'EA Sports UFC 3' News: Devs Tout the Gameplay Improvements To Be Featured in the Sequel
New animations, damage system among additions which will be included
"EA Sports UFC 3," the next installment of Electronic Arts' mixed martial arts fighting game franchise, is due out next year, and just as with many sequels, this one came with a bunch of new additions and improvements.
Developers detailed the new features set to be included in a post on the game's official website.
First off, developers revealed that way more animations were going to be used this time around. Developers were utilizing Real Player Motion technology to produce over 5,000 new animations.
Players should also see the new animations in action as fighters move across the Octagon and even while they are striking.
Responding to a question about ground and pound striking over on Twitter, principal software engineer Geoff Harrower noted that this aspect of gameplay will work the same, though new animations will be shown.
The game is also going to prominently feature the distinct fighting styles of the UFC's best known fighters.
For instance, developers noted that cover athlete Conor McGregor's familiar combination will be replicated in the game, and the same goes for Demetrious Johnson's difficult-to-execute maneuvers that involve transitioning from striking to attempting a takedown seamlessly.
The fighting styles of other mixed martial artists such as Anderson "The Spider" Silva, Dominick Cruz and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida were also different enough that they could be replicated quite well inside "EA Sports UFC 3."
Developers also revealed that they are going to include an updated damage system that will place more importance on where fighters are positioned, how they are standing and just how vulnerable they are.
One more thing MMA fans may want to know is that Jon Anik will serve as the lead commentator for the game, taking over for previous lead play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg.
"EA Sports UFC 3" will be released for the PS4 and the Xbox One on Feb. 2.