Another season begins, another edition of EA Sports’ FIFA ultimately follows. And the hotly-anticipated FIFA 16, out worldwide, brings the consumer new game-play additions, teams and game modes to help solidify it as the best soccer game on the planet. First up, game play is much slower than in previous years. The pace of the game gives the user more time to think on the ball. Buildup play and patience is key in getting the ball forward. Regular passes are slower, but you can speed the game up by using a faster pass (Right Bumper + A). The trade off being - yes, you can play a quick and hard pass - that the player will not be able to control the ball as well as they want to.

 

But this does save time when it comes to fingers pressing buttons. Instead of having to press ‘X’ three times to play in a low cross as the player approaches the goal line, a simple ‘Right Bumper + A’ will do the trick. Rain and even snow flurries accurately impact the look of the game. It's just too bad they don't have more of an effect on the player's footing, etc. Nonetheless, the game scores major style points based on the way it looks on your television or monitor. As far as gameplay, the passing and defending are more realistic than they were in the past. There are some hiccups with physics and collision detection.

 

For example, there were some instances when a player's plant foot went straight through the ball before a shot. There were other sequences in which the ball passed through the leg of a defender en route to the net after a shot as well. New additions of FIFA 16 offers players new ways to play. The female fanbase can very much look forward to the 12 new teams consisting of women’s national players. This brings the game’s entire league/team count to an amazing level, so every player (male and female) that is your fave should be present. Another new mode that does more to keep you hooked is the FIFA Ultimate Team Draft Mode.

 

Similar to Madden 16’s Draft Champions mode, you’