UFC 5 review: Backhand to the future

UFC games are a bit like pizza, in that it is hard to imagine a bad one. That's not to say that a bad UFC game isn't possible, it's probably happened, but the high bar that was set by EA UFC back in 2014 has been consistently met or cleared by the games that followed. Four games later, UFC 5 maintains the excellent presentation and superb tactile game feel, but does it do anything new?

While its on-the-mat action within the cage has definitely seen some impressive strides, everything around UFC 5 feels lacking, from the relatively similar visuals to the almost identical career mode.

• Head to our UFC 5 release hub for all the details, trailers, and more

Making moves

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With UFC 5, the series makes the jump to the current generation of consoles. It also makes the jump to a new engine, with UFC 5 running on the Frostbite engine. For anyone unfamiliar with the Frostbite engine, it was developed by DICE, the studio behind the Battlefield series.

Frostbite has powered some seriously impressive-looking games, so much so that it was implemented across many EA games, including the sports franchises. While there have been reports of issues and the difficulty some studios have working with the engine on non-FPS titles, it does not seem to have slowed down the EA UFC team one bit. UFC 5 has maintained the franchise's excellent visuals and gameplay even through a move to an entirely new engine, an impressive feat.

The move to the new tech may have been a bit too smooth, even, as from a passing glance, UFC 5 looks strikingly similar to UFC 4. A lot of this can likely be chalked up to, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", which is fair, but fans who hear "UFC 5 on a new engine" and think that means a totally different game are in for a shock.

That's not to say it's not a looker, though - those punches still look deadly and the welts that appear on fighters the longer a fight wears on still made me feel sore just looking at them.

• Will UFC 5 be coming to PS4 and Xbox One? Click here to learn more

Rise to the top (again)

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In preparation for reviewing UFC 5, I went back to UFC 4, but once I started doing my homework and took a look at the last game, I was pretty stunned by how similar the games are. Sure, they're both UFC games so they should be similar, but maybe not to this extent.

The most egregious example of this is the career mode. The UFC 5 career mode is a lot of fun, you start out as an amateur fighter who trains with Coach Davis, a retired MMA fighter and a character created for the career mode story. With your coach's backing, you begin your rise from amateur fighter to the UFC, with dreams of becoming a champion.

The career mode lets you fight your way to the top, and in between fights, you must train, study, and generally improve your fighter. You do so by gathering Evolution Points through training, which can be spent to improve your fighter's stats. In a bubble, this all sounds like a solid career mode, and the good writing and performances bump it up to a thoroughly enjoyable one.

However, we don't live in a bubble, we live in a world where UFC 4 exists. Fans of that game will recognise just about everything I just described as pretty much identical to the career mode in UFC 4. They're not just similar, they are practically identical. Even down to the amateur fight arena under an overpass in a parking lot, so much has been reused verbatim.

This was the biggest shock to me, and I almost struggle now to know what to make of it. I don't want to sound like one of those people who complain when a sequel reuses the smallest animation or asset from the previous game, but this feels like another level of reuse.

I have really enjoyed playing UFC 5's career mode, probably for the most part because I didn't play much of it in UFC 4. Dedicated fans might really enjoy this, as it is ostensibly the same career mode again with a different coat of paint. Folks who played career mode in UFC 4 and are looking for an expanded mode here, will likely be let down.

• Check out the UFC 5 pre-order bonus & guest fighters

New techniques

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So then what has changed, and what is new in UFC 5? The changes made in the new game are significant, just maybe not significant enough for casual fans to notice. Something that most returning players will pick up on is the improved visual quality. UFC 4 was an amazing-looking game, but UFC 5 is a notable visual improvement. The EA UFC games have always been stunning in their time, and UFC 5 does not disappoint.

Arguably the most significant change is the new damage system. Referred to as the Real Impact System, this new damage model more closely recreates realistic damage to fighters. In previous games, repeated shots to the head could cause cuts and bruises, but now the exact location of the shots landed determines where the cuts open up.

This is really important, as these injuries play a vital role in gameplay. For example, if your fighter takes too many hits above their left eye, they'll get opened up and begin bleeding. Bleeding near or above an eye will cause a status effect where your defence will suffer on that side. In essence, if you are bleeding into your left eye, you can't see the right hook coming at you as well, and your defence suffers for it.

This system extends across the fighter's body - taking too many kicks to the legs will make your fighter limp and stumble, and submissions that overstretch your arms will weaken them, reducing your ability to block. In previous games, doing damage to your opponent gave you weak spots to target for extra damage and a better chance at a knockout. Now, injuries have a much more nuanced and impactful effect on a fighter, which in turn ups the strategic value of inflicting injuries, and the necessity to defend against them.

