Though we have learned a lot about EA Sports UFC over the past few weeks, the gaming giant had strangely been holding off on showcasing actual gameplay footage for the title. However, with just under a month until launch, Electronic Arts has finally released the first raw footage from its upcoming MMA game.
Pitting Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis against Jose Aldo, this first extended look at EA Sports UFC features all of the typical trappings of an actual fight. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan provide commentary and stats on the fighters, while the crowd pumping Bruce Buffer does an excellent job of generating fan excitement for the brawl.
It also doesn’t hurt that EA Sports UFC looks fantastic from a graphical standpoint. Not only do both Pettis and Aldo look better than ever before, but even Buffer and referee Ives Lavigne truly look like their real-life counter-parts. It’s an incredibly impressive display from EA’s powerful Ignite engine.
Of course, all of the graphical horsepower in the world couldn’t save the game if the actual gameplay wasn’t up to par. Luckily this brief look has helped assuage fears that this won’t just be EA Sports MMA 2.0. Pettis and Aldo take turns trading devastating strikes, with Aldo landing a particularly nasty elbow, but Pettis arguably doing more damage. My only concern so far about how EA Sports UFC looks is that our combatants seemed to be moving in fast forward for the first part of the match. They may be fighting at 155 pounds, but it still reminded me more of Tekken than a real-life fight.
EA Sports UFC is set to make its debut in the octagon on June 17 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Did this first look at the gameplay of EA’s latest foray into MMA do anything to sway your opinion on the title? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
