The hype for EA Sports MMA has been disappointing…until now. The EA Sports Live Broadcast mode may change everything. This is one feature that could change the way we play sports games online forever and give EA MMA that extra knockout punch.

EA Sports debuted the EA Sports Live Broadcast mode at E3 and people haven’t stopped talking about it. The Live Sports Broadcast will come first to EA Sports MMA video game in October. The new feature will go far beyond just matching you up against another fighter online or creating ranking for online fighters. This new feature will put you in the world of fighter, promoter, and champion.

The EA Live Broadcast mode is quite a robust feature. Not all of the details have been revealed but thus far here is what we know. Gamers will create fighters in EA Sports MMA and cut video promos to be broadcast across a network. Someone working as a promoter will pick the fighters who present the most interesting fights and match them up against one another. The fights will have live and real announcing. Winners will have a shot at prizes and bragging rights. I have never heard of anything like this and it is likely the first step of a mode that will revolutionize all EA games across the board.

I still don’t understand how this thing is going to work. Are they going to have commentators on standby just waiting for matches? Will they have top announcers or will it be a bunch of interns working at EA Sports’ headquarters? Who are the promoters and how do they get picked? There are a lot of questions surrounding this mode, but the buzz for it has completely changed the anticipation of EA Sports MMA.

EA Sports has been working on their MMA video game for what seems like an eternity. Trailers and simulated fights in the game are often shown during Strikeforce broadcasts. The game has looked all but done for months, but yet it hasn’t been given an official release date until now. EA Sports MMA will hit the shelves on October 19 just in time for the holidays.

The late release is a huge blow to a game that was thought to rival UFC Undisputed 2010. Once it was announced that UFC Undisputed 2010 would be released this past May, it was thought that this was all but over for EA Sports. How could their MMA game compete with a game released months earlier? Well something happened in EA Sports favor. UFC Undisputed 2010 turned out to be a huge disappointment with lackluster sales. The sales of the first UFC video game proved that there is an MMA market for video games. The new UFC video game didn’t attract all of those previous gamers. There is a door open, slightly ajar for EA Sports MMA to do some damage even with the late release date.

No matter how good or bad EA Sports MMA is, the talk will be about the Live Broadcast mode. If EA can get this right (that’s a big if), the Live Broadcast Mode could be a big selling point in Fight Night 5 and later Madden 12, NHL 12, etc. I am not too excited for EA Sports MMA, but I am stoked for the EA Sports Live Broadcast mode.

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It has been over six months since UFC president Dana White announced his war with EA Sports over their EA MMA video game. As part of his battle call, Dana White announced that he would ban any fighter who appeared in the EA MMA video game from fighting in the UFC. Cooler heads and reality have prevailed and Dana White has lifted the EA MMA fighters ban.

Dana White first declared war on EA Sports back in July. In addition to calling out EA Sports, Dana White called out the EA MMA roster. When asked about fighters in the EA MMA game White told the media, “You won’t be in the UFC,” White said about additional fighters who sign with EA Sports.

When Dana White officially announced the ban, I laughed. I understand that Dana White may be one of the most competitive sports executives in the world. Yet, a few weeks after the ban Dana White was publicly negotiating with Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor was not only a highly sought after free agent, he also happened to be the co-star of the video game. Once Dana White openly negotiated with the face of the video game, it became clear that exceptions to this EA MMA ban would be made.

Dana White has now officially acknowledged that the ban on EA MMA fighters has been lifted. White was interviewed by Kotaku.com at the UFC Undisputed 2010 release party. Dana White said the following when asked about the ban.

“Nah, some people have crossed over,” he told Kotaku, “But believe me this is still going to continue to be a battle. …they’re the me-toos. The UFC game is the original game.”

Let’s be honest here for a minute. Never did I think that Dana White would follow through on this ban. Do you mean to tell me that if they came together on a financial deal with Fedor that Dana White would pull the plug because he is in the EA MMA video game? Not too mention, there are several potential future UFC fighters in the game. I have a feeling that if the money was fight guys like Gegard Mousasi, King Mo, Frank Shamrock, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, and Nick Diaz would all be fighting in the UFC whether they appear in the EA MMA video game or not.

