The fight game. The sweet science. Pugilism in its finest form, and many other names for mano et mano combat. It’s something that’s been studied for years, the philosophy of the body and mind broken down and analysed by many a scholar. But for everyone else, there’s the UFC. Catering to that popularity is EA, as we’re now on UFC 6 in its roster of fighting games.
Featuring more of that versatile mixed martial arts, spanning decades of fighters and their experiences, UFC 6 is the latest update to the fight game. New ways to play, improved visuals and damage, as well as new Legacy modes and more, UFC 6 is aiming for the top spot.
Does it have the heart and fortitude to make be the champion, or will it gas out and tap too early? Let’s find out.
The Name Of The Game
I’d like to think, presumptuously, that if one is reading a review of UFC then they’d be aware of the concept. If you’re not, then allow me to explain what the Ultimate Fighting Championship 6 consists of: beating and/or maiming someone so badly that outside of the octagon it’d be considered manslaughter.
Okay, mild exaggeration. UFC is about combatants across multiple martial art disciplines (hence MMA: Mixed Martial Arts) trying to beat the other. A “standard” fight is timed rounds, the winner declared by knockout, submission or judge’s decision.
UFC 6, like its predecessors, offers different rulesets for some variety too. Stand and Bang, for example, eliminates the takedown and floor game. It’s essentially realistic Street Fighter, if you will. Well, and without fireballs and metal claws.
With a stacked roster of fighters across genders and weights, there’s plenty to pick from. There’s even ones behind the usual EA paywall, but that’s… well, expected of EA.
Pretty Faces To Mash Up
Whilst I am a jiujitsu player in real life, bad joints and all, the world of combat sports largely passes me by. So don’t ask me who’s who or what belt is up for grabs. In terms of games, I played a fair bit of UFC 4, but skipped the fifth entry. So coming back to the newest one, my comparison is one more game behind.
That being said, UFC 6 is one of the prettiest looking brawlers I’ve played. Visually, character models look great, with muscles and faces reacting to the combat. The knockouts look sweet, the transitions look fluid and overall, it’s a vast leap in what EA Vancouver have worked from.
Nor is it just the fighters that have had the work done. The locales all look top notch, from the gyms your fighters train in the arenas they sell out for knockouts. It’s all very well presented, in as much as a game about UFC can be. There’s even some extra areas, that we’ll get into the why’s of later, that also compliment the effort gone in.
That being said, there are still moments when things go awry. Now, one can’t predict how someone will react to a head kick, granted. Yet sometimes there’s still that glitchy disconnect where limbs will bend unnaturally from deflections, or limbs might distort weirdly. I didn’t have any of those extreme, stretched spaghetti limb moments, which I’m thankful for.
Going With The Flow
One new addition to UFC 6 that will impress is the Flow State system. Despite being realistic, UFC has taken a bite out of special meters from its fantastical contempories. What this means, in layman’s terms, is a box that fills up during a fight. Once activate, the Flow begins to uh… flow. What is does next, however, depends on the fighter.
If one is a boxer/kickboxer, it heightens their combo power and speed, literally allowing moves to flow fluidly and gain the upper hand. Wrestlers and MMA fighters will have more impactful takedowns, whilst jiujitsu players will be transitioning from side control to mount with ease. It’s a finite source, but can change the tide of battle.
Another system in place to gain the upper hand/kick/choke is the perks. Preset fighters will have their own, whilst created ones can be allocated, which in essence are boosts to certain attributes in the right conditions. Extra head kick damage, let’s say, or more stamina for stand up striking in the first two rounds.
So for my career fighter, Charles Brunson (yeah I went with a pun), I focused on harder strikes in the first two rounds and quicker kicks. I wanted to like the proverbial postman that knocks twice: in and out, quickly as I can, on to the next job. Like most of these systems, the trick is to see what suits you best and play around.
A Legacy To Uphold
In terms of “where do you go from here?” with career modes, UFC 6 has done an admirable job of trying to give it some heart. For the everyman, there’s a standard Career mode that allows Create Your Own fighters to become champions. That’s all there, from the contracts, the fake social media responses, to the routine bag and partner workouts leading to fight nights. I’m glossing over it, but it’s fairly in depth, if a little repetitve after a few fights, if that’s what you want.
What is new are The Legacy and Hall of Legend modes. The former sees player follow the story of fictional college wrestler Chris Carter as he rises through the ranks. Alongside this there are the highs, the lows, the rivalries and scandals that come with this kind of interactive drama for players. There’s even a few fights that take place in clubs and such that really gave me Def Jam: Fight For New York vibes, that I was on board with. Yes, it’s a bit of a corny story, but then I cry every time I watch Warrior so I was a little invested in the cheese.
