PG 1 | PG 2

Your Training Begins Now
After you character is made, 'Bas Rutten' will take you through the three facets of mixed martial arts, which include standing, clinching and grappling. The tutorial mode here is a lot less stressful then the 'MMA 101' mode and it is where you really learn the ins-and-outs of the game. If you are a fan of EA Sports 'Fight Night' the controls will come naturally as you half rotate and diagonally flick the controller to punch and kick. I know this is a little tough if you're not used to thumbsticks replacing traditional face buttons, but you will adapt. The ground and clinch aspects are less complicated, using a one button progression/block system were timing is key.

On the ground its all about moving around your opponents body. If you're on top, look for a full-mount or an opportunity to lock in a submission. If you on defence, you need to reverse holds and block any passing attempts by your opponent. Although you can't directly pick exactly where you will move (the animations do this for you) the system works out, but it's vastly different from the stand up game. I actually thought they would bring the thumbstick mechanics to the ground much like 'UFC Undisputed,' since they are used in the stand up game.

Lastly, you have to learn submissions (my main choice of victory.) There are two types of submissions in MMA, chokes and limb submissions. Chocking someone out brings up a circular mini-game that you have to rotate until you find the sweet spot, on defence you'll be doing the same, but with the goal to escape. Limb submissions (snapping the leg or arm) are a timed button press mini-game with the goal of keeping the pressure on without running out of stamina. Both systems are even-handedly clever and a good solution to one of the hardest properties of the game, submissions. All-in-all, learning the controls in MMA is the biggest obstacle to overcome. Once you have them down, they game becomes a whole new beast. Sure there are growing pains and MMA takes a little bit of patience before you “get it,” but the end reward is so worth it.

This ain't no vacation, world traveller
Once you have the mechanics down, it's time to start fighting. The game starts with easy fights and gets progressively harder as you become champion of one promotion and move onto another. After each fight you will eight weeks of downtime were you can train for next fight. MMA doesn't have a calendar system like most games, it just throws you in there and away you go. This gets tiresome in long sittings, feeling lethargic, but the pay-off always delivers with of the thrill of the fight.

Training can be done in house, however, the game suggests you travel to the other dojo's around the world to get more specialized training. Each facility has their own focus and special moves you can unlock, which is extremely important when building a custom fighter. Only 16 special moves can be learnt, so choose wisely. At each dojo it's categorically broken down to submissions, ground, stand, clinch with sub-challenges in each category. The training challenges are little exercises that help you learn the game and make you strive for perfection. The beauty of the system is once you perfect a certain exercise you can simulate it with that sweet “A” rating, gaining the maximum benefit. It's a real intuitive way of improving your character with new skills while you get deeper involved with the fighting mechanics.

Welcome to the Future-- Live Broadcasting
The online offering in MMA is outstanding, mainly because of its 'Live Broadcast' feature that makes online matches seem like real life PPV bouts. You can set up a match with a friend or another competitor set a time and Livesteam a match with live commentary. These fights, although in a game, mirror the feeling of big PPV matches, its such a revolutionary approach to one-on-one online match-ups that I could see it catching on. Obviously this takes some financial backing, so I am glad to see EA getting behind their product. Under the shadow of 'Live Broadcasting' is the other features, which include building your own 'Fight Card' to earn different belts under each weight class, hit up a quick match and share created fighters that is ironically filled with UFC fighters.

EA Sport's sophomoric effort into the gaming world of MMA is a stand up showing. While its in-ring action isn't exactly up to the level of their main rival, its international diversity and Live Broadcast feature puts into the title hunt. That being said, if you're a fan of MMA fighting then you can't go wrong by owning more then one MMA game. Competition is good because we, the gamers, come out the winners.

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Global sense of MMA and its various fighting styles Live Broadcasting is more than amazing! Solid fighting mechanics, love the submissions Excellent production values, exceptional eye for details Audio commentary is excellent Awesome highlights reels that can be saved and edited MMA 101 should be a full tutorial Career mode needs more diversity Lots of screen tearing... ugh Ground game needs to be improved Once you know the game, the A.I. is a pushover Quote: "EA Sport's sophomoric effort into the gaming world of MMA is a stand up showing. While its in-ring action isn't exactly up to the level of their main rival, it's international diversity and live broadcast feature puts into the title hunt." Reviewed by DowntownJimmy | 11.02.10

Similar Games: UFC Undisputed 2009 (8.2) | UFC Undisputed 2010 (9.3)