UFC 6 review: a bloody, brilliant MMA fighting game

EA Sports has released UFC 6, the latest installment in its MMA fighting simulation series. The game aims to capture the daily grind of a professional fighter, with most time spent on training and drilling techniques rather than actual fights. Career mode features simulated six-week training camps that can feel monotonous, but players can skip them at the cost of reduced benefits.

The fighting itself has seen significant improvements. Compared to previous entries, UFC 6 offers more natural animations that flow seamlessly between different aspects of MMA – striking, wrestling, and submissions. The graphics are strikingly realistic: visible pores, wrinkles, and even cauliflower ears indicate a fighter's specialty. Each fight leaves marks on the body, with bruises, cuts, and blood droplets flying through the air and staining the canvas. Slow-motion replays of knockouts amplify the sound of bone crunching and cheeks wobbling.

A new addition is The Legacy story mode, following a fictional fighter trying to escape his famous father's shadow while developing a rivalry with a gym mate. This fully acted melodrama plays out like a Rocky story, highlighting how violence sometimes spills outside the Octagon and affects careers. The narrative engages for the first few hours but peaks early and fizzles out later.

Despite the training slog and story mode's fading momentum, UFC 6 stands as the best version yet of EA's fight-sim series, combining fluid combat and story mode razzle-dazzle.