Further on that point, UFC 5 introduces a brand new way to end a fight. Doctor's stoppages occur if the ringside doctor feels the need to intervene when a fighter is badly bleeding. If the doctor determines the fighter is fit to continue, the fight will restart. However, if the doctor believes the injury is too severe, the fight will be stopped and awarded to the opponent.

You have so many reasons to want to avoid injuries and damage in UFC 5, which puts greater emphasis on fighting defensively. To that end, blocking has been improved, and dodging is much quicker in this game than in previous entries. Much like a real fight, you are highly incentivised not to get hit.

Cuts, bruises, and swelling paint targets on a fighter, which makes the new and improved KO replay feature all the more impactful. Winning a fight by knockout is always a satisfying moment, but with the new look and feel provided by the Frostbite engine, the knockout replays are a sight to behold.

KO replays are super stylized and cinematic replays of your finishing blows, showing your opponent crumple in slow motion. You can watch the ripples spread across their cheek as your fist connects with their jaw, their hair whipping across with the impact. These replays are super satisfying, and a perfect addition to an already visceral experience.

• Who are the UFC 5 cover stars? Click here to find out

Take it to the mat

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Another significant update has come to the wrestling side of MMA, specifically submissions. The submission minigame is gone, completely removed in UFC 5. Instead, submissions are implemented seamlessly into the ground game. Rather than playing out a minigame to fight for a tap out or an escape, submissions pan out in a handful of ways.

First of all, the fighter in control gets the option to try for submission or release the hold to move into a more advantageous position. You might wonder why anyone would give up a guaranteed rear naked choke to move into full mount, but there are good reasons to do so. 

A locked-in submission does not necessarily win the fight; if the opponent has high enough submission defence and enough stamina, it may only weaken them. This can be significant, a choke will impact their breathing and reduce their stamina recovery. If your opponent escapes an arm bar or kimura, they will have a harder time blocking with their damaged arms.

As such, it becomes a game of timing. If you catch your opponent at the worst moment for them, you could tap them out in an instant. However, if they are defensive and prepared for your submission attempt, it might be better to gain a better position and soften them up.

The armchair expert's take

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As you can see, there are notable changes to UFC 5 and for the most part, they seem like great improvements. A change I really like is the ability to change the game style. You can choose to play with standard MMA rules, Stand and Bang which removes the ground game, Knockouts ensure that fights only end one way, and Simulation gives players a more hardcore, realistic experience.

There are plenty of significant changes here, but I can see how some might not see it that way. Those changes are largely under the hood, so for many, it might look like the same vehicle they rode in three years ago. If this was a yearly instalment in an annual franchise, these updates would make more sense. For a sequel to a three-year-old game, it does feel like more of the same, especially that career mode.

I think the simple-on-paper-but-difficult-in-execution solution to this would be more style and less substance. UFC 5 includes the backyard and kumite fights from UFC 4, really fun twists on the established gameplay, but adds nothing new in the same vein. The only new modes are Fight Contracts and Fight Week, neither are really significant additions.

What UFC 5 really lacks is something big, something you could put on the back of the box that says to potential buyers "Here is why you should play this game instead of the previous one". A totally new career mode, some interesting new fighters, or a new way to play. The game needs a hook, because right now it is not doing a lot to separate itself from what came before.

• Will UFC 5 have crossplay or cross-progression? Click here to find out

Tale of the tape

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As someone who hasn't played a UFC game in a while, UFC 5 is a visceral, exhilarating thrill to return to. I think that is undeniable, as it has been throughout the franchise. The basic structure at the core of this game is so good, and by itself, it is more than worth the price of admission.

Sports games iterating gradually between releases is not uncommon at all, but UFC 5 had more time to cook than most. The fact that the career is basically a repeat of the last one, and there are almost no new modes, feels like a severe letdown.

As I said earlier, it seems to be hard to screw up a UFC game. UFC 5 is fantastic, undoubtably so. It let me play as Dan "The Beast" Severn and beat Mike Tyson by knockout, that's an incredible sentence to be able to write.

I just don't know if it is enough of an improvement, or enough of a departure, to give returning players a reason to care. The game is sorely lacking a tentpole feature, something to set it apart. Funnily it reminds me of Street Fighter 5, a game that failed because, while it was a great game at its core, it had no identity and lacked any real features to call its own.

The Verdict

For hardcore competitive players, the gameplay improvements might be enough to coax them across. As for the regular fans who want the next evolution in UFC games, I'm not so sure they will find enough here to justify the purchase.

If you have been away from MMA games for as long as I have, UFC 5 is a fantastic way to jump back in -  but UFC 4 might be just as good.

3.5/5

Reviewed on PlayStation 5. Code provided by the publisher.