Football game reviews can be odd things. You never really know where the reviewer is coming from and how what they want might differ from what you want. Sometimes the job is given to whoever least hates sports games and sometimes it’s given to a supposed ‘resident expert’. To let you know where I stand, I’m going to start this off with a little bit of background info. I’ve played football games for nearly 30 years now. I prefer the more realistic simulations over the old arcade style games and have perhaps had a slight bias towards PES. I do, however, have a fairly open mind when it comes to the modern day PES vs FIFA debate and will simply side with whichever one I feel is best; I have no brand loyalty to speak of. Last year I preferred PES 2015 as I felt FIFA 15 was truly awful and the worst in the series since their 2008 renaissance. That alone should tell you something – if you loved FIFA 15, we might have different ideas about what 16 should be.
For your first 10, 20, 30 games with either sex, creating chances – let alone scoring goals – feels almost impossible. Results read like an essay written in binary. Then everything clicks, and you realise it’s exactly as virtual football should be; challenging your brain’s ability to unpick an organised opponent, rather than your index finger’s RT-holding endurance. As a result, this version of Fifa lacks the usual immediacy, and some of those seeking the end-to-end goal bonanzas of previous years won’t have the patience to persevere. More fool them. After a few days with the game, its more deliberate build-up play becomes second nature, and it’s then that you’re really able to drink in Fifa 16’s other little simulation improvements.
We don't see too much enthusiasm for soccer in the US. In fact, we call it soccer instead of football just to show how much we don't care what the rest of the world thinks. Classic America, right? At any rate, FIFA 16 Ultimate Team is out on Android, and I'm going to do my best to explain what it's all about. FIFA 16 Ultimate Team is a mix of good old-fashioned soccer simulator gameplay and a collectible card game. By collecting the best players, you can forge an unstoppable ball-kicking monstrosity that crushes all opponents. Of course, this is an EA game, and that means you'll have to drop some cash to avoid grinding endlessly on your way to the aforementioned monstrosity.
Where EA’s efforts fall short is in content. FIFA 16 only features 12 women’s international teams, and there’s little to do with them except play through a generic tournament or exhibition matches. And of those 12, Japan - the US team’s rival in the last three major tournament finals - is conspicuously missing; the Japanese men’s team is, too, due to licensing issues, but the absence is more strongly felt in the women’s game, where Japan is one of the world’s best sides. It might have been unrealistic to expect extensive club team support, or a more comprehensive international game, but what’s there won’t really stand up to long-term appraisal. I play FIFA like my colleague Jamieson plays Destiny - a relaxing, long-term time investment that I can commit to little by little - and without an extensive career mode, no one’s going to be able to do that with women in FIFA 16.
Still, it’s by far the freshest addition to this year’s edition, and should prove a strong platform to build on in the future. The real test of EA’s commitment to the women’s game will be FIFA 17. Fifa, however, has nailed playability. Happily sitting between simulator and arcade classic, the temptation to press rematch is massive. The gameplay is quicker than its counterpart, and is also a hell of a lot more fun. The goals are more spectacular and the chance to get forward without having to passes thousands of time before reaching the box is significantly greater. When it comes to finding balance in your team it's still very important, and picking a well rounded team should still be a priority, but you don't have to give it as much thought as you do in PES, which makes the game more fun and users more likely to play more matches.
Fifa 16 also comes as a more complete package than its counterpart. The inclusion of nice little details like unforced errors (expect the goalkeeper to occasionally flap at crosses like an early-days De Gea), vanishing spray, and of course the return of Online Seasons, Be a Pro, Ultimate Team, and Career Mode, make it a much more exciting game than PES. EA Sports' offering is still the most complete and entertaining football game on the market, and with the variance of online modes and the inclusion of women's international teams, it's hard to argue against Fifa being a real crowd pleaser.
