[Guide] iPhone 2.x to 1.1.4 downgrade


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If like me, you thought that you could download version 2.0 of the firmware on a jailbroken iPhone (1.1.4) and get all the features, then you were in for a huge fall from grace. I found this out the hard way after spending no less than 18 hours SOLID on the internet, googling, posting on forums etc to get answers.

Now I thought I would make a guide to help people who might be in the same boat.

Don't forget, this shouldn't apply if your on the supported carriers, i.e. AT&T or O2. The iPhone should still work with them, but if not, then this guide will help.

This guide is for you if:

You can't seem to downgrade from 2.0 to 1.1.4, you did but you can't make or receive calls, if that's you skip to Step 6.

Shopping list

You will need the following:

iTunes 7.5 (NOT 7.7)

iLiberty+Windows / Mac < Not essential, feel free to use ZiPhone if it gets the job done.

iPhone1,1_1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw firmware.

KiPhone Windows / Mac (Patched version of ZiPhone)

A Little bit of luck (Sorry, no download link yet ;) )

(Update: More KiPhone Download Links (Thanks MioN)- Download for Windows - Download for MAC OS X)

Step 1:

Uninstall iTunes 7.7 if you have it and restart your computer

Step 2:

Install iTunes 7.5, iLiberty+ & KiPhone. Make sure only iTunes is running.

Step 3:

Your iPhone should be in 2 states, either stuck on the "Slide to make emergency calls" screen, or you tried to restore before and it's stuck on the new look "connect to iTunes" screen. Either way you're ok.

Enter the phone in DFU mode (You must have the iPhone connected to the computer and iTunes running). To do this, hold the power & the home button down for 9 seconds.

Why 9? Well people say 10, but it depends how slow you are at counting. Too short and it doesn't work, too long and the apple logo appears.

When you hit about 6/7 the screen should turn off, leave it for 2 more seconds and release the power button, STILL holding the home button. If all went well, you should NOT see an apple logo, the screen should be dead. Keep holding home until windows/Mac informs you that it's found new hardware, OR iTunes tells you that your iPhone is in recovery mode. Remember, screen should be blank.

If you see an apple logo, repeat the process for less time until you get it right. Took me a little time.

Make sure also that it truly is in DFU mode and not just off. Check this by using iLiberty. bottom right corner of the window should say DFU mode. If its states disconnected, you have turned it off, obviously.

Step 4:

Shift/Option click the restore button in iTunes and select the iPhone1,1_1.1.4 firmware you downloaded.

Fingers crossed it should restore back to 1.1.4.

However, you WILL get an error message when restore is complete, something like (1005) or (1150) I can't remember. That's a good sign.

Step 5:

Your phone now should be "stuck" in restore mode, you should see the old type "connect to iTunes" screen.

Close iTunes and run iLiberty+. Click the Other Tools tab and select Jump out of recovery mode.

Keep your eye on the bottom right of the Liberty window; it should change from a flashing recovery mode, to disconnected, within about 5/10 seconds. If it does, that's a good sign. If it doesn't, you may need to hard reset the iPhone (holding power and home until screen goes off) and try again.

Once it kicks it out of recovery mode you should see the slide for emergency calls screen on 1.1.4.

After investigation, I realised you don't need to kick the phone out of recovery mode to use KiPhone. So you can skip this step altogether.

Step 6:

This is crucial and here's a little back-story.

When you updated to 2.0, what a lot of people didn't realize, me included, is that it includes a new baseband file. This is the file which allows your iPhone to make/receive calls, text's etc. This is what caused me hours and hours of trouble as I couldn't figure out a way to erase it. The answer was sent to me on another forum and that is,

KiPhone!!

Now here's the problem. This guide is what I did up to this point, but what I then went on to do was to jailbreak the iPhone, Google some more and then I found I needed KiPhone.

You shouldn't need to jailbreak it to run KiPhone but if it fails to work, try it.

Run KiPhone and select downgrade baseband and debug boot. Hit start and your iPhone should restart and you should see lines of scrolling txt. It took a while, 5 minutes or so. (The only way I know of seeing if it worked instantly was by jailbreaking it first, that choice is up to you). Once done you will need to restore the iPhone one more time to 1.1.4 using iTunes. Shift clicking restore should do it, no need to put into recovery mode. (Why do you need to restore again? If you just jailbreak after downgrading the baseband, you can receive calls but not make any, only send texts but not receive any).

