Parents' Guide to

EA Sports UFC 2

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Vicious fighting sim with in-game advertising, transactions.

Game PlayStation 4 , Xbox One 2016
EA Sports UFC 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • EA Sports UFC 2 Game: Screenshot #1
  • EA Sports UFC 2 Game: Screenshot #2
  • EA Sports UFC 2 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Ethan B.
Ethan B. Adult
February 22, 2017
age 10+

The UFC 2 Review.

This game is horiable, I would not waste your money on this game. The graphics and customization is amazing but the gameplay is horiable. The ground game is so difficult you can't even get off your back. Once you get taken down it's a 1 and a million shot to get back to your feet. When you play career mode they don't let you choose a difficulty. I wouldn't waste your time on this game until they lower the difficulty because it's insane how you can't do anything in a fight when all the fighters want to do is take you down over and over and over. It gets frustrating after awhile because that's all they do. Take down, Take down, Take down, after take down. DONT BUY THIS GAME!
TheVan
TheVan Adult
April 22, 2016
age 10+

My son and I have a blast playing this

I care about what children grow up learning, but I would say this game is ok for anyone over 10. Because you don't want your children learning to fight people. But if your child is mature like an adult, this game is ok for them to play.

This title has:

Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

EA SPORTS UFC 2 is a straightforward simulation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a real sport where mixed martial arts fighters face off against each other in one-on-one combat. It includes photo-realistic virtual representations of many famous UFC fighters, both male and female, and allows players to design their own fighters from scratch, creating their physical appearances and choosing fighting styles and skills. Tutorials and challenge modes help teach players the basics of combat, including standing attacks, ground moves, and clinching. Once comfortable with the controls, players can choose from a variety of modes, including UFC Ultimate Team (in which players create and slowly grow their own group of fighters), a custom event creator, and online play against human opponents. There's also a knockout mode, which gets rid of clinching and grappling to focus on standing combat, and a standard career mode, where players can eventually unlock famous fighters such as Bruce Lee and Mike Tyson. Hundreds of fighters are included in the game, but players can purchase more as add-on content.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (5 ):

The visceral and graphic nature of this sports title pretty much guarantees EA Sports' second kick at the UFC can won't have much appeal beyond the sport's core fans, but it at least caters to a broader swath in that group. That's largely thanks to more accessible controls and fighting mechanics, plus a healthy range of difficulty levels. Rookies can start on beginner difficulty as they learn the fundamentals of MMA fighting, including how to block, punch, kick, clinch, and grapple, and experience a good measure of success as they work through their careers and become more skilled. An easy-to-grasp stamina bar governs not only attack power but also how much damage you'll soak up from incoming attacks. It's still challenging -- especially on harder difficulties and when playing online against other humans -- but should prove less off-putting than its predecessor for those new to the series.

But if you don't much care for UFC, this game is unlikely to make you a convert. The focus remains squarely on capturing the brutality of MMA fights, with thousands of animations engineered to show combatants suffering an immense variety of punishments. You'll see punches that break noses, kicks that slice gashes in cheeks, and fighters getting knocked cold on their feet, landing squarely on their heads as they crumple to the mat. Entertainment in this game is meant to come not only from learning and executing technical skills but also witnessing photo-realistic fighters enduring immense and bloody beatings. It's not going to be for everyone.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the impact of violence in media. People don't die in this game, but they're viciously beaten and often depicted with realistic and painful-looking facial injuries, but do you think it's possible for a game without any deaths or even permanent injuries to feel more violent than one in which characters are frequently killed?

  • Talk about professional fighting. Kids are told not to fight from an early age, yet some of our most popular sports involve adults fighting and trying to harm each other, so how do you interpret this seeming divergence in cultural values?

Game Details

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