EA Sports MMA

Yes, I'd give it a very high rating. I haven't been playing as much as I'd like, but that has more to do with lack of time and older games still holding my interest.

In comparison to UFC 2009, I think the graphics are equal or better with much smoother transition animations. The stand-up game is much better due to using Fight Night's "Total Stick" control and stamina plays a huge part in winning and losing. Actually, success and failure really depend on executing a strategically fought fight. Nothing feels cheap in the game and you'll really feel like you won or lost based on how well you fought, since smart fighting is rewarded.

Probably the best thing I can say about EA's MMA is that you can do everything that you can in UFC, but without the complicated button/stick combinations. The control scheme is simple yet very deep and that's where the game really shines.

My copy should arrive tonight.

Ted, did you get a chance to play MMA?

I had two crazy fights today (out of 5).  The two crazy ones were a loss and a rematch victory against a huge Muy Thai fighter.  My fighter, Hammerzeit, has moved to the league in Brazil after becoming champion in his first league.  This Brazilian league is a 1 round/ 20 minute fight and you can kick and knee the head while on the ground.  That wasn't the crazy part though.  This fight and rematch were the bloodiest things I'd ever seen.  Most of the blood was mine because this behemoth 6'7" 257 lb animal just kept clinching me and opening up my eyebrows and cheekbones with elbows.  I was able to hold him off in the second fight after doing some clinch training and reversing and taking him down.  I'd stall him on the mat and try to wear him out.  At one point I had blood all over my face and somehow he had a huge blood smear (mine) all down one side of his ribs.  He had a couple of minor cuts and heavy bruising from some repeated ground strikes I gave him.  I ended up beating him with four minutes left and he had beaten me with something like 6 minutes left.  These were crazy, long drawn out tests.  There was a lot of parrying and tactical maneuvering going on.  In the first fight (the one I lost) I actually knocked him to the mat after stunning him and then leaped upon him, raining down strikes, but he recovered and tied me up before I could finish him.