Some concerns and suggestions to improve presentation
As a fan of MMA and sports games I was interested in getting this game but not anymore after doing some research. I'm sure the gameplay is fine but the presentation is not what I would expect from a UFC game.
After watching gameplay videos, it's so odd to see walk-off knockouts and referees stopping TKOs from a distance. I understand the UFC not wanting players to punch unconscious opponents but that is just the reality of the sport. Most of the time the referee has to jump in and stop the fight. Walk off knockouts are very uncommon (not everyone is Mark Hunt). I just don't understand how this game doesn't have referee interaction on KOs and TKOs when it was a feature in UFC Undisputed 3 from 2012.
There's also some issues I noticed with the fighters on the rosters. It seems like most of the models are reused from UFC 2 so the appearances aren't accurate. For example, TJ Dillashaw and Matt Brown have gotten tattoos since the release of UFC 2 but they don't have them in UFC 3. There's also other issues with new models like with Francis Ngannou's physique. I've also seen some people take issue with inaccurate fighter attributes. I'm not asking EA to fix the issues but I think the ability to edit fighters on the roster would satisfy those who want a more accurate portrayal of the UFC roster.
There are some other ways I think EA could improve the presentation of the game. I understand that EA doesn't want to spend a lot of money on music for fighter introductions, but the ability for players to add their own music would be an improvement. This was one of my favorite features of EA Sports' NCAA 14, and greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the game.
From what I've seen the fighter creation looks pretty good (assuming the Gameface website will be working correctly soon). However, I was planning on adding non-UFC mixed martial artists to the roster, so the ability to add a record for created fighters would be great so Buffer doesn't say they're making their debut every time they fight.
These are just some criticisms I have from what I've seen of the game. I was hoping the game would offer an accurate MMA and UFC experience but it doesn't seem to be the case. I think the game would greatly benefit from some patches and customization features. As for the referee interference issue, I think it would be a great thing to change in UFC 4.
If anyone from EA sees this I hope this criticism is constructive, and I would encourage you to check OperationSports and r/easportsufc. I've seen a lot of other great suggestions there. I hope everyone else who plays this enjoys the game.