The test if it works is when restore is done; it should give you NO errors.

*If for some reason KiPhone crashes out, restore the 1.1.4 firmware again. I found this problem too but a restore fixed the errors. But failing that, and if you cant be bothered, try simply restarting your computer. Solved it for some people.

Step 7:

Using iLiberty+, select the extra repro's using the advanced menu. This will give you further options like installing installer.app or reallocating ringtones etc.

captureuf5.jpg

Dont forget to click download after you have selected the ones you want!

Phew.

Any questions, feel free to ask, I feel I've assimilated too much information on this in the past 24 hours.

FAQ:

I cannot kick out of restore mode what should i do? You don't need to. Not to downgrade the baseband. Don't worry.

I downloaded itune 7.5 when i try to run it a screen pops up saying that iTunes Library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. Simple. Close iTunes. Find the iTunes folder on your hard drive where your library is stored (usually in your music directory). Rename it to iTunes2 or something else. Run iTunes. Once you are done you can delete the newly made iTunes folder and rename your old one back (before you install the latest version).

I keep getting an error 1604 after step 4: Try this article for advice.

I'm having trouble getting KiPhone to find the iPhone: This is because iTunes needs to read the newly restored phone. Try running iTunes first. Also restarting both the iPhone and PC helped others and swap USB if all else fails.

I have followed the guide but I cant make or receive calls!: This is because you havent downgraded the baseband. This step is vital is a working iPhone. Repeat all the steps again.

IMPORTANT

If your still having the 1604 error, try this.

Restore to 1.1.4 and jailbreak the iPhone. Forget the baseband side of things. Use your iPhone+Installer.app to download openSSH.

SSH into your iphone. If you dont know how to, google it. Plenty of internet guides.

Once your into your iPhone,delete the /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework folder itself. Restore your phone once again to 1.1.4 and retry the guide.

Since 2.0.1 is now out and its already jailbroken etc for us 2G owners, this guide isnt needed really. 2.0.1 is miles better than 2.0 and in turn 1.1.4. The only thing you will miss is a proper installer.app. But hopefully a new version will come out soon!

Good luck!

Edited by _X_
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Great post +_X

Like many other Gen 1 iPhone users, when I try to Restore to 1.1.4 I get the Unknown Error (20) just after the File is extracted and can go no further.

Yes, iPhone was in DFU Mode.

I am using iTunes 7.5

I Press the <Shift> Key and clicking Restore

Open File 1.1.4

File extracts fine but the very next screen gives me the ........unknown Error (20)

It loads file Ver 2.0 just fine ...just that it remains Locked with the Emergency number only.

Any one else that is getting Error (20) able to downgrade to Ver 1.1.4? If so, what process was used.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by tech07
I did all the steps...and the screen turn to white and i was installing the update when suddenly came a 1601 error or something like that.... and i was unable to continue with the process... and ideas...

----

I need hellppp please..

If you get 16XX Error you just need a new version of Apple Mobile Device Support.

You can get this package from software update , choosing "install and keep package" when updating iTunes to 7.7 (Pkg will be located in Downloads/iTunes

This worked for me to a point. I got the iphone back 1.1.4 but for some reason I can't put music and ringtones on my iphone. When I go to drag and drop onto my iphone I get a circle with line through icon and wont let me add the files to my iphone. Any help?

Have you tried restoring the phone?

Great post +_X

Like many other Gen 1 iPhone users, when I try to Restore to 1.1.4 I get the Unknown Error (20) just after the File is extracted and can go no further.

Yes, iPhone was in DFU Mode.

I am using iTunes 7.5

I Press the <Shift> Key and clicking Restore

Open File 1.1.4

File extracts fine but the very next screen gives me the ........unknown Error (20)

It loads file Ver 2.0 just fine ...just that it remains Locked with the Emergency number only.

Any one else that is getting Error (20) able to downgrade to Ver 1.1.4? If so, what process was used.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

OK so are you currently stuck on 2.0? If so try a restore to 2.0 and then try 1.1.4 - sounds like a problem on the upgrade to 2.0 so try it again and then try going back using the method above. Did you use the early link to upgrade to 2.0 or did you upgrade via iTunes?