So why the change of heart from the UFC president regarding the ban? I think there are a few reasons behind the ban lift. For starters, I think he knows he has a killer video game coming out that has the potential to be the 2010 Video Game of the Year. There is no need to make threats when you realize you are fighting down to your competition. More importantly, EA Sports has delayed the release of the video game several times. At this point it looks like the game won’t be out until September. By then UFC Undisputed 2010 will have saturated the market and likely closed the marketplace for any MMA video game competition. Quite frankly, it looks like EA beat themselves in this fictional game war due to their own incompetence.

So rest easy MMA fans, the UFC door has not been locked forever on some of your favorite fighters. The other half of the EA roster never stood much of a chance of jumping into the UFC in the first place.

UFC Undisputed 2010 hits the shelves May 25. EA Sports MMA video game hits the shelves, well your guess is as good as mine.

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The MMA video game wars started to heat up over the last few days. The UFC unveiled its first video look at the new UFC Undisputed 2010 with a May release date. EA Sports countered with an online ceremony revealing new fighters for their MMA video game. If EA’s counter was any indication as to how this war will play out, they may as well tap out before it gets ugly.

I sat online for an hour Tuesday in EA Sports’ live online chat and watched them announce fighters like they were announcing a Pro Bowl roster. The news started off with Cung Le who is a great fighter, but no surprise. The chat continued as producers would reveal a fighter with an intro video. By the end of the ceremony, I probably had less interest in playing this game than I ever had. Try and contain yourself as here are the additional roster names as revealed Tuesday by EA Sports;

Cung Le
Nick Thompson
Robbie Lawler
Scott Smith
Matt Lindland
Gilbert Melendez
Ronaldo Souza

Man, I can’t wait to recreate that Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith Elite XC series! These names join the already confirmed roster on EA’s website of;

Brett Rogers
Jake Shields
Frank Shamrock
Fedor Emelianenko
Randy Couture
Jason Miller
Renato Sobral
Gegard Mousasi
King Mo
Jay Hieron

As a longtime EA Sports fan, I was really looking forward to this game. However, if yesterday is any indication as to how this war is going to play out I think EA is in way over their heads here. I have no doubt that EA can produce a better game in the end. Yet, it looks like they will have an incredibly hard time marketing their game of subpar fighters against a UFC game that will feature Brock Lesnar, BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Rampage Jackson, and Chuck Liddell to just name a few.

Additionally, there are unconfirmed reports that the EA MMA video game will not be released until mid-late September 2010. THQ and the UFC have a firm date of May 25, 2010 as a release date for UFC Undisputed 2010. It appeared that EA had been working longer on their game with a May release in mind. EA will now already be at a huge disadvantage by releasing their game four months later. On top of that, EA will be releasing Madden, NHL 11, NBA Live, and possibly Fight Night 5 all around the same time. EA’s biggest competitor here could very well be EA Sports themselves.

I think the next time EA promotes a big fight announcement day they should announce someone other than Elite XC and Strikeforce fighters. There are still fighters out there that could excite MMA fans. Dan Henderson is likely tied up to UFC Undisputed 2010 so I don’t expect him here. However, there are plenty of MMA legends like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Dan Severn that UFC Undisputed gamers were clamoring for. Even though most casual MMA fans aren’t familiar with DREAM fighters, EA could have put together a nice video package and introduced some of their Japanese fighters into the game. I just expected a heck of a lot more than the obvious names. Hell, Josh Barnett would have been a nice surprise at this point.

At this point it really just comes down to whether you want to play a Strikeforce MMA video game or a UFC video game. UFC Undisputed gamers wasted no time posting formulas to create Randy and Fedor for the last game. I wouldn’t be shocked if gamers find it almost too easy to create realistic versions of each fighter in the next game. Other than Randy and Fedor, there are no appealing fighters in the EA MMA game that would prompt me to choose it over UFC Undisputed at this point.

There is a reason nobody ran out to create a UFL game to compete with Madden. EA is about to learn that the hard way unless something changes quickly.

