EA has an annual turnaround for it’s sports games, and FIFA is now in it’s 23rd release, meaning essentially that for the most part each new game comes with a series of tweaks rather than any huge differences. And this is mostly true of FIFA 16. The AI has been tweaked, making both teams work more like, well, teams. Passing the ball isn’t just as easy as pressing a button and watching the ball pass to a teammate. Now you have to make sure there is a good enough gap, else your pass will be intercepted. Massive goal scoring marathons seem to be a thing of the past, which, before you all cry out in protest is a good thing. Sure, scoring 8 goals in a single match kinda did make you feel like you were awesome, but it also kinda made you feel like you were playing a game.

 

Having the AI tweaked and forcing you to play better as a team to get those goals, makes the goals, when they finally come, that much more rewarding. Though the reverse is also true, when you defend badly and let the opposition score, it hurts so much moire because you know how hard it’s going to be to score the equalizer, let alone the winning goal. Pace has also been completely balanced with strength. Some may argue that pace and agility has been knocked back too much. Now, defenders as slow as Terry and Mertesacker are complete beasts. They will be able to outmuscle players like Messi and because the defensive AI holds a better line, you will find yourself chasing an opponent towards your own goal much less. Agile players can very easily be pushed off the ball. With that in mind, I expect that on Ultimate Team, players with amazing passing stats like David Silva will be more in demand than rapid but weak wingers like Walcott or Sterling.

 

For instance, the passing remains a huge annoyance - especially when stacked up against PES which perfects the art. You know that age-old adage about football, ‘the ball is faster than the man’? Of course you do. Everybody in the world apart from EA Canada knows it. In FIFA though, quick passing moves are off-limits due to the ball apparently weighing a metric tonne. Plus, the touch of players on FIFA is awful, with the ball control (or lack thereof) of top players often baffling. Each one of these cards can only be used once. However, they can be applied to each player as many times the gamer want but only one per player at a time. As it happens with positioning cards, its effects are permanent until a new chemistry style is applied to the player. When someone trade a player card, the buyer will keep the style that it is active.

 

There are 24 chemistry styles: 19 for outfield players and 5 for goalkeepers. An outfield player chemistry style can be applied to any outfield player. However, goalkeepers chemistry styles are exclusive to goalkeepers and outfield player chemistry styles cannot be applied to a goalkeeper. Chemistry style cards can also be applied to In Form cards, including Legends, and to players on loan. It's not necessarily a bad thing-it certainly gives FIFA 16 a more realistic tempo-but given the fact many matches against the CPU are already unspectacular, low-scoring affairs, it leaves you with an experience that feels diligent, thoughtful, yet ultimately a little-whisper it-boring. FIFA 16 may occasionally give into the Dull Side of the Force, but at least it's progressive in other areas. At long last women are represented in a football game. Considering the impact last year's terrific Women's World Cup had on broadening the appeal of the sport, this is a welcomingly inclusive move on EA's part.

 

Whether you're a long ball merchant or tiki-taka technician, you can adjust these settings in the custom tactics menu. FUT Draft is FIFA 16's standout new mode, and although it comes with a high entry fee (15,000 Coins or 300 FUT Points), your prize is always good, coming in the form of packs. The more matches you win in FUT Draft, the bigger the payout. Playing an online FUT Draft bears greater rewards than offline, so it's always worth a punt taking on human opponents and seeing how far you can progress.