Use this to get to 2.0 again properly:

http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/co...47_Restore.ipsw

you may have flashed iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw which is meant for the 3G iPhone only

OK so are you currently stuck on 2.0? If so try a restore to 2.0 and then try 1.1.4 - sounds like a problem on the upgrade to 2.0 so try it again and then try going back using the method above.

I have tried Restore on it's own and that gets me to the Activation Screen. Ver 2.0. No software available to crack it yet (my words).

Then I uninstalled iTunes 7.7 and installed 7.5 and tried Restoring 1.1.4 and this is when I get the Error (20).

I have been trying Itunes 7.7, 7.6, 7.5, 7.4 and they all give me the Error (20).

I have been trying for over 24 hours. I am new to Apple and iPhones...but learning fast. LOL

I have googled Error (20) for the iPhone and there are a lot of Blogs and sites with members reporting this Error code (20). Gen 1 iPhones only and it is happening to PC as as well as MAC users as well.

I am more comfortable using a V-Bulletin than a Blog site so I registered here with hopes of getting my iPhone back up and running.

Any ohter thoughts?

OK so are you currently stuck on 2.0? If so try a restore to 2.0 and then try 1.1.4 - sounds like a problem on the upgrade to 2.0 so try it again and then try going back using the method above. Did you use the early link to upgrade to 2.0 or did you upgrade via iTunes?

Use this to get to 2.0 again properly:

http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/co...47_Restore.ipsw

you may have flashed iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw which is meant for the 3G iPhone only

Initially I updated to V2.0 using the iTunes upgrade.

Thanks........but I am aware that the proper file to use is the iPhone 1,1_2.0 (gen 1). and not the iPhone 1, 2_2.0. I thought that may have been the problem at 1st so I restored it with the 1,1_2.0, then tried 1.1.4

I have Restored this file and attempted the 1.1.4 for no less than 40 times easily. Tried with Sim card out as well.

I just keep getting the Error (20) everytime I try to restore Firmware 1.1.4. I even went to other sites to try other files, hoping that the ones I tried were corrupt. But Alas.......that darn Error (20) keeps popping up.

I have tried Restore on it's own and that gets me to the Activation Screen. Ver 2.0. No software available to crack it yet (my words).

Then I uninstalled iTunes 7.7 and installed 7.5 and tried Restoring 1.1.4 and this is when I get the Error (20).

I have been trying Itunes 7.7, 7.6, 7.5, 7.4 and they all give me the Error (20).

I have googled Error (20) for the iPhone and there are a lot of Blogs and sites with members reporting this Error code (20). Gen 1 iPhones only and it is happening to PC as as well as MAC users as well.

I am more comfortable using a V-Bulletin than a Blog site so I registered here with hopes of getting my iPhone back up and running.

Any ohter thoughts?

OK, did you try and restore to that ipsw I just posted? I think historically (from what I can remember) people got that Error code 20 when they tried to upgrade their iPod Touch devices to iPhone software

OK, did you try and restore to that ipsw I just posted? I think historically (from what I can remember) people got that Error code 20 when they tried to upgrade their iPod Touch devices to iPhone software

I checked out the link you sent and the file is the same that I have on my hard drive, which I loaded several times. As mentioned before, this file goes in fine and gets me to the Emergency Telephone number and in iTunes, it asks me to activate it.

It is when I try to restore to 1.1.4 on the iPhone in DFU mode that I get the error Message (20)

Here is the file I have been using: iPhone1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw C/P from my harddrive

Thank you so much.I have spent 48 hours trying to get my phone back and you provided the solution.Definately learnt my lesson the hard way not to install software until you get the green light

Amen to that gaile.

I will never ever do that again........it is a shame to see the iphone in it's case........rendered totally useless.......until it can be revived again.

I checked out the link you sent and the file is the same that I have on my hard drive, which I loaded several times. As mentioned before, this file goes in fine and gets me to the Emergency Telephone number and in iTunes, it asks me to activate it.

It is when I try to restore to 1.1.4 on the iPhone in DFU mode that I get the error Message (20)

Here is the file I have been using: iPhone1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw C/P from my harddrive

Amen to that gaile.

I will never ever do that again........it is a shame to see the iphone in it's case........rendered totally useless.......until it can be revived again.

OK, are you sure you are in DFU mode and not just restore mode?

