With UFC, arguably the most recognized name in mixed martial arts, locked up in a deal with THQ for the foreseeable future, EA Sports MMA leaves EA in a spot it is typically not used to - at least when it comes to sports titles. Still, the first try is a good one, even if there's a bit of performance anxiety.

MMA looks great, though this is to be expected. The game runs off a tweaked version of the Fight Night engine. Fighters look about as realistic as is currently possible on home consoles. Realistic sweat, muscle ticks, and pulsing veins... it's all here and looks spectacular. There were times where I found myself looking at a particular visual aspect and completely lost my focus during matches.

There are a crazy number of customization options when creating your fighter. All of the parts are pre-made (rather than letting you input numbers and adjust individual sliders), but you can still make someone uniquely your own. MMA supports EA's GameFace Technology, allowing you to scan your face for use in-game. The option is neat, but the end results are disappointing. There's even an option to set up individual entrances, some with licensed music.

The two big selling points here are the Career and Online experiences. Both are the heart of the game and something for the developers to build on for future games. I absolutely loved UFC 2010's Career Mode and, for the most part, liked MMA's offering. The key difference, however, is MMA doesn't go far enough. There's a noticeable hesitancy to go all in with certain features. Although this is great for accessibility, it impacts lasting depth.

Career Mode is a big deal, but only as far as to familiarize you with mechanics. Even here, it trips up in that it will show you the basics, but never shows all of its cards. MMA is a fairly complex game under the hood, but unless you spend a lot of time with it and really put the mechanics through their paces, it's likely you'll never learn, or even realize, certain combinations.

MMA doesn't have the license, but it does have a few named stars, including Randy Couture and Ken Shamrock. These names will get the attention of hardcore fans, but for casual fans - like me - it means little. Because of the lack of a big name, Career Mode should take a bigger focus. The experience should be about the player. MMA does this, but only to a point. For me, this is the core difference between MMA and UFC 2010. I can't pin-point the exact reason, but I had a really hard time building a connection to my fighter.

Online is, well... online. All of the usual suspects are here, such as ranked and unranked matches. It's a big part of the experience and, in a few ways, helps make up for some of Career Mode's shortcomings.

Although every match is fun, they are just a lead-up to the main event, Online Broadcast. Here, matches go from just something between friends to competitions for online titles, player ranks and live commentary. Players can create their own local events, complete with hype videos and fight cards. Fighters who stand out are invited to participate in live sponsored events with prizes.

Community is the crux of the entire mode and it will be interesting to watch it grow over the next few months.

The main idea behind Career Mode is to teach you how to play the game. Yeah, this is sort of the point of most games with a massive online attachment, but it's typically something that isn't handled that well. MMA does a good enough job of quickly familiarizing players with the basics. Within a few matches, you should have a good enough grasp of the fight system. This is one of the first times I really felt like I was making progress based off my personal skills, not by upping my character's stats.

For me, going through Career is a better option than MMA 101, the actual tutorial mode. I didn't find it very helpful, though my buddy thought it was great. Chalk this up to personal preference.

Opponent A.I. is consistent and offers a great challenge. But, as is the norm with EA-produced sports games, they are not above momentary surges of superhuman strength and speed, allowing them to escape situations they normally wouldn't.

Career Mode's underpinnings follow a similar path as UFC 2010. You are given a set number of weeks between fights to work on general fighting skills or seek specialized training. The only noticeable difference between this and UFC 2010 is you don't have to worry about stamina points and health. MMA takes a simpler approach, which is commendable, but is the game's biggest flaw.

The element that really helped UFC stand out in my mind was how organic everything felt to the experience. One element fed into another. It was complex and provided a steep initial climb, but was incredibly rewarding. Although MMA is a rewarding experience in its own right, there was a drop off in the late game. Accessibility is a great thing, but not when it comes at the cost of added depth to keep you engaged for the long run.

MMA does more than borrow Fight Night's look; it also snags its control scheme. Although I still sort of favor UFC 2010, I absolutely loved MMA's control setup. It's the whole reason I felt like I was improving as a player. Rather than mashing buttons, the system is based on rotating the thumb sticks. Quick flicks produce short punches and kicks while full rotations lead to bigger punches, like uppercuts and hooks. Hitting the shoulder buttons modifies moves.

Unless you've played a lot of Fight Night, transitioning to the sticks is likely the biggest hurdle you'll need to overcome. It's also the most rewarding part of the game, but only if you're willing to give a little and explore. An alternate scheme using just the face buttons is available, though it isn't recommended. Gameplay feels better with the sticks.

EA Sports MMA is a great first showing and, hopefully, not EA's last attempt at entering the market. The trick now is to remove the training wheels and simply build up on Career and Online Modes. Unless you're militantly loyal to the UFC brand, there's no reason to not give MMA a try.