Realistic, shiny, sweaty dudes featured in EA Sports MMA

I don’t watch mixed martial arts, but that didn’t stop me from playing and enjoying THQ’s UFC title last year. So needless to say, I have my eye on EA Sports’ response, EA Sports MMA, which is scheduled for release later this year.

“Eye on” means I just watched a video of some dudes punching each other, getting sweaty, and then rolling around on the floor. It looks brutal, uncomfortable, and downright nasty. Which, when you’re talking about MMA, is exactly the way you want it.

Visually, I’m not surprised that the game looks so good. I remember being floored when I first saw Fight Night Round 3 in action on the Xbox 360 — the beads of sweat running down a boxer’s face, skin contorting as leather glove met face. As for how the game plays, I suspect EA Sports will want to differentiate itself from THQ’s UFC offering by working a completely different angle gameplay-wise. Can’t wait to finally get my and hands on the game to see… I just hope the guy playing it before me won’t sweat all over the controller.