EA Sports, it’s in the game, the new game, that’s gonna be similar to the old game, right?…
Sort of, FIFA has been a source of great debate since its creation back in 1993 called FIFA International Soccer and since that day over 23 years ago (good God I feel old) it has seen many facelifts, next generation graphics and of course a huge soundtrack to get along with.
Now we are on FIFA 16 which is different from FIFA 15 for a few reasons and they will probably make very little sense to anyone who hasn’t played one before… but for those in the know here goes.
The biggest change to FIFA since its concept is that for the first time you can now play as a female team and compete in female leagues and tournaments too (finally!). I’m really happy about this because the sport has become a little stagnant for me and this is going to put a wonderful twist and inject new life into it. I’m hoping that when we finally get our hands on an official copy that they haven’t just made the female players very low stats compared to their similarly performing male players… for example I don’t want to see Eniola Aluko one of England’s top female strikers have 12 strength compared to someone like Diego Costa who enjoys the odd dive into the dirt rated at 80 something.
Another step up in graphics offers an even more realistic experience.
The dribbling skills will depend once again on who can learn the button flicks the quickest and also the skill of the team you are choosing. There’s no point in thinking you can pull a 360 rainbow flick followed by a reverse Rabona with someone from AFC Wimbledon now is there!?
FUT or FIFA Ultimate Team is back once again and will no doubt cause another whirlwind of Youtubers jumping at the opportunity to get views and followers after recording opening 1000 packs of cards in order to find the holy grail that is the legendary Messi card… or something, I find the whole in game purchase thing a little annoying but it’s bringing in a huge stream of revenue for them and I suppose that helps to pay for a better game next year, so hats off to them.
The premise behind Ultimate Team is that you get to play other people across the world in your own custom made team of superstars that you earn through packs of cards. The more matches you win, the more cards you can buy and thus the stronger your team can grow and then begin to dominate other online players. Awesome right?
If this seems a bit daunting and collecting cards isn’t your cup of tea then there is always the Ultimate team draft option, which is more simple.
Then there is my favourite mode; the career mode. Take control of being either the manager, player-manager or just be the brawn as a player of a football team and start from the bottom, or the top, and rise all the way to global stardom. That’s the aim of the game, but after you’ve done 2 seasons as a player manager, keeping a handle on who’s going on loan, who’s being bought in and what you’re going to do about the repair maintenance to the roof of Old Trafford… well let’s say it usually gets put on pause, saved and left alone for a while.
The kinect sensor will also work for this on Xbox One and 360 which means you not only can perform some of your own “killer moves” safely in your own home but you can also be heard. This has led to some hilarious “controller across the room” moments when you might say something offensive about how bad a players tackling skills are and watch as he walks off the pitch forcing you to make a sub. We also ended up getting a touchline ban from the FA in one career mode after swearing at a ref… Interesting and very clever but you have been warned!
It looks great and is another jump up in being responsive. New women’s teams might attract more female gamers, which can only be a good thing. Other than than that it’s getting a bit samey and I feel like I shouldn’t be forced to pay for packs on Ultimate team really.
8/10
Author – Andrew, Weybridge store
