EA Sports UFC 3

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
EA Sports UFC 3
EA Sports UFC 3 Official Boxart.jpg
Cover art featuring "The Notorious" Conor McGregor
Developer(s) EA Canada
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Engine Ignite
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Xbox One
ReleaseFebruary 2, 2018
Genre(s) Fighting, sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

EA Sports UFC 3 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. "The Notorious" Conor McGregor, one of the previous cover fighters of EA Sports UFC 2 , returned as the official cover fighter of the game. Serving as the sequel to 2014's EA Sports UFC and 2016's EA Sports UFC 2 , it was released on February 2, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A sequel, EA Sports UFC 4 , was released on August 14, 2020.

Contents

Gameplay

EA Sports UFC 3 is a mixed martial arts fighting game, similar to previous installments, the game is based on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), while also retaining realism with respect to physics, sounds and movements. The game has also been heavily endorsed by Conor McGregor, the cover athlete as well as one of the UFC's top stars. New to the series is the "G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)" career mode, where the choices made throughout the career impact the player's path to greatness. Outside of fights, the player can make promotional choices to build hype, gain fans, earn more cash through big contracts and capture the world's attention. A new in-game social media system now allows the player to create heated rivalries with other UFC athletes, providing the freedom to take on any type of persona. [1]

Continuing on the Knockout Mode which was introduced in EA Sports UFC 2 , the game delivers a new type of multiplayer modes designed for fast and quick fights that are integral when playing against opponents. The tournament mode offers ultimate rights as the player attempts to take on as many opponents as possible in bracket-style elimination rounds with continuous damage and fatigue. With 234 different fighters (including Bruce Lee) in 10 weight classes, the game contains the biggest character roster out of the three EA Sports UFC games. [2] Furthermore, Snoop Dogg provides commentary on Knockout Mode, but can allow the option to have Joe Rogan alongside Dogg, or have Jon Anik alongside Rogan for the traditional broadcast commentary in Knockout Mode.

Development

EA Sports announced on November 1, 2017, that a third installment was in development. Along with the initial announcement, a short teaser trailer featuring UFC fighters Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk was also conducted. [3] On November 3, the official reveal trailer of EA Sports UFC 3 was released worldwide. [4] Like other EA games, UFC 3 has been criticized for implementing pay-to-win mechanics. [5] Although the use of microtransactions is expected to only affect one game mode, the option for consumers to spend real money to avoid grinding has been derided as exploitative. [6] [7] The game was released on February 2, 2018. [8]

UFC 3 is also the first title to support RPM Tech, an engine developed by EA Sports which more accurately represents character movements. [9]

Reception

Critical response

EA Sports UFC 3 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Game Informer praised the graphics, saying the "attention to detail is gorgeous, from the way fighters circle each other in the Octagon to the facial animations as an overhand right comes down on their cheek". Polygon said "the honeymoon with UFC 3 is short. Career Mode, comprises several stages of a fighter's rise through his or her weight class. Yet by the 10th fight, the repetition and grind became obvious."

EGMNow criticized the microtransactions, saying "Just like in other EA Ultimate Team modes, this is a clear cash grab, attempting to get you hooked to the mode in the hopes you'll spend real-world money on card packs to more quickly advance your fighter's stats it's nothing short of infuriating." GamesRadar+ said that it "makes Battlefront 2's lootbox system look immensely charitable." IGN also called the mode "straight-up terrible".

GameSpot summarized it as "EA Sports UFC 3 is a tense, exciting, and dynamic recreation of the stand and bang aspect of mixed martial arts. The grappling still needs plenty of work, and one would hope this is something EA Canada addresses in the next iteration; yet these shortcomings become easier to overlook because of the accomplishment of its redefined striking. When it comes to the art of combat, few sports titles do it better."

