UFC 5 Review (Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5)

Electronic Arts is back with yet another extension for its universally acclaimed UFC series, which can mean only one thing: the Octagon is calling once more, as is Dana White and the invitation to join the UFC for a series of relentless fights and epic social disputes. Already, you ask? Trust me, I know. Having only just ascended to GOAT status in UFC 4, I can honestly say that, as far as follow-up releases go, UFC 5 probably could’ve remained in the oven for a little while longer, and not released at the first hour of a new year. But oh well — that’s Electronic Arts, in a nutshell.

So, what’s new in UFC 5, other than its hopped-up Online Career mode and obligatory graphical improvements? Well, if you are considering the newest chapter in the MMA-centric franchise, then be sure to read on for a deeper dive. Let’s talk about UFC, and above all, EA’s undying love for rehashing old content for a one-note demographic.

Deja Jiu-Jitsu

If the scent of the Octagon is still hot on your nostrils from UFC 4’s rags-to-riches Career mode, then the first thing you’ll come to realize when stepping into UFC 5 is that, concept-wise, it’s pretty much the exact same story. It’s so on the money, in fact, that, bar a few dialogue choices, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between the two entries at face value. Sure, there’s a bit more camaraderie between the coach and your fighter, but for the most part, it’s merely the case of following the same up-and-coming ascension nodes that made up UFC 4. To put it short, you run a couple of training rounds with your sparring partner, have the odd backyard scuffle, and then eventually sign with Dana White to begin your gradual uphill climb towards GOAT-hood. And that’s it.

Of course, it isn’t a major deal — having a massive storyline with infinite amounts of twists, turns, and cinematic backstage feuds. Having said that, it became clear right from the get-go that EA had little to no interest in fleshing out its Career segment, but rather rework it and add in the odd one-liner or time-appropriate passage to keep things somewhat relevant. But apart from that, not a lot else is all that new in UFC 5, which means, if you’re after something with a story, then you’re pretty much spoilt for choice.

Rehashed storyline aside, UFC 5 utilizes an almost identical progression blueprint that’s strikingly similar to the original: you accept a fight offer, and spend several weeks distributing points to either boost your Attributes, learn new moves, or raise hype via social media or promotional campaigns. Again, not a whole lot has changed here, much less the design and layout of the options and in-game cosmetics. Tut tut, EA.

Enter the Octagon

Having established the fact that UFC 5’s Career mode is really just a souped-up version of the last several iterations, it is worth pointing out that, gameplay-wise, there are definitely one or two features that are vastly superior to those that featured in earlier incarnations. For starters, UFC 5 has a more refined look—a style that, at least when stacked up against the previous entries, is arguably clearer, smoother, and evidently more polished than any other MMA-centric fighting game on the modern market. It also performs a lot better than UFC 4, with little to zero frame blackouts or noticeable visual technicalities. So that’s good.

Having said that, I did happen to stumble across a couple of graphical misfires during my time with the Career, one of which depicted my sparring partner’s head rotate a full 360 degrees after receiving a slight crane kick to the chin. Sure, I’d like to imagine that the kick in question was just strong enough to break spines — but in reality, I knew that, maxed-out Kick Power or not, that probably shouldn’t have happened. And that was just one of several cases, too; on another occasion I found myself glued to the groin of an opponent for a concerning amount of time, all for the while they chose to repeatedly pummel me in the gut with a clobbered fist. Maybe that’s just MMA, but to me, it was inequitable and, you know, wrong.

There was one thing that deflated an otherwise authentic MMA experience, and that was the sound effects and their corresponding comic book-style animations. To put it short, they’re more comical in UFC 5—to the point of making what should’ve been the odd face-melting uppercut sound like a school of goldfish flopping around on a wrap of wet cling film.

Adding Insult to Injury

To make matters worse, when I did happen to pull off a punch worthy of a GOAT status, it never quite felt like I was doing all that much damage. Perhaps it wasn’t the animations, as such, but more the fact that power moves never felt unique, mainly down to the fact that each fighter’s stamina gauge rarely ever dipped low enough to make a noticeable difference to their overall performance. To this end, I found the task of having to develop my aspiring UFC fighter rather pointless; I could still skip around the Octagon regardless of how many knocks to the head I received or punches I threw.

Don’t get me wrong, UFC 5 definitely has its moments — especially when said moments involve activating a last-minute knockout replay that lets you witness your climactic scenes. To be clear, though, this isn’t exactly a new feature, nor is it something that’s been updated to accommodate a selection of sparkling new mechanics or features. It is, in all honesty, an almost identical concept, and one that, sadly, doesn’t paint UFC 5 in the best of lights, either.

Adding insult to injury, EA also hasn’t quite made the effort to switch the UI around in the menus, either, as it’s more or less the same as in UFC 4. Sure, there’s a new soundtrack, but other than that, it’s basically UFC 4.2. Failing that, then UFC 1.4. Again, it’s a little insulting — especially when the layouts and nodes are still somewhat fresh in your head from the previous episode — and the three that came before that, also.

“Don’t…Come…Any…Closer”

There came a point in my Career where, atop the cloud that was miraculously conjured by my self-inflated ego, I strongly believed that I could roundhouse kick anyone, and that I’d never need to conserve enough stamina to initiate a second round. But then—sigh—I met a wrestler, and as a result, arrived at the bitter conclusion that, despite my best efforts to bulk out the Attributes, grappling is friggin’ tough. It’s so tediously tough, in fact, that with the vast amount of options, positions, and defensive maneuvers that are available, it’s borderline impossible to survive even the softest of clinches.

There’s something awfully perplexing about the Submission system that UFC 5 utilizes, that’s for sure. There’s a tutorial outlining each of the offensive and defensive aspects, sure — but even with a whole bunch of hours of sifting through its pages under your belt, it’s surprisingly difficult to make heads or tails of what it is you’re doing. And, unless you’re something of an MMA die-hard, there’s a good chance that you’ll get lost in all the lingo, and wind up mashing buttons for the sake of either escaping, or tapping out.

In a similar fashion to my previous endeavors, I found that the easiest way to progress in UFC 5 was to choose a fighting style — and stick with it until my dying breath. For the most part, then, I found myself spamming kicks and working to flesh out my footwork and leg power Attributes, often in the hopes of carving out the ultimate kickboxing champion from a well-balanced vessel. As it turned out, though, it didn’t matter all that much which nodes I chose to pursue, as even with a higher level in kickboxing, it didn’t really make such moves feel more weighty than the average uppercut.

Verdict

I’ll go ahead and get straight down to brass tacks: UFC 5, in spite of its newly implemented blood-shaded visuals and Online Career functionalities, isn’t all that different from its predecessor. To be brutally honest, they’re one and the same, bar a few minor differences that mostly relate to the visuals or the interface itself. For this reason alone, it’s hard to recommend the shift over from UFC 4 to UFC 5, as quite frankly, there just aren’t enough new features to justify the price tag.

Having said all that, if you’re new to the series, and have yet to experience an authentic MMA experience on modern hardware, then you can’t really go wrong with UFC 5, either. For argument’s sake, though, I will say this: UFC 4 is, in all honesty, just a stone’s throw away from the latest incarnation of the Octagon. So, if you’re content with what’s already on display in EA’s previous installment, then I honestly wouldn’t worry about jumping ship anytime soon.