1. Turn on iPhone

2. Connect to PC/Mac

3. Open iTunes

4. Hold down power and home buttons

5. Wait untill red slider appears to shut down iPhone - keep holding the buttons.

6.Wait untill the iPhone shuts down

7. Release power button, keep home button pressed (if the Apple logo appeared you didn't release the power button quick enough - try again!)

8. Wait about 7 seconds - iTunes should say there is an iPhone connected in "restore mode"

OK, are you sure you are in DFU mode and not just restore mode?

1. Turn on iPhone

2. Connect to PC/Mac

3. Open iTunes

4. Hold down power and home buttons

5. Wait untill red slider appears to shut down iPhone - keep holding the buttons.

6.Wait untill the iPhone shuts down

7. Release power button, keep home button pressed (if the Apple logo appeared you didn't release the power button quick enough - try again!)

8. Wait about 7 seconds - iTunes should say there is an iPhone connected in "restore mode"

Yes.

I am definitely in DFU mode.

When my USB notification comes up it recognizes that it is in restore mode and iTunes gives me the 2 options. Update or restore. When I was not in DFU mode I would not get iTunes to log onto the iPhone.

So to answer your question yes. As I mentioned before, I can restore Firmware 2.0 just fine. When I try to restore to 1.1.4, I get the Error (20) Message.

I sent you a PM

So i got to step 5.

Your phone now should be "stuck" in restore mode, you should see the old type "connect to iTunes" screen.

Close iTunes and run iLiberty+. Click the Other Tools tab and select Jump out of recovery mode.

Keep your eye on the bottom right of the Liberty window; it should change from a flashing recovery mode, to disconnected, within about 5/10 seconds. If it does, that's a good sign. If it doesn't, you may need to hard reset the iPhone (holding power and home until screen goes off) and try again.

Once it kicks it out of recovery mode you should see the slide for emergency calls screen on 1.1.4.

What do you mean by try again? Do you mean i need to restore 1.1.4 update again, each time it fails to kick it back from recovery mode?

To bad it failed to jump out of recovery mode, hopefully 2nd attempt will work. :(

Some additional help would be great, thanks.

EDIT: 2nd attempt worked.

Going on.

Update: Everything worked, thanks a lot.

If like me, you thought that you could download version 2.0 of the firmware on a jailbroken iPhone (1.1.4) and get all the features, then you were in for a huge fall from grace. I found this out the hard way after spending no less than 18 hours SOLID on the internet, googling, posting on forums etc to get answers.

Now I thought I would make a guide to help people who might be in the same boat.

Don't forget, this shouldn't apply if your on the supported carriers, i.e. AT&T or O2. The iPhone should still work with them, but if not, then this guide will help.

This guide is for you if:

You can't seem to downgrade from 2.0 to 1.1.4, you did but you can't make or receive calls, if that's you skip to Step 6.

Shopping list

You will need the following:

iTunes 7.5 (NOT 7.7)

iLiberty+Windows / Mac

iPhone1,1_1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw firmware.

KiPhone Windows / Mac (Patched version of ZiPhone)

A Little bit of luck (Sorry, no download link yet ;) )

Step 1:

Uninstall iTunes 7.7 if you have it and restart your computer

Step 2:

Install iTunes 7.5, iLiberty+ & KiPhone. Make sure only iTunes is running.

Step 3:

Your iPhone should be in 2 states, either stuck on the "Slide to make emergency calls" screen, or you tried to restore before and it's stuck on the new look "connect to iTunes" screen. Either way you're ok.

Enter the phone in DFU mode (You must have the iPhone connected to the computer and iTunes running). To do this, hold the power & the home button down for 9 seconds.

Why 9? Well people say 10, but it depends how slow you are at counting. Too short and it doesn't work, too long and the apple logo appears.

When you hit about 6/7 the screen should turn off, leave it for 2 more seconds and release the power button, STILL holding the home button. If all went well, you should NOT see an apple logo, the screen should be dead. Keep holding home until windows/Mac informs you that it's found new hardware, OR iTunes tells you that your iPhone is in recovery mode. Remember, screen should be blank.

If you see an apple logo, repeat the process for less time until you get it right. Took me a little time.

Step 4:

Shift/Option click the restore button in iTunes and select the iPhone1,1_1.1.4 firmware you downloaded.

Fingers crossed it should restore back to 1.1.4.

