Thousands of lucky gamers will get a chance to step into the Octagon long before EA Sports’ UFC franchise returns to stores, as part of an upcoming UFC 3 beta test. And the studio has been kind enough to provide details on everything fans will see when the UFC 3 beta begins.
We actually got our hands on an early build of UFC 3 last week, a few days before Electronic Arts formally announced the next iteration of its mixed-martial arts series. Player.One reporter Bob Fekete noted many improvements in his preview coverage, including smoother animations, more realistic in-ring movements and (sadly) the return of the terrible analog submission system from UFC 2 . On the upside, fighters can finally move and punch at the same time. Baby steps.
EA Sports says fans will see four game modes in the UFC 3 beta: Fight Now Classic, Quick Fight, Practice Mode and UFC Ultimate Team. There aren’t any additional details on the differences between the first two but our best guesses are a) Quick Fight randomly selects combatants while FNC doesn’t, or b) Fight Now Classic makes it easy to recreate iconic fights. Practice Mode features a new AI that will replicate your offensive maneuvers, allowing players to perfect their combo inputs while simultaneously learning to defend the same combination. UFC Ultimate Team has also been tweaked for UFC 3 . The latest version includes more fighter personalization content and fight strategies. It also lets you add current and former UFC fighters to your team. Registration is currently open but you’ll need an EA account to sign-up.
For more on UFC 3, check out the announcement trailer that debuted last week and read our hands-on impressions of EA Sports' next MMA game. Then head down to the comments and let us know which fighter(s) you hope to see in UFC 3 when the series returns next year.
UFC 3 is in development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game debuts Feb. 2, 2018. The upcoming UFC 3 beta will run from Nov. 27 through Dec. 1, 2017.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more UFC 3 news in 2017 and however long EA Sports supports UFC 3 after launch.
