Four things EA Sports UFC 2 needs to improve upon

We've been getting stuck into EA Sports UFC quite a bit over the last few weeks. It's an enjoyable game that looks stunning at times and offers some real highlights, but there're definitely some key areas where it can improve if a sequel was to ever arrive. 

Here's a list of things we want to see from a sequel, which would make EA Sports UFC 2 a much better experience.

Pride mode

One for the hardcore. Pride was the biggest mixed-martial arts promotion in the world before being bought out by the UFC in 2007. Fights took place in boxing rings instead of cages, you could kick an opponent in the head while they were grounded and there was a crazy female announcer who screamed away as fighters made their entrances.

THQ's UFC Undisputed 3 included a separate Pride mode, where you could choose classic fighters from that era and have them do battle. To this day memories of Pride fights bring tears to the eyes of older MMA fans, so including a dedicated mode would go a long way to winning them over.

Improve career 

The modes in EA Sports UFC are lacking, so you'll be spending a lot of time in the career. It starts off well enough, with your created fighter going through The Ultimate Fighter reality show and fighting to get a contract with the UFC, complete with clips from fighters as they congratulate your progress, but it gets old fast.

You'll spend years just fighting your way up from the undercard and taking on randomly generated fighters before you go up against anyone of note. It simply takes too long to get going. You don't even get a choice of opponent, you're just told who you'll be fighting next.

Authenticity 

EA Sports UFC just didn't seem in tune with the sport. The fighter models can look fantastic in the right light, but not having a dedicated button to touch gloves at the start of fights really grates with me. Nearly every MMA bout starts with two fighters showing their mutual respect by touching gloves before they throw down, so neglecting that here is unforgivable.

Having the opportunity to make famous figures such as Anderson Silva or Nick Diaz perform their signature taunts to goad their opponents into attacking would also be nice, as would fighter weigh-ins before big events in career.

Less complicated controls

This goes without saying. Remembering the right inputs for striking combinations, clinch control, transitions in the guard and performing submissions is like trying to thread the eye of a needle while wearing oven gloves. It's simply too complicated, and most of the time we got flustered and resorted to button bashing when things got heated.

Controls in an MMA game will always be hard to perfect, but they definitely need to be looked at for a sequel.