EA Sports UFC 5 has been revealed, and Electronic Arts’ upcoming mixed martial arts simulation looks to be its most impressive effort yet. ComingSoon was able to attend a virtual preview event, and while we weren’t able to go hands-on, we got to get insight from the developers and its impressive systems explained. As an avid player of past games, it left me highly impressed and thrilled to see the development team looking to genuinely innovate and improve upon an already solid base.
The presentation has always been one of the series’ strong suits, and UFC 5 looks incredible as it is now using the Frostbite engine. Rated M for Mature for the first time in the series, the game takes advantage of an increased level of detail by implementing more realistic damage models that dynamically update during fights. Eyes will swell, cuts will form, and fights can even be stopped due to damage in rare, one-sided circumstances, just like in real life. This is just one of the many visual upgrades, and the side-by-side comparisons of fighters that were shown demonstrated just how much better fighters look with characters looking just like their real-life counterparts due to new facial animation and strand-based hair.
The damage isn’t just an impressive visual; it has an impact on the fight as well. If your fighter has his nose broken then his stamina will take longer to recover as he can’t breathe as well. Has bruising caused his vision to blur? He’s more vulnerable to punches on that side of his face just like in real life. This adds additional depth to the gameplay as you can come up with a game plan and implement that strategy during fights. If you see an opponent’s eye has swollen, then peppering that eye with jabs could get a stoppage. It’s great to see and more interesting as a game while simultaneously being true to the sport.
All of this incredible attention to detail pays off in the cinematic knockout replays that play after a fight ends in devastating fashion. Just like watching a slow-motion highlight, you can really admire the impact of a head kick when you see a face start to deform. Blood and sweat fly off the body, the thudding sounds of strikes are terrifying, and these KO replays are a really impressive barometer of where games are visually. EA has really outdone itself here.
The core gameplay has also been overhauled, with plenty of new striking animations being added. However, the more exciting changes come in the realm of grappling as UFC 5 features a new transition-based submission system that allows for faster animations. While submissions were mini-games in past titles, that has changed here. Instead, players will use the left and right sticks to finish them — with there being similar counters and denials for the fighter on the defensive. Watching gameplay, it looks very impressive, as the mini-game system really bogged down the gameplay and wasn’t super realistic, so I’m excited to eventually check out the new system for myself.
Another major improvement comes from the revamped career mode. This was always a highlight, and now it starts players off in the UFC Performance Institute, where they are trained by cover star and former flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko. This will also prove as a great onboarding process as it’ll introduce players to all the new systems and gameplay. Throw in tweaks to how training camps work and locker room moments that celebrate career milestones, and it looks like the deepest UFC career mode yet.
The final addition that left me very excited was how UFC 5 will tie into actual fight weeks. New timely modes will reflect actual UFC events. Upcoming pay-per-view events will feature event-specific challenges, giving players a reason to keep coming back and users can even make predictions for the real-life fights. The coolest aspect is that fighter alter-egos can be unlocked in these modes, which will feature different versions of UFC stars from the past (both in looks and stats). For example, you can unlock Jon Jones from his UFC debut, Israel Adesanya when he was a kickboxer, and even a look for Alexander Volkanovski that references his past as a rugby player. It’s all very cool and opens up a lot of possibilities for fighters to have multiple variations that reference their primes and changes in their fighting styles. I really hope it continues to be expanded upon.
EA Sports UFC 5 Preview: The Final Verdict
EA Sports UFC 5 looks to be incredible. From overhauled graphics and more fulfilling, fast-paced gameplay, the changes make sense and are smartly constructed. I haven’t been this excited for a mixed martial arts game since EA’s own EA Sports MMA in 2010, and this looks to be just as much a breath of fresh air.
Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait too long, as EA Sports UFC 5 is set to release on Friday, October 27 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, while the Deluxe Edition will become available on both platforms to those who pre-order it on Tuesday, October 24.