However, you WILL get an error message when restore is complete, something like (1005) or (1150) I can't remember. That's a good sign.

Step 5:

Your phone now should be "stuck" in restore mode, you should see the old type "connect to iTunes" screen.

Close iTunes and run iLiberty+. Click the Other Tools tab and select Jump out of recovery mode.

Keep your eye on the bottom right of the Liberty window; it should change from a flashing recovery mode, to disconnected, within about 5/10 seconds. If it does, that's a good sign. If it doesn't, you may need to hard reset the iPhone (holding power and home until screen goes off) and try again.

Once it kicks it out of recovery mode you should see the slide for emergency calls screen on 1.1.4.

Step 6:

This is crucial and here's a little back-story.

When you updated to 2.0, what a lot of people didn't realize, me included, is that it includes a new baseband file. This is the file which allows your iPhone to make/receive calls, text's etc. This is what caused me hours and hours of trouble as I couldn't figure out a way to erase it. The answer was sent to me on another forum and that is,

KiPhone!!

Now here's the problem. This guide is what I did up to this point, but what I then went on to do was to jailbreak the iPhone, Google some more and then I found I needed KiPhone.

You shouldn't need to jailbreak it to run KiPhone but if it fails to work, try it.

Run KiPhone and select downgrade baseband and debug boot. Hit start and your iPhone should restart and you should see lines of scrolling txt. It took a while, 5 minutes or so. (The only way I know of seeing if it worked instantly was by jailbreaking it first, that choice is up to you). Once done you will need to restore the iPhone one more time to 1.1.4 using iTunes. Shift clicking restore should do it, no need to put into recovery mode. (Why do you need to restore again? If you just jailbreak after downgrading the baseband, you can receive calls but not make any, only send texts but not receive any).

The test if it works is when restore is done; it should give you NO errors.

Step 7:

This is the hard part, run iLiberty+, select what options you want, select "Go For it" and wait. Once done you will be back using your trusty 1.1.4 iPhone in no time.

Phew.

Any questions, feel free to ask, I feel I've assimilated too much information on this in the past 24 hours.

Edited by Biofreak

In my experience, using iTunes 7.7 causes problems, so make sure your not using that.

ALso, once in DFU mode there should be no reason why you cant downgrade.

If it keeps failing, try re-downloading the firmware file using another browser.

But I cant really suggest much else, since this way was the only way it worked for me.

Quote - (antpooh @ Jul 14 2008, 03:48)

This worked for me to a point. I got the iphone back 1.1.4 but for some reason I can't put music and ringtones on my iphone. When I go to drag and drop onto my iphone I get a circle with line through icon and wont let me add the files to my iphone. Any help?

Have you tried restoring the phone?

I tried this with itunes 7.5 and restored to 1.1.4 and didn't work, i still can't add songs to my iphone. Anyone know what the problem is and how do I fix this?

---

Okay now this is strange, I just clicked on the main iphone page in iphone and clicked sync all ringtones and then clicked sync, and all my ringstones that I made were added to my iphone. So my assumption would be that I can do that with my music as well. But I can't drag and drop to add the music I want to my IPhone. Is there soemthing preventing it that I can turn off that'll let me do it manually?

-Ant

Edited by antpooh

guys i need some desperate help, im so happy for all of you guys who figued it out. I have spent the past 3 days trying to get my baseband downgraded. Heres my current situation

I have tried EVERY tutorial to get this downgraded, my firmware is currently 1.1.4 <-- from 2.0, but my baseband is 04.05.04, IT WILL NEVER GO DOWN!!!

I tried the patched version of ziphone, along with all the tutorials etc... it doesnt want to go down regardless.

My question is someone please , do you haev any solutions for me? PLease? The guy who put up the tutorial in this thread, when i run iliberty in the last step, it doesnt activate, jailbreak, nor unlock my phone, when iliberty finishes (after 30 seconds) it returns to the "emergency dial screen" on the iphone. So, i ran ziphone 3.0 and "did it all" and then it activated and jail broke, but the baseband was the same so it didnt unlock. GUYS PLEASe, im not getting the error 20 nor anything like that, im getting everything PERFECTLY FINE, except that i cant downgrade my baseband. If someone can please email me at [email protected] , or call me? 917 443 4045, id be damn appreciated, guys please 3 days ive been trying to downgrade my baseband, and nothing. Help please

