EA Sports MMA

Review

Common Sense Media says

Challenging fight game that can also be brutal.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that EA SPORTS MMA depicts a violent sport of mixed martial arts in a realistic way. Fighters will take opponents to the mat, choke them out or apply excruciating pressure to bones to get fighters to tap out. Punching, kicking, or even stomping on a disabled opponent is allowed. The title shows the violence in a frank manner, and the repeated blows will result in blood.

  • Positive messages0
    The idea is to fight in essentially no-holds-barred settings and beat the opponent to a point where he is a bloody mess and the referee stops it, or you knock him completely out. MMA does not promote this behavior by trying to downplay the violence, it merely presents the environment and sport in a realistic fashion.
  • Positive role models0
    Characters are not portrayed as being either good or bad - there is a fight to win and the rules are so lax that cheating seems to be taken out of the question. However, the point of the game is to beat your opponent into submission and that, inherently, is a negative influence.
  • Ease of play3
    The control scheme is not hard to learn to use, although there does appear to be lag in the communication between the controller and that game that makes the game feel slow in responding to commands. The overall difficulty comes in putting together a solid fight plan to overcome the strengths of the opponent and exploit his weaknesses.
  • Violence4
    As fighters are taken down and pummelled with fists and elbows, blood will splatter onto the mat. If a submission hold is applied, a 'ghost' bone will superimpose over the appendage where the pressure is applied and the bone will bend and turn read, which indicates the pressure is being properly applied for maximum pain short of actually breaking it. Fighters can be put into the ropes or cage, hit with knees to the ribcage or elbows to the ear region until they are stunned and defenseless and even then continued blows to the unprotected fighter are allowed. The type of blows include jumping knees to the jaw, head stomps when the opposing fighter is on the ground. Choke holds are also allowed until the opposing fighter submits, as well as arm bars and leg bars that put painful pressure on joints.
  • Sex2
    Tattoos are available to decorate the player's in the creation and edit process, including some with scantily clad women. Once past the newcomer fighting circuit leagues, players will enter into a setting where there is more presentation around the fights, including ring girls. The ring girls dress provocatively with cleavage shown.
  • Language2
    This is the world of professional fighters and the language reflects that. In the single-player game, the gamer may be told they "kicked ass." Other words, such as "bitch," "asshole," and "badass" also are present in dialogue spoken by non-playable characters.
  • Consumerism2
    There are a few examples of branded items appearing, but it is kept to a minimum and the focus is on learning the combat skills necessary to rise up the ranks.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking1
    Some of the settings would indicate an area in which alcohol is served, and there are a few references to being hung over, but this is not a factor in the game play and in-game characters do not go partying or drinking.
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What's it about?

EA SPORTS MMA depicts the world of mixed martial arts through combat in octagons, circular rings, and boxing rings. After introductions similar to a boxing match, the two fighters are released to use feet, knees, elbows, and fists to beat down an opponent and win through either submissions, referee stoppages, or knockouts. Players can take a pre-built fighters into established single-player modes, or create a fighter to embark on the career path. There are several options for quick fights and mini-tournments in the online game as well.

Is it any good?

 

While not without its faults, EA Sports MMA is a challenging game that is a graphically realistic and combines strategy with pre-fight preparation to give a semi-deep but evolving journey into the world of mixed martial arts. The career mode is the star of all the modes and the online components highlight some of the game's strongest elements. Though quite violent, the title is a strong representation of the sport itself and gives enough options to keep fans of the sport busy for a while.

Online interaction: Unmodulated voice chat is available through the online modes with other players. While most players online will not be overly effusive in using swear words, it is not uncommon to hear them dropped the "f--k" or "s--t" into the conversation. This did not happen too frequently with most of the online matches, but there is nothing to filter the language of other players online.  While players can jump in and out of a quick fight, mini-tournaments are also available, which offers ample opportunity to talk with others. The game also featured downloadable content.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the violence in games and media, and how it is not appropriate to exhibit that kind of aggression in the real world.

  • Families can discuss responsible online behavior and why a child should never share personal information with anyone in a chat room.

  • They can also discuss why participants think sports like MMA are so popular.

This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Kid, 12 years old
November 20, 2010
AGE
12
 
A little less bad than UFC.
This is a very violent game. There is a little less blood than UFC undisputed but there still is plenty. When it shows the ghost bone when you are attempting a submission i get nausea. There is not much language but it is nothing your kids are probably able to use. The ring girls show PLENTY of cleavage. There is NO alcohol reference i played through the whole game and there isn't ANY. Great game for 12+!!!!
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (8) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (7)
Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 13 years old
June 28, 2011
AGE
13
 
Teens+
Violent, fun MMA game. This a MMA game, it has blood and non-lethal (but, brutal) violence. The girls at the begining of each round are scantly clad. Also, there are numerous and constant logos of numerous real life companies.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (3) | Had useful details (4) | Read my mind (4)
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This review was written by Michael Lafferty
Topics:sports and martial arts
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Available online
Genre:Fighting
Developer:EA Sports
Release date:October 19, 2010
Price:$59.95
ESRB rating:T for Alcohol Reference, Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
This review was written by Michael Lafferty

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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