This is an exciting time for the UFC and mixed martial arts (MMA) as a whole.
Heated and wildly-entertaining press conferences between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is only building anticipation for UFC 196 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The same card has Holly Holm making her first UFC bantamweight title defense since knocking out Ronda Rousey in Australia last November. That and an impending Holm-Rousey rematch looms for later this year.
While the electricity is peaking, EA Sports is taking full advantage.
Last week it unleashed a new UFC 2 gameplay video, showing off its five new game modes, including Knockout Mode.
Selecting that mode puts the focus on MMA fighters standing up and going toe-to-toe, eliminating take downs, grappling and the ground game, altogether. The Knockout Mode essentially puts fighters head-to-head until someone drops, with gamers able to choose from a Best-of-Five series and Sudden-Death matches. Part of the KO Mode even includes gamers being able to set the number of hits it will take to score a knockout, only adding to the thrill. Also heightening the experience is the game's boasted Knockout Physics System, enabling gamers to feel every punch or kick landed.
Part of the gameplay video has EA Sports setting up a light heavyweight match between Chuck Lidell and none other than Mike Tyson in what's the kind of thing fight dreams are made of.
To refine your skills, gamers can choose a low-pressure testing ground found in Practice Mode or pinpoint specific areas of their MMA arsenal via 12 new Skill Challenges, including Stand-Up, Clinch, and Ground to name a few.
The revamped Career Mode allows gamers to create female fighters for the first time in a UFC game, while introducing a new Title Chase system for Online Championships. You can even create and customize a team of champions with the UFC Ultimate Team or play the role of UFC president Dana White and set up your own cards with the game's Custom Event Generator.
Gamers are just over two weeks away from the highly-anticipated title being released on March 15 on PS4 and Xbox One.