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This slowness did take some getting used to, but I felt the improvement in my abilities even after a few drills with basic punch and kick combos. If I’m not deliberate with my actions in the ring, whether it be a hasty retreat or a flying punch, the possibility of getting instantly knocked out is always there. The head, chest, and legs all come with their own health bars, so guarding just one area is just asking for trouble. A few hits to the head, and it's game over. Meanwhile, you won’t even be able to stay on your feet if they get damaged enough, drastically lowering the total amount of stamina available for the rest of the match. I was also encountering a large range of fighting styles to customize my own fighter with. There are a huge number of real-life superstars here from multiple eras. It’s not as exaggerated as Street Fighter or Tekken, but the way they move, evade, throw punches, or even take steps is based on their real-life counterparts. I can see this being a big draw for any mixed martial arts fan. One feature I was surprised to see here was the 'Flow State' ability. As rounds progress, a power-up meter can give a temporary boost to the unique fighting style of the selected fighter, essentially boosting what they are good at. There is an entire visual effect that kicks in when activating this, too. The surprising part was seeing something like this in a game that feels like it’s aiming to be more of a simulator than an arcade fighter. My skill level is too low to use this exactly how the game wants me to, so I ended up triggering it whenever the opponent did it as well. Streamlined vs Authentic When I first started it up, UFC 6 asked me about my experience with the series. Being genuinely new, I took its advice and opted for a lowered difficulty level and 'Streamlined' controls. Quickly, I realized that this wasn’t for me. My chosen fighters were throwing random attacks, no matter what combination the game was trying to teach me. Win streaks were happening, and I was already getting bored out of my mind just a few matches in. Turning off this mode and switching to 'Authentic' controls fixed everything right up. I was now able to control my fighter with more precision than I expected. I could control each arm and leg, which body part my attacks would aim at, and the fully customizable controls for setting up unorthodox moves were a cherry on top. None of these made me an expert at the game, but at least I was being beaten up fairly. This is not a point against UFC 6, though. Giving the option for anyone to enjoy the game is always a good thing in my eyes. There is a lot of customizability in the difficulty, with everything from slow-motion reactions to specific assists being offered as toggles. If I had a friend coming over and wanted to try a quick 1v1, the streamlined controls option is one I’d consider to make it a light and fun fight. The one part of the fighting that did not click with me was the grappling. Being taken to the ground brings in an entirely new control mechanism involving mounts and submissions that feel more like quick-time events than the heavy, tactical fighting I had seen so far while standing. The game wants me to hold sticks in certain directions to change the position or pull off submissions, trying to do the opposite actions of the opponent. Even though I tried to get used to this gameplay, it just felt like a momentum killer, and I eventually just wanted to get back on my feet to get back into the action. Legacy and Career It was UFC 6’s career mode that I wanted to play the most when I started it up. I grew up with EA Sports games, and taking my team from the ground to the top has always been my favorite task. UFC 6 has that same option but also offers a more cinematic entrance to the career experience than I expected with ‘The Legacy’ mode. This mini-campaign follows an up-and-coming fighter, Chris Carter, who is attempting to reach the heights his father had reached in the sport. Starting with a small-time gym and coach, the story follows both his growth in the space as well as the growing rivalry with a friend and fighter, Danny Lopez. The fights in this mode are very good at introducing a newcomer like me to the sport and its varying techniques. Cinematics land between the major fights, showing the growing tension between the two fighters as the years go by, feeling the pressure to not miss out on the hard-earned chances. The dialogue can be a little corny at times, especially when the bar fights kick off, but I largely enjoyed the storyline. At the end of it, I was pretty much familiar with all the mechanics of the career mode, unlocking new skills and moves, and how I needed to approach fights, both outside and inside the ring. This story mode isn’t a very lengthy one, so don’t expect an hour-long campaign. Once the conclusion is reached, Carter’s journey continues as if it’s a normal career playthrough, though I decided to start over from scratch now that I have some know-how about the basics. The career mode is very streamlined, which is to be expected considering there isn’t a team to manage like in other EA Sports games. It’s the journey of one fighter. When a fight comes up in the calendar, I could choose how many weeks I dedicate to preparing for it at the gym. A longer prep time gives the opportunity to get my fighter’s fitness up (giving a bonus during fights), earn more money and points for unlocking new skills, and gain more fans to fast-track the rise