

Sigh.

[Edward Yee]

I remember that Fight Night Round 3 allowed auto-train but that left you with shit stat gains, making it useless until your boxer was already in the twilight of his career anyway (when regular training would have about the same result).

Yeah, having the "Mystic" organisation in there with the full entrance announcements from Lenne etc would have sold more people on the demo as outside of hardcore MMA fans, what are the average gamers going to mesh with? MAD MAD MAD Japanese stuff or boring, stale Jimmy Lennon Jr and no elbows?

This MAY have had been contractually obligated by Strikeforce or something... but if not, bad call by EA. Ironically, Lenne Hardt thinks Jimmy Lennon Jr. has the "old time" carnival/circus showman-y thing going with his announcing voice.

Yeah, the choke control just feels too loose, the zone darts around way too quickly and randomly.

It doesn't help that I ended up having get the chokes without even having vibration to guide me -- I'd just try to tilt the analog stick in the direction seemingly indicated on-screen.

Soccer kicks don't necessarily finish, but they mess people up. When a guy in down in front of you, just do the "leg kick" input and away he goes. Yet to do a stomp.

Nice, nice. One of the annoying things about the demo was that Jason Miller has the soccer kick as one of his listed moves, but since it's Strikeforce Rules he'd just throw a sorta-diving punch to the falling Shields.

I will add, one of the annoying things about demo AI Jake Shields was that for all his takedown spam, his top control and guard passing REALLY sucked against Jason Miller. Eventually I stopped trying to sprawl simply because Miller would inevitably sweep, pass if needed, sub, without being once threatened by Shields in his own goddamn world.

*facepalm at EA Sports' Project Ten Dollar*

[weemadando]

OK, a few weeks ago I finally brow-beat EA into giving me a new online pass code and have been enjoying some of the benefits that this has produced (like tripling the game's roster size with a shitload of created fighters).

I've been digging it a lot, but it just feels like the Fight Night style controls get overwhelmed by the sheer number of variables - kicks, high/low, feints etc. I'm learning it more and more though and have had some amazing successes.

Like this. Paul Daley lamping Frank Trigg in under 10 seconds.