Hall of Legends, meanwhile, follows the journey to the top for three real athletes: Max Holloway, Zhang Weili and Alex Periera. Again, rather than just clicking to progress through career highlighted fights, players will walk through interactive museums decorating their respective careers. It made for more immersion, that investment in seeing these champs rise, rather than just check-boxing a few of their selected matches.
Time Is On My Side
Whilst I’ve put some hours into iterations of UFC games over the years, I still get blindsided by moves I didn’t see coming. I imagine for non-serious gamers, it’s even more daunting. Fortunately, UFC 6 has added some tweaks that make it much more accessible to newcomers and returning casual fans alike.
The first is the time dilation assists. In this, and for additional examples the WWE games, sometimes the counter window is a nanosecond, gone. What time dilation adds, in this instance, is a bullet time-like mechanic that slows the game speed down to give players a chance. You won’t see it in the pic above, but when that prompt appears, time slows and allows the player the chance. It’s not always foolproof: you might have thrown a punch before the prompt appears and get taken down/hit. But it levels out the playing field a little for those that need it.
Another new (well, new to me) system is the simplied controls. Normally, it’s a Tekken style punch/kick arrangement with the face buttons. What simplified does, funnily enough, is make this easier. One button for punches, another for kicks, whilst takedowns are another. It’s akin to Street Fighter 6’s simplified controls, which are again purely optional.
Both of these, I feel, are nice additions. It makes it more accessible for those that want that fighting chance (pun intended) to be able to enjoy UFC 6 at their own pace. It’s just worth noting that time dilation assist doesn’t work in multiplayer, for obvious balancing reasons.
Fightin’ Round The World
So, I’ve mostly covered the single player content, but what about multiplayer? Well, it’s a fighting game, so it must be taken as read that there’s the opportunity to test one’s mettle. As mentioned above, yes, there’s mutiplayer. Both offline and online, these are pretty much staples in UFC 6 at this point.
For the locals, there’s couch fighting. Not literally, I meant that all modes are accessible to fight side by side. Standard matches, Stand and Bang, Kumite, it’s all there. Use your own unfairly-boosted final career fighter and smack the crap out of your mate being Conor McGregor, that kind of thing.
Online, it’s no different. There are some limits to rules, like not using custom characters, for instance. Players can fight online, rank up and take on new fighters all around the world. There’s certain historical matches that can be reinacted, as well as following current real-world fight nights.
Online multiplayer usually passes me by, but don’t take that as disinterested reflected in the game’s performance. It is there for those that seek it, I just don’t.
Performance Enhancing Dollars
Which, negative inflection above, leads me nicely into the hard-to-avoid stain on canvas: it’s an EA game. That means that naturally, it’s packed full of bloat, cosmetics and unnecessary grind. And yes, whilst a lot of it is optional and not needed to progress, the shoving of it in my face isn’t necessary.
Win a fight? Here’s a cutaway to a reward screen to waste time. Progress more with a fighter? Here’s a new gumshield that you’ll never see the finer points on whilst fighting. Did you know you wanted some shorts that have wavey, magic eye patterns on? Tough, you’re getting them, smile and thank uncle EA.
And of course, UFC 6 has its own premium currency for buying fighters, outfits, legacy items and all of that other nonsense. Look, if this is your thing and you’re going to invest, then fine. If players are life-long fight game fans and want to put the time in, then I won’t knock that. I just wish the implementation wasn’t so in-your-face. It’s annoying when the new Skate does it too, which is also EA, funnily enough. But this is just me, “old man yelling at cloud” syndrome again. It’s a part of modern gaming, like it or not.
It’s A Knockout
That being said, I am actually invested in UFC 6. I haven’t taken Charlie Brunson to the top yet, but I’m going to. I’m going to see how Carter’s story ends, and how Periera’s begins. I probably won’t bother with the online modes, unless it’s against friends.
My conclusion, then, is that UFC 6 is as worthy a successor to the MMA fight game as one could hope for. Bloat aside, there’s a whole world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship to get lost in here. Cliche as it sounds, players can carve their own paths through the world of mixed martial arts as they see fit.
Overall, the presentation is also great. The visuals are the most polished they’ve ever been, the knockouts satisfying and crunchy. The career modes are engaging, even as someone who doesn’t follow it in real life. As a sixteen year Brazilian Jiujitsu player, it’s nice to see how well it’s worked into gameplay, for example.
So no, this won’t win you over if you find pugilism barbaric. It may not if you’re a chancing newcomer, but for those curious or returning, it’s a great time to step onto the mats.
UFC 6 is available from 19th June on PlayStation 5 (review platform) and Xbox Series S|X. A PC/Steam version is reportedly coming later in the year.
Developer: EA Vancouver
Publisher: EA Sports