to stardom. While that sounds like a lot of things to manage, it’s more like a few clicks. There is a social media menu that sometimes pops up with canned replies I can send to fans, and the sponsors are once again a single click away from being assigned as finished. It’s the training aspect that adds a gameplay angle. Using the money from winnings and sponsorships, I was hiring different types of trainers and learning fancier moves to use in the ring. One small thing I appreciated was that it was possible to injure each other during these training sessions. If a trainer goes down in a bad way while sparring, they won’t be available for the remainder of training. If my fighter is injured, it takes valuable time and resources to heal and recuperate. Just like in real life, it makes sense not to go so hard during training sessions and save that energy for the main event. Every training or sponsorship activity I took part in used up the days and weeks I had before the next fight, bringing a balancing element to the whole ordeal. There were times I simulated most of these to just get to the next fight, but the grind for gaining even the slightest bit of advantage while trying not to overdo it is an enjoyable one. Outside of quick fights and career modes, UFC 6 also introduces an almost museum-like mode to explore a trio of fighters considered to be legends of the sport: Max Holloway, Alex Pereira, and Zhang Weili. The aptly named Hall of Legends mode is unlike everything else seen in the game. Each of these fighters has entire levels dedicated to them that I could walk around in and explore their journey into the UFC. This includes footage from real-life fights and interviews about their original inspirations and training methods. Each of these spaces is almost like an interactive documentary. Once the highlights are done, the mode offers the opportunity to take over a deciding fight from the superstars. It’s an impressive transition. Going from the real-life televised event with crowds and commentary to immediately taking over in the game has some real hype behind it. Performance and visuals It’s clear to see that UFC 6 is going for a photo-realism look with its visuals compared to any other fighting game. The fighters don’t look great in selection screens. But inside the arenas, under the flood lights, surrounded by crowds, and facing an opponent, the visuals are more than impressive. As ghastly as it is to witness, things like blood spraying into the mat and muscles reddening as they get pummeled keep improving the immersion. The fluid animations help sell the illusion even further. A missed kick carries the momentum to require a corrective step. Hard punches that glance off blocks give off the air of a hit that still took some wind off the opponent’s guard. The special moves with flips and spins look mega awkward when missing, just as they do in real life. Suffice to say, the Frostbite Engine powering this game is one of the biggest strengths of EA development studios. Playing on the Xbox Series X, the 60 FPS gameplay did not miss the mark or cause any slowdowns that I could detect. I still wish this series were on PC to see just how far the developer can push the engine. One area I continue to have issues with, surprisingly enough, is the menus. The game has fast loading screens, but almost every menu I click through has a large amount of noticeable lag before it registers. This is immensely painful in the career mode, since I have to go through multiple menus between fights to train and do sponsorships, and having a 3-second pause when selecting a simple move between pages is the only time that made me quit the game. Thanks to Xbox’s quick resume, though, I was able to instantly jump back in the next day to the same point (and wade through more laggy menus). Conclusion My primary mission going into this EA Sports UFC 6 review as a newcomer to the series was to find out if this is a good jumping-in point for someone like me. Suffice it to say, the game passed that test with flying colors. Despite the high skill ceiling, the legacy mode introduction campaign, multiple types of accessible controls, and streamlined career had me picking up the basics and fighting styles much faster than I expected. I wish I had gotten to try out competitive multiplayer during my time with the game, too, but the lack of players in the pre-release version prevented this. The impressive visuals and animations, coupled with the impact physics that let me feel every punch and kick easily, made this the most immersive fighting game I have played. The only part that gave me pause was the grappling gameplay, which killed the momentum in most fights. The Flow State amplifying system didn’t hamper the experience, but I also felt like it made more sense for an arcade fighter, not this. Easily the most annoying thing about UFC 6 was its laggy menus, which I hope get some sort of fix later. Returning series veterans might have a completely different experience from me. But for a new fan like me looking to climb ranks and see fighters get floored in spectacular ways, UFC 6 doesn’t miss a step. EA Sports UFC 6 is releasing on June 19 across Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 for $69.99. Ultimate Edition owners can already jump in via advanced access. This review was conducted on the Xbox Series X version of the game provided by EA.
    • No, Microsoft is obviously just spending money on maintaining a product with 0 users.
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