Last year’s double dose of FIFA 14 was a bit of hit and miss. After years of constantly tweaking, and improving, the formula it was due for a plateau, and that came on PS3 and Xbox 360. However, it wasn’t long until that was replaced by the vastly superior “proper” version of FIFA 14 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, running on EA’s much hyped Ignite Engine, which was a step up but still very much the beginning. If FIFA 14 was the tutorial to Ignite, consider FIFA 15 the first season proper. The defining word for FIFA 15 is realism, but I feel like I’ve used that to spruce FIFA of yesteryear. The difference with FIFA 15 is that it’s unequivocally the most realistic FIFA game to-date. The ball no longer acts like it’s on a string, it feels like it could go anywhere, and players will make critical mistakes.
Of course, there are some areas where FIFA 15 falls short. Despite the keepers having better animation, they tend to look silly in goalmouth scrambles. There is still the occasional collision that results in a Looney Tunes-like collapse. If the opponent gets the ball into the center of the field on a counter, there is a good chance you will be wondering where your central midfielders are on the pitch. This is especially true in the single-player experience in
FIFA 15 Ultimate Team. Of course, it also means that the field is open, which entices the human player to go route one. There have been plenty of 11-0 matches in FIFA 15 Ultimate Team already. As in many of the previous versions of FIFA the main attribute that you will need is speed. I have both scored and conceded too many goals where a striker has just ran through a defence with far too much ease; this could well be down to not mastering the new style of defending or it could be down to the improvements made to the dribbling in this year’s game. It is now far easier to take on and beat a player, where as in previous games there were little ‘one to one’ moments, where a player could beat a defender or two. This time around it feels a lot easier to just give the ball to a skilful player and let him run, as I have said though this could be down to players just not mastering the new style of defending yet. With it being suicidal, mash the tackle button like in previous games as you will only succeed in clearing a path to goal.
If you don't have an affiliation to a particular team - or if you do, but that team happens to be outside of the EPL, thereby lacking the new graphics and splendour lavished upon the league - then FUT is probably the best way to enjoy the game. It masters the mass-market simplicity much better than the Be a Pro or manager modes, offers the freshest gameplay experience thanks to the addition of loan players and a reworked search algorithm that is faster than last year. The Concept Team is pretty substantial too, allowing FUT managers to see how a player would meld with their existing squad without having to buy the player first. This won't stop FIFA fans from meticulously researching their dream formations on third-party websites like Futwiz or Futhead first, but it's a sensible addition that should be applauded.
A year ago in this space I argued Electronic Arts’ worldwide blockbuster FIFA had become the same thing that turned me off of the company’s NHL franchise: the gameplay was too realistic. Which is to say sludgy and difficult for the sake of emulating the game’s actual physics. Sometime after I wrote that review, however, I did something I have never done with any of EA’s sports games. I cheated. But those are both fixable or, in the case of my issue with stat tracking, minor. After all, Football Manager, my big videogame obsession, provides all of those delicious numbers and tactical nuance. I may want some more depth to those aspects in FIFA 15 but I certainly don’t need them. FIFA is on my hard drive for crowd roars, mazy runs, and screaming shots. All of these features can be put to use in the number of available game modes. FIFA 15 Ultimate Team makes a return with a mild spit-shine and is still centered on earning coins to add players to your personal squad. Taking it a step further, you can pick up loans and arrange your squad as best as you can for optimal chemistry. Match Day Live is another major mode that keeps everyone up to date with the latest news and highlights of clubs around the world. Have a fantasy league going? Check out its progress with just a click of the button. It’s a central hub that’s quick and useful.
FIFA 15 in solid as a whole. But-and there is a but-it’s the same solid game we’ve seen for some time now. On field, very little has been altered. Player engines are modified each year to change pace and give what was lacking some refreshment, but when one characteristic is bettered, another can become worse. This is the core reason we see that the franchise has become bigger and flashier. Not to say it isn’t welcome, especially when they even make the grass smarter. Divots and grooves now remain throughout the match as the pitch is worn down from constant tear.
