EA Sports UFC 3

UFC 3’s career mode is where you will spend the majority of your time first, however after beating this you have a choice you can either spend all of your money on ultimate team or you can play online or single-player. The ultimate team mode is so microtransactions heavy that it left a bad taste in my mouth.

When two outrageously detailed character models are slugging it out, EA Sports UFC 3 feels sublime. Incredible animations paired with a weighty physics system mean that you feel the thrills and spills of every bout. Unfortunately, the clunky ground game combat fails to hit the same highs, and the campaign – which is a novelty to begin with – loses its lustre after a few rounds. There’s still a lot to like here and more than enough content to sink your fists into, but it still feels like there’s a bit more refinement required before this series achieves G.O.A.T. status.

The groundwork in EA Sports UFC 3 is limited to only the minigames and that is a problem. The game does offer realistic and strategic kickboxing, thanks to the fighting system and the strat

UFC 3 is very nice fighting game, but that doesn't mean it is a good wrestling game. The ground game leaves to be desired and really takes down the quality of the game. Overall the look and feel of UFC 3 entirely is still pretty decent.

Quotation forthcoming.

EA Sports UFC 3's ability to stand and bang is unparalleled but its weak ground game is definitely a concern this time around.

Fortunately, this is one of the more stable games in the franchise with only a couple of technical bugs and awkward, robotic animations to be found. In the end, while EA Sports UFC 3 is an incremental upgrade to what came before it, it’s still a more polished and balanced experience.

A game of two halves: one gripping, strategic and beautifully balanced, the other dull and grinding. Unfortunately, you have to be able to to deal with both.

UFC 3 very well may be EA's best release in the series, but it's only by a small margin that they've improved on their previous effort.

McGregor’s presence on the cover is symbolic: just as real UFC becomes less about the sport and more about the money and the show, the virtual UFC eschews gameplay in favor of lootbox profits. [Issue#227, p.42]

Captures all the pomp and ceremony of a prize-fight, but leaves you a little distant from the action. [March 2018, p.78]

The ground-play remains kinda naff. [March 2018, p.84]

EA Sports UFC 3 is a solid follow-up in terms of content, but it still suffers gameplay and AI issues.

If you were expecting a phenomenal third game in this series, you'll be disappointed by the amount of wasted potential displayed on screen. The worst offenders? A weird control scheme, boring career mode and lots of small technical issues. The game's still fun to play, but it could've been so much more.

It definitely looks the part, and the striking is excellent, but stodgy controls and a weak ground game makes this far from the ultimate MMA game.

By and large EA Sports UFC 3 is the best offering from the series yet. The standing combat is well nuanced, and most of the choices made for career mode felt like steps in the right direction. Ultimate Team feels a bit out of place and unnecessary, and the overall lack of roster inclusions and modes makes this a slightly more shallow offering, but the key is the combat... which words far better when a fighter is on their feet and not down on the mat. I was engaged for several days, spending plenty of time playing the game, but the reasons that most people continue to play an EA Sports title until the next iteration comes along just isn't as strong in EA Sports UFC 3.