UFC 4 Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

2. Graphics And Visuals (And Awful Entrances)

You may criticise your writer for clutching at straws a little here, but with the last UFC game coming out in early 2018, fans would be forgiven for expecting a rather large visual improvement two-and-a-half years later with UFC 4.

Don't get me wrong, the graphics aren't exactly bad at any point. They're actually pretty damn good for the most part and the body rippling which follows a knockout blow is definitely much more realistic. But the graphics were also pretty damn good in UFC 3 and not much appears to have changed or improved when it comes to the level of detail seen in fighter's faces or their physical mannerisms. In fact, some of the names included feel like fairly poor attempts at bringing their real world counterparts to life and actually represent a backwards step visually.

Another visual which seems to have stagnated this year comes in the form of the massively underwhelming arena entrances. The arrivals of superstars like Israel Adesanya and Conor McGregor have become synonymous with the sport. Yet, due to the sea of cartoonish fans in attendance, clunky gestures from the stars and faceless coaches following the fighters to the ring, any excitement quickly evaporates and players are left tapping 'X' to skip to the part where the actual fun begins.

Would it have been so hard to include the likes of a detailed coach John Kavanagh and Eugene Bareman accompanying their students? We see Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola on the sidelines coaching their teams in FIFA...

It also doesn't look like EA have plans at this time to release a next-gen specific version with improved visuals, so we'll likely just have to get used to the sight of severely unconvincing crowd members flailing around to the sound of a 'Mystic Mac' entrance and some rather rubbery looking contenders facing off in the middle of the Octagon.