As the saying goes – 'another year, another FIFA', and so it is again this year. EA have released their latest iteration of the beloved series, and along with it plenty of tag lines to describe how well the ball moves, how smart the keepers are, how 'life-like' the stadiums feel and sound. Which all means....well not a huge amount in all honesty, as year after year it's mostly just tweaks to the now successful formula that keep gamers and football fans coming back for more. But how successful are the changes this year? Will FIFA be able to stay at the top of the game with the new PES rapidly approaching? Let's take a look.
FIFA has been a constant feature on my homes consoles for years. It's a game that I can play for hours on end, or have a quick 15 minute game when I have a chance. I am, for lack of a better phrase, a big fan of the series. There have been some blips, but from the last console generation onwards, it has dominated the football genre. If you a reading this review, I will assume that you are likely a fan of the series, or have at least played on of the games in the last few years. For that reason, I will only really touch on game modes that are available, and stick to the most important constant feature across the modes – the gameplay itself.
So briefly then – there aren't really any new games modes compared to the last few years. Online team play is still out unfortunately, but bar that everything else is here and present. Friendlies, online seasons etc. Career mode isn't where I would usually spend my time these days, but the depth of it with it's scouting systems and detailed tactics screen is turning it into a mini FIFA Manager game within FIFA. For those who enjoy that type of thing and have the time to put in, it is plenty rewarding. Finding a gem of a player and developing will provide a sense of accomplishment on its own. My only gripe is (like with last years iteration), that you can't seem to order searched players by their overall ratings – something that I find important to finding the right player for my team on a straight forward search basis. Ultimate Team is unsurprisingly still present, and we are at a point now that if EA decided to release 2 different versions of FIFA, one purely Ultimate Team and the other a version with normal teams only, they would sell more of the former, such is the success of the mode, and the obsession it can bring. Added to it this year is the ability to loan player from the EA catalogue, though, it is not possible to loan between other people – maybe a future addition? Clubs – a personal favourite of mine, is back again, and will be immediately familiar to those who played last years version.
All of the above, would of course be useless without solid gameplay. Now EA each year will tell you how they have improved little parts to make a more 'authentic' gameplay experience. And, in all fairness, most of the time, the areas highlighted are indeed improved in one way or another. But the cynic in me feels that FIFA will then be lacking in some other area (that may be been perfectly fine in another version of the game) so that it can be 'fixed' the year later and feel like something new again.
In essence, the game plays fine. I'm a fan of the pace of the game, passing feels a lot better as well. Player personalities/attributes show through with the more well known stars which is nice to see. But – and I may be nit picking here - for me there is a lot that just doesn't feel 'right' about the game. The new AI for the goalkeepers have thrown them completely out of whack. There will be some absurd close range saves, that should never be saved, then 30 second later a slow dribbler along the floor with have them bamboozled and the ball will end in the net, or the keeper will stay rooted to his starting position for a shot outside of the box and they will stand still and the ball whizzes past or over their head. FIFA has been renowned for some dodgy keeper antics in the past, but some of what is on show here is just perplexing. Shooting is also very erratic, with little consistency over where the ball ends up – though I'm sure this is just a practice makes perfect scenario. Online, the dreaded chipped through ball is as punishing as ever, and something EA really need to look at addressing, as it makes for predictable boring affairs. I've also suffered a lot from players seemingly 'unselecting' themselves. The ball will be going to a player who is running after it, and suddenly they'll stop, or veer off elsewhere – extremely frustrating when it happens a few times in a match. There is also an emphasis on control – if you're not holding LT when going to control a high/long ball, be prepared for see the ball ricochet off shins and knees. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a learning curve again.
But, despite the negatives above, I have no doubt whatsoever that, once again, FIFA will be the game I play the most this year. And by the time next year comes around I'll be comparing the next iteration to what I'm used to with FIFA 15. I don't foresee FIFA ever being perfect without any flaws, because, if it was, then EA would have nowhere to go but down. And unless PES brings out a true competitor, the trend of slight tweaks but leave enough to improve on next year, will continue.
**Thank you to the Xbox Community Network (XCN) for the opportunity to review this game**