Sales

UFC 3 reached number 12 in the UK sales charts, behind Monster Hunter: World . [17] It was ranked number 22 in Australia, behind Shadow of the Colossus , and number 11 in New Zealand. [18] It reached number 32 in Japan. [19]

It was the 16th most downloaded PS4 title in the US, [20] and 7th in Europe in February 2018. [21]

Awards

The game was nominated for "Game, Franchise Fighting" and "Performance in a Sports Game" with Jon Anik at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>UFC: Sudden Impact</i> 2004 video game

UFC: Sudden Impact, known in Japan as UFC 2004, is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Opus and published by Global Star. It was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth UFC game released and the second and last on the PlayStation 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Edgar</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Frankie Edgar is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division, Edgar captured the UFC Lightweight Championship in 2010 and successfully defended it three times before losing it in 2012. Edgar then moved down to compete in the Featherweight division, where he challenged for the UFC Featherweight Championship twice and the interim championship once before moving down to the Bantamweight division in 2020. Edgar's background was in amateur wrestling. He wrestled collegiately for the Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he was a four-time NCAA Division I National qualifier.

<i>EA Sports MMA</i> 2010 video game

EA Sports MMA is a 2010 sports video game which was developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010, in North America and October 22, 2010, everywhere else. Online services have been shut down since April 13, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

<i>UFC Undisputed 2010</i> 2010 video game

UFC Undisputed 2010 is a mixed martial arts fighting game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable. It is the second game to be released under THQ's 2007 agreement with the UFC and it is a sequel to the successful UFC 2009 Undisputed. Another sequel, UFC Undisputed 3, was released in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Anik</span> American sports commentator

Jon Anik is an American mixed martial arts commentator. He began his career as an anchor with ESPN for over five years before moving to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a play-by-play commentator in 2012. Anik's expertise in MMA has made him a highly sought-after commentator for high-profile events, and his passion for sports commentary has earned him a loyal following among sports fans worldwide.

<i>UFC Undisputed 3</i> 2012 video game

UFC Undisputed 3 is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is a sequel to UFC Undisputed 2010, making it the third and last game to be released under THQ's 2007 agreement with the UFC.

<i>Supremacy MMA</i> 2011 video game

Supremacy MMA is a mixed martial arts–style fighting video game developed by Kung Fu Factory and published by 505 Games. The game was released on September 20, 2011 in North America, September 23 in Europe, and September 29 in Australia for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game consoles. It was also ported to the PlayStation Vita on March 27, 2012 in North America, and May 11 in Europe, under the title Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted, with several exclusive venues, 2 exclusive fighters and both of the Pre-order DLC fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conor McGregor</span> Irish mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Conor Anthony McGregor is an Irish professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer, businessman, and actor. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight and Lightweight Champion, becoming the first UFC fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously. He is also a former simultaneous Cage Warriors Featherweight and Lightweight Champion.

<i>NBA Live 14</i> 2013 basketball video game

NBA Live 14 is a basketball video game released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2013. It is the first NBA Live game on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. NBA Live 14 features Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers as its cover athlete. It is one of the most negatively received games in its franchise. NBA Live 14 was followed by NBA Live 15 which was released in October 2014. The game marks the first installment in the series since NBA Live 10 in 2009.

<i>EA Sports UFC</i> 2014 video game

EA Sports UFC is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed in a collaboration between EA Canada and SkyBox Labs, and published by EA Sports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand and was released on June 17, 2014. It is the first UFC game since THQ sold the license to Electronic Arts. A downgraded port of the game was released for mobile devices in April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentina Shevchenko</span> Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko (born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a two-time and current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion and both the first Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian fighter to win a UFC championship. As of September 17, 2024, she is #1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

<i>NBA Live 16</i> 2015 basketball video game

NBA Live 16 is a basketball simulation video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports released for the PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 29, 2015, in North America, simultaneously with 2K Sports' NBA 2K16, and on October 1, 2015, worldwide. The 20th installment of NBA Live, its cover athlete is Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. EA did not release a new installment in the series the following year, instead resuming in 2017 with NBA Live 18. A mobile version of NBA Live 16 released in-between, beating NBA 2K to the mobile market.

<i>EA Sports UFC 2</i> 2016 video game

EA Sports UFC 2 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Canada, and published in March 2016 by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The sequel to 2014's EA Sports UFC, it is based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand. The game's cover art features "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey and "The Notorious" Conor McGregor.