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It is time to start talking UFC Undisputed 2010. Check out the video for the trailer below. The Trailer debuted at the VGA and it looked promising. So far, the game looks like another hit. In addition to the trailer, some more details and news were leaked over the last week about the game. Needless to say, the UFC and THQ are in full battle mode to ensure that UFC Undisputed remains the top MMA franchise in the video game market.

The rush to debut a trailer for the game six-months early is all about the MMA video game war with EA Sports. EA Sports and the UFC failed to come to a deal on UFC Undisputed, thus THQ picked up the title. Since that time, EA Sports has created their own independent MMA video game which includes current UFC superstar Randy Couture. EA’s game has received a ton of buzz and early screen shots and video are very impressive. Dana White has already declared war on EA, and in the end it looks like the biggest benefactors will be gamers who now have an alternative to the UFC’s MMA video game.

In addition to the screen shots and video, other important details have leaked about UFC Undisputed 2010. For one, the trailer confirms that the release date for UFC Undisputed 2010 will be May 25, 2010. This is already a leg up on EA Sports who have yet to announce an official release date. Most experts have speculated May 2010, yet EA has not confirmed an official release date. This already ups the ante because the first MMA game to hit the market in 2010 obviously has a huge advantage.

Early screens and videos of EA’s game have generated a ton of hype. As successful as UFC Undisputed 2009 was, it had many complaints. Collegenews.com is reporting that the 2010 UFC video game will see big changes to make the game seem more authentic. Some of the reported changes include;

- Reportedly, the game will improve its career mode and make it more robust. There will be more achievements and a focus on “media attention” in the career mode.
- The new version will offer more options to the CAF or the Create-A-Fighter mode.
- The ground game will reportedly be completely overhauled to simulate a more authentic UFC fight.
- Collision detection will also be improved to simulate action in a real UFC match.
- Submission escapes will be completely retooled. Escape, technique, and submission defense will be more customized for each particular fighter.

As a former UFC Undisputed gamer, I can tell you that the game needs drastic improvement. The game got so boring to me, that I sold it after just a few months. Revitalizing the ground game is the biggest step that this game needs. Simply turning a joystick or mashing buttons to escape a submission is ridiculous. The game also needs to revamp its standup mode. I would love to be able to work the cage game and allow fighters to corner opponents against the cage and work knees and elbows.

As for career, this also needs drastic improvement. Once you roll through the division, you wind up with about 20 rematches that all wind up the same once you improve your skill set. I would love to have the option to change divisions in mid-career like many in the UFC do. I would also love to see the skill set improve of the CPU fighters in the game, to match your improvement and make it more challenging. A rivalry option similar to Fight Night 4 would also add some spice. The camp mode also needs to be changed as well in my opinion. In its current state, the career mode is very boring after about 10-12 fights.

Finally, I am begging the game to allow an open-weight mode. You better believe that EA will allow it, as they already do with Fight Night 4. If the new game won’t include an open weight mode, it should at least allow users to customize licensed fighters to increase or decrease weights. A tournament option would be icing on the cake. I know that the UFC doesn’t do tournaments anymore and try to keep its game as true to the sport as possible. At the same time, MMA is banned in New York yet Madison Square Garden is included as an arena in the game so go figure.

EA’s release could push the UFC to make the changes that loyal gamers have been screaming for since the first day UFC Undisputed 2009 was released. Unfortunately you never know what kind of stance that the UFC and Dana White are going to take. They could sit pat in a fit of arrogance and assume that the same millions of fans will buy their new game no matter what. Should they take that road, they are in for a rude awakening. Dana White is in a new backyard and needs to understand that gamers are only as loyal as their options. Should THQ and the UFC ignore disgruntled UFC Undisputed 2009 gamers, they will be the ones tapping out at the end of this war.

Note: Pretty interesting that of all fighters to feature in the video, they feature Kimbo Slice who is 1-0.

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Check out this tremendous video of MTV Beatdown Bully host and MMA fighter Jason “Mayhem” Miller after he sees his rating in the upcoming EA MMA video game featuring Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko. Miller is not very happy about his low fighter rating and goes off on the EA programmers. Things even start to get a little physical before a crazy twist brings Mayhem’s rage to a hault. I guess some guys take these video game ratings very seriously…or do they?

Maybe Jason needs a Bully Beatdown?

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