Over the past few days EA opened the floodgates and sent out beta invitations for select players to test out the latest iteration in MMA video games, EA Sports UFC 3. Boasting a plethora of supposed improvements over earlier releases, UFC 3 primarily aims to elevate the sophistication of the animation systems in play, subsequently improving the fluidity and seamlessness of the many aspects of MMA on display. In reality, the many new animations and overhauled gameplay systems feel incredibly detrimental to the fighting experience overall and the unflinching reliability upon microtransactions may be the most absurd and disgraceful implementation in contemporary gaming, a new low for EA, hot off the heels of the Battlefront 2 crisis.

Whilst EA Sports UFC 2 featured many similar microtransaction mechanics, it truly feels as though the online competition has reached a new level of inconsequence. Bear in mind that the microtransactions and all systems in effect, are part of a beta test. Despite this, it is equally significant to consider that the release date of February 2nd is looming ever closer, thus, it may be too late for drastic changes to be effectively implemented.

With this knowledge in mind, UFC 3 promotes an incredibly unhealthy online culture of expenses, wherein, the more a player invests into their account the better their performance will be in game. Certainly, an argument can be made for individual skill and barriers of entry negating newcomers from dismantling veterans of the series in online battle, these arguments go out the window however, when the game is so overtly littered with microtransactions to the extent that the very core of the experience is hindered. The fundamentals, striking, grappling and submissions, can all be significantly improved with the purchase of rare boosters, acquired solely through loot crates. These loot crates don’t just contain different techniques or abilities, they promote maneuvers that outright boost player statistics in moment to moment competition.

Every single technique, ability, fighter, and stat roll, is entirely acquired and upgraded through the loot box system. A brand-new player fresh out of the tutorials, can dump $1,000 into the game, acquire the rarest loot drops and immediately jump into online competition with a beastly custom fighter that has an exceedingly large health pool, vastly improved endurance, and substantially stronger strikes than the average player who simply pays the $60 price of admission. The higher the rarity of the item, the more significant the improvement overall. Pressing the square button to throw a punch at an opponent, quite literally the simplest and most obvious mechanic in an MMA game, perfectly exemplifies the absurdity of the microtransactions in question. A base level jab will do minimal damage to online opponents, however a fighter that purchases a loot box and acquires a five-star rarity level jab, will not only have a more efficient and powerful technique in combat, but will also be treated to a host of stat increases in all regards, making their player undeniably better in every scenario.

Furthermore, UFC 3’s Ultimate Team mode has added the ability for players to unlock real fighters and use them as part of their group online. Yet again this system Is bogged down by the implications of microtransactions as the rarer fighters have the higher base-level statistics and will outright perform better.

This is yet another example of detestable game design practices on behalf of EA.

Microtransactions are also the only means of acquiring perks and boosts. Perks are powerful abilities that can be equipped for a small number of fights before expiring. They can range from a low-level stamina improvement during a certain phase, whether that be striking, grappling or ground game, to a significant hit point increase during pivotal health events, wherein your opponent has damaged you enough to potentially end the fight. Boosts on the other hand are similarly temporary enhancements that offer endurance boosts and durability bonuses. It is clear to see that in combination with technique enhancements and overall stat increases, EA has taken every single aspect of genuine competition and buried it.

Onto the actual gameplay itself, shifting away from the faster pace of previous iterations, UFC 3 feels incredibly clunky and inauthentic. Distance control used to be a key element of battle, however with player movement speeds seemingly doubled it is nearly impossible to land a flurry of consecutive strikes. The blocking system has been changed for the worse as counters are no longer even a function and absorbing strikes consumes a very minor amount of health, recharging to full health in a matter of seconds. This new system severely impacts arguably the primary reason audiences want to engage with UFC 3 in the first place, to knock one another out. The knockout system in this iteration is bogged down by the health regeneration systems at play. In the heat of the moment, landing a one-punch knockout is an unobtainable accomplishment as players must be dropped to the ground numerous times before a knock out blow can be delivered now. Whilst in theory this should limit the annoyance that comes from being knocked out of a fight rather early, it also feels unauthentic and slows down the pace of fights quite drastically, leading to boring exchanges in the pocket with no real payoff.

On top of this, the input delay is humorously bad this time around, an issue that was all but resolved with UFC 2. Countless times in my few hours of playing did I attempt to strike three or four times to the head, block, then strike two or three times to the body. Whilst this would have been a relatively simple engagement in the past, it now takes an absurd amount of time for these actions to register in game. Players could input their commands, put the controller down for a few seconds whilst they check Twitter, come back to the game and their fighter will still be mid-way through the sequence. No hyperbole, it is genuinely that bad. These concerns are only further exaggerated in online play.

The AI systems appear to be a downgrade from years prior as well. Not that they were anything remarkable in UFC 2, however opponents would at least attempt to play to their strengths, set up various counter-attacks and actually offer some real dilemmas. Unfortunately, the AI in UFC 3 typically stand in front of you and repeatedly engage in the same simple combinations of strikes, barely altering their timing in between sequences. Perhaps just a glitch but during my time I also noticed that it was quite literally impossible to land any form of body kick on an AI opponent. Regardless of their stamina, health, or timing, the opponent would grab my kick and throw a straight right to my dome without fail.

Another gripe arises when focusing on UFC 3’s commentary systems. Jon Anik is introduced here for the first time and for the most part, his delivery is unrivaled. Detailing a character’s backstory and recent performances as they make the walk to the octagon feels just as dynamic and genuine as when Anik is cage side for the biggest spectacles of them all. The same can not be said for Joe Rogan this time around however. In all honesty it appears as though EA thought they could get away with not recording fresh voice lines with Rogan. He rarely interjects during moment to moment combat, his delivery is incredibly robotic and the audio is of a noticeably different recording quality to that of Anik, something that is truly off-putting during a fight.

Ultimately, UFC 3 feels like an embarrassing step back for EA Sports as nearly every mechanic has been subject to alteration so that microtransactions can slide in. In lieu of recent controversy surrounding EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2, one can only hope that the MMA gaming community rallies their efforts in a similar fashion to change UFC 3 for the better.

I was excited for the beta and considered UFC 3 to be an obvious purchase for any die-hard MMA fan. After having played for only a few hours however, I can safely say that UFC 3 is not worth the price of admission, let alone the considerable amount more that players will need to spend to be competitive online.

I'm in so much hate for EA right now.