<i>NBA 2K18</i> 2017 basketball video game

NBA 2K18 is a 2017 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the 19th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K17, and the predecessor to NBA 2K19. It was released on September 19, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS and Android. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics serves as cover athlete for the regular edition of the game, Shaquille O'Neal is the cover athlete for the special editions, and DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is the cover athlete for the Canadian version. While a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers when selected for the cover, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics prior to the game's release. As a result, a new cover depicting Irving in a Celtics uniform was revealed alongside the original cover. This was the last installment in the series to be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Volkanovski</span> Australian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Featherweight Champion. Volkanovski is the second Australian to win a UFC title after Robert Whittaker. He is also a former Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) Featherweight champion. Prior to his UFC debut, Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015. As of 20 February 2024, he is #1 in the UFC featherweight rankings and as of 27 August 2024, he is #10 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

<i>NBA 2K19</i> 2018 basketball video game

NBA 2K19 is a 2018 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 20th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K18, and the predecessor to NBA 2K20. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the cover athlete for the standard edition, while LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the cover athlete for the 20th Anniversary Edition. Antetokounmpo and James grace the cover in North America, while Australia native Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers is featured on the cover in Australia and New Zealand.

<i>EA Sports UFC 4</i> 2020 video game

EA Sports UFC 4 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by EA Sports. Serving as the sequel to EA Sports UFC 3 (2018), it was released on August 14, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>EA Sports UFC 5</i> 2023 video game

EA Sports UFC 5 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by EA Sports. Serving as the sequel to EA Sports UFC 4 (2020), it was released on October 27, 2023 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

References

  1. Good, Owen S. (November 3, 2017). "EA Sports UFC 3 announced for Xbox One, PS4 (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  2. Hiergesell, Dan (3 November 2017). "EA Sports UFC 3 official trailer reveal". MMA Mania. MMA Mania. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  3. Workman, Robert (November 1, 2017). "EA Sports UFC 3 Announced, More Details Coming Later This Week". WWG. comicbook. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  4. Ruppert, Liana (November 3, 2017). "New EA Sports UFC 3 Reveal Trailer Shows Off More Champion Details". WWG. comicbook. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  5. "EA Sports UFC 3 under fire for microtransactions and loot boxes". Metro . 1 Dec 2017. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  6. Phillips, Tom (January 12, 2017). "EA Sports UFC 3 beta sparks claims of pay-to-win, but what's really going on". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  7. Tassi, Paul (November 30, 2017). "After 'Battlefront 2,' Will EA Sports Fans Throw Off The Yoke Of Microtransactions?". Forbes . Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  8. Mazique, Brian (November 3, 2017). "'EA UFC 3' Release Date, Features, Pre-Order Details, Gameplay Trailer And Cover Athlete Revealed". Forbes . Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  9. Arts, Electronic (27 October 2017). "Real Player Motion Tech Deep Dive - EA SPORTS UFC 3". Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  10. "EA Sports UFC 3". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  11. Carsillo, Ray (31 January 2018). "EA Sports UFC 3 review". EGMNow . Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  12. Shea, Brian (30 January 2018). "UFC 3 Review – From Contender To Champion". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  13. Wakeling, Richard (5 February 2018). "UFC 3 Review: A Tense, Exciting, And Dynamic Recreation Of MMA". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  14. Snappe, Joel (25 January 2018). "UFC 3 review: 'Half-brilliant, half going-through-the-motions'". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  15. Saltzman, Mitchell (31 January 2018). "EA Sports UFC 3 Review". IGN . Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  16. Good, Owen S. (2 February 2018). "EA Sports UFC 3 review". Polygon . Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  17. "TOP 40 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE, WEEK ENDING 3 February 2018". GFK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  18. "Top 10 List of Most Popular Videos Games in Australia and New Zealand - week ended 11 February 2018". Synoply. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  19. Brian (9 February 2018). "Media Create software sales (1/29/18 - 2/4/18) - Top 50". Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  20. Massongill, Justin (8 March 2018). "PlayStation Store: February's Top Downloads". PlayStation Blog . Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  21. Dutton, Fred (8 March 2018). "Find out where Shadow Of The Colossus and Moss debuted in February's PS Store charts". PlayStation Blog Europe . Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  22. "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 11 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.