EA has replied to Konami’s feature by enhancing the Ultimate Team on FIFA 15. Some of the features like concept squads allows you to build a very strong squads for the future by letting you plan on whom to buy for the next transfer market, and also testing out the Chemistry combination between the players. Additionaly, a new section called Friendly season which allows you to battle it out with your friends in a fan favourite season format that also lets you check your stats. More number of legends on the Xbox version of the game and the ability to loan big players add to the Ultimate Team features.
Career Mode speaks for itself with pretty much all of the world’s football leagues and the players who populate them, being at the fingertips of gamers as they play as either manager or player and try and carve their own slice of glory in the form of a successful career over the span of around 15 seasons for a player and 20 for a manager. Career Mode also uses real-world squads and updates, so be wary of selecting a team, based solely on your own preferences of player or performance. It could well be that they have been transferred in real-life and, as such, will be unavailable for you until you purchase them. Speaking of ‘purchases’ we feel we have to mention some of the exceptionally poor budgets and wage packages of the lower division teams in FIFA. It makes deciding to start your career as, say, Greuther Firth in the Bundesliga 2 a total non option because it will take you around seven seasons just be able to get enough of a transfer budget to buy anyone of talent.
The soundtrack is a lively collection of diverse tracks. Gamers who actually pay attention to this aspect of a game probably won't get bored with the selection. You won't find many complaining about the amount of modes, options and clubs in FIFA 15. The franchise did lose its license with Brazilian clubs, but there is still a plethora of club and league choices.
There's still leagues from 26 different countries and international squads. You can start a career as a manager or player in any of those leagues. It would be nice to offer a bit of a tutorial to the career mode as a manager or player. If you're not a hardcore world football fan, you could be a bit overwhelmed by all of the options in the career modes. Perhaps employing some type of face-scanning technology would be a logical next step. As it is, the game offers a full complement of features, which is undeniably a major plus.
The most obvious area where these improvements are visible in-game are the goalkeepers. They are now more lifelike, thanks to some fantastic animations and fluid movements. They are now deadly weapons in the hands of skilled players, because they’re able to perform acrobatic, stunning saves that wouldn’t have been possible in previous games. They also behave like real goalkeepers would on a field, responding to events in the game dynamically and believably. They might occasionally run out and try to intercept a lone striker, only to think better of it moments later and run back to the goal line. They also respond realistically to corners and maneuver themselves between opponents that might potentially be threatening a goal.
Prematch is as detailed as it could have been, now with additional commentaries notifying the various team lineups. Sometimes the AI would commit mistakes while announcing the lineup, calling a Defensive Midfielder’s name out loud as my Attacking Midfielder’s replacement, or simply cancel the lineup announcement if a player’s name isn’t registered with FIFA 15’s roster. Live Matchday integration does brilliantly to bring in the magic of every moment, along with daily challenges which ranges from teamplay to Be a Pro challenges. FIFA 15 introduces for the first time a media deck, powered by Goal.com, featuring news from all across the footballing world, adding that extra bit of immersion with the real football world.
Perhaps even better is the fact that fans will finally be given more unique personalities from stadium to stadium. Chants will be determined by club, league or region, meaning Liverpool fans will sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" and Man City fans will do the Poznan. Sadly, throwing money at your computer screen won't get you this game any faster.
