With regards to this, EA Canada has delivered a substantial improvement over its predecessor, even if there are still a few frustrating kinks left to be worked out. The career mode will be similarly disappointing if you were expecting anything but the most basic and well-worn of structures. By comparison, EA Sports UFC was a mess of half-circle inputs where I was never quite sure what I was supposed to be doing. It was all about outthinking your opponent, throwing them off their timing with haphazard strikes, and managing your stamina to take advantage when the time was right. In fact, EA Sports MMA jumps to mind as the most successful example, mainly because it kept things simple: one button to advance position, and another to defend. Where it has to prove itself is with its grappling in the clinch and on the ground: two complex areas of the sport that MMA games have consistently had trouble translating to a controller. That UFC 2 is so assured on its feet should come as little surprise, however-these are smart (albeit minor) improvements built atop an already solid foundation. I couldn’t help but laugh with maniacal glee each time a spinning backfist would crumple my opponent to the mat in a cumbersome heap it’s the closest I’ve seen a video game come to capturing the thrill of those Ultimate Knockout DVDs-a loud, exclamation point on the end of a fight. With no canned animations for when a fighter get their lights conked out, many knockdowns will look distinct from one another, resulting in plenty of memorable moments as fierce uppercuts elicit the fencing response, and flying knees propel fighters off their feet in dramatic fashion. Outside of that, Knockout Mode is also a showcase for UFC 2’s new physics engine.
Everything from tattoos, to the exact pigment of a fighter’s skin is rendered in uncanny detail. With separate blocks for both high and low attacks, you can also barrage the body with a combination of strikes before surprising an unguarded head with a powerful blow-something you couldn’t do in the first game due to its one-button-blocks-all system. With hit points at a premium, I had to adapt and quickly become better at blocking, parrying, and then reacting with devastating counter attacks, which served me well going forward. This ups the pace and indulges in UFC 2’s more arcade-y tendencies-which is perfect for multiplayer-but I also found it to be a useful starting point as a surprising training tool. It simplifies the gameplay with bouts that are standing only, and introduces a health bar represented by up to ten hit points-each unblocked strike to the head or body removes one point, with the opponent KOed once they are all gone. Here, UFC 2 adopts the form of a traditional round of Street Fighter. The newly introduced Knockout Mode, an arcade style format, actually aids from this kind of precision too. Constantly you must be mindful of the stamina gauge, spacing, distance, timing, blocks, parries, sways, dodges. Bouts are often fast and frantic, yet the demands on your attention ensure skill and precision are favoured over senseless swinging and button mashing. Other than that, however, this is an accomplished brawler. If it falters in any way it’s in the finger gymnastics required to pull off some of the moves in its vast repertoire of clinical strikes-a particular kick to the body might take, say, four buttons pressed in unison to execute, which is hardly ideal. This is violent, physics-based combat, where collision detection has improved over its predecessor, and unpredictability is a constant menace. With each bout beginning with fighters on their feet, you’re immediately introduced to UFC 2’s crowning glory: the stand-up game. Flying knees strike skulls with an unsettling thud and a burst of bodily fluids, and fights are often finished with the buckling of knees, or exacerbated tapping to avoid the breaking of bone. Muscles flex beneath the surface of the skin, hair bounces and flops with each cautious step forward, and flesh ripples from a sickening jolt. These martial artists will cut and bruise with startling accuracy, as faces disfigure and the canvas adopts a crimson veneer. And they all move with an impressive fluidity elbows, roundhouse kicks, and Superman punches are slickly animated, connecting with palpable force. Each of the 250-plus fighters are eerily lifelike, from stars such as Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones, right through to combatants that have yet to set foot in the octagon, like former WWE superstar CM Punk. Sure, it veers into the uncanny valley on occasion, but each meaty blow collides with such a grimacing ferocity that it’s difficult to care when things look a little off-UFC 2 is a stunning looking video game. Each of the 250-plus fighters are eerily lifelike.