It’s been over three years since the release of EA Sports UFC 4. Now, EA Vancouver is back with a revamped offering that further polishes the solid core rather than trying to reinvent the series. While it won’t turn doubters into believers, UFC 5 is the best mixed martial arts game in a decade since EA Sports MMA and UFC Undisputed 3.
The gameplay is largely the same — with players using the face buttons of the controller to control each limb and altering their attack and defense with triggers. The biggest change comes in the form of the grappling, which has been given a new alternate control scheme that heavily simplifies grappling. Simply tilting the left analog stick to the left will go for a submission, while going to the right will go for an offensive posture, and tilting up will see your fighter get off the ground. The traditional controls using the right analog stick are also available, and I recommend using the hybrid control scheme so you get the best of both worlds, as the streamlined controls are genuinely helpful.
Beyond that, injuries and cuts are a larger factor that will actually come into play during fights. This adds another layer of strategy, as you can really cut and deform the faces of your opponents over a 25-minute fight. Doctor stoppages are possible, so if a cut gets serious enough, you might need to switch stance or change your strategy before it is waved off. This can lead to some dramatic comebacks and long-term strategy ultimately prevailing. It’s a solid dynamic that makes the game a bit more authentic while also being a net positive to the gameplay as well.
Those expecting a much-improved career mode will be disappointed as it’s largely the same as 4, although Valentina Shevchenko will occasionally show up. You’re tasked with becoming an all-time great and rising up the ranks. Sadly, by the time you get to the top, most of the best UFC fighters have aged out of competition, and you’re left fighting create-a-fighter characters instead. It’s still a fun mode, with you determining your training camps before fights, but it’s not quite the home run it could’ve been as it takes too long to get going.
What is nice is the roster, which has a nice mixture of legendary fighters and current UFC stars. A lot of the greats from the past are based on specific points of their career, like middleweight Chael Sonnen being from UFC 148. These are cool footnotes and play into the game’s new alter-ego feature, where you can have multiple versions of a fighter with different stats (for example, there are two featherweight Conor McGregors — one an early debutante and the other from his peak). There aren’t too many alter egos just yet, but hopefully, this becomes a mainstay as it offers a lot of great possibilities to show how fighters evolve and change over time.
As far as replay value goes, you’ll have to get invested in the online play, as most modes are catered toward competitive play. There is an online career mode for those who want to build up their created fighters, but the ranked championships and blitz battles using real fighters were much more up my alley. Blitz battles are particularly fun as they’re short fights that constantly change rule sets (such as kick-only taekwondo battles).
EA Sports UFC 5 Review: The Final Verdict
While I do wish there were a few more single-player modes, such as a mode reliving epic fights or Octagon moments, the core gameplay in EA Sports UFC 5 is as good as ever. This is a polished and fun fighting game that adds additional blood and depth to make EA’s best UFC game yet. By respecting the current fighters and the legends of yesterday, there’s a lot for MMA fans to appreciate here.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 5 copy for our EA Sports UFC 5 review. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.
