UFC 5 Is Back and Bloodier Than Ever for Fight Night: Hands-off Impressions

A week ago, I was able to attend a hands-off preview event for EA Sports’ latest foray into Mixed Martial Arts, UFC 5. EA Sports demonstrated several new mechanics and how it’s ditching some old ones. It’s clear all of the new additions are coming together in the bloodiest and most brutal virtual recreation of the sport ever created. I’ll explain what’s new in UFC 5 with my (hands-off) impressions.

UFC 5 Is Amping up Combat and Ditching the Gimmicks

While the invited participants didn’t get to play the game for themselves, we were shown quite a bit of gameplay. Some of the changes are more subtle than others, but one massive bug-a-boo from earlier games that stood out was the removal of submission-based mini-games. Instead, a bevy of new animations have been implemented that seem to cover a much broader range of grappling and jiujitsu techniques.

Along with the removal of mini-games and extra attention to detail for the ground game, strikes have been overhauled significantly. The previous UFC titles never had the pop and snap of a sharp jab or the devastating thud of a stiff kick to the body. This was a focus for the team, as new animations and physics made the attacks and the following reactions come across convincingly.

A big reason for the big bump in presentation is attributed to a swap to EA’s vaunted Frostbite engine. Every fighter, entrance walk, Bruce Buffer, and even the fight doctors have never looked better. The upgrade in visuals does come at a cost, as the PS4 and Xbox One are being left behind. UFC 5 is also the first M-rated game in the series, as each fighter’s face and body demonstrate just how violent the sport is, with some deep cuts, bruises, and blood coating them and mat in equal measure.

Online Championships and Fight Night Knockouts

Outside of the technical details of the moment-to-moment combat, the rest of the experience is also getting overhauled significantly. One of the more notable additions is online championships. Instead of the standard ranked online matches, you can take your created fighter and compete in an online career. You must win fights and earn a title shot by climbing multiple divisions. You can earn points to level up your fighter through these online fights.

Fight fans will also have access to rotating fight challenges based on upcoming UFC events that will change over time. It didn’t come across as groundbreaking, but it should be a mode that can occupy players looking for something to mix up their offline sessions.

The most impactful change I noticed in my hands-off time wasn’t the pretty graphics or the online overhaul. It was the knockouts themselves. The previous UFC titles have never truly captured the sudden and shocking spectacle of a clean knockout. When I think back to EA’s Fight Night series, everybody showed up for the graphics, but we stayed for the incredible cinematic knockouts.

That Fight Night flair is coming to UFC 5, as they are ditching the more simulation-style replay system for dramatic, exaggerated knockout cameras that amp up the theatrics of that one big shot. Camera zoom, intense slow motion, and the skin rippling as a limb strikes all come together to create a visually stunning end-of-fight experience.

Related:

EA Sports Announces UFC 5

Based on my impressions, I can’t say whether these changes make it the undisputed champ just yet, but I’m eager to step into the virtual octagon myself and find out when UFC 5 launches on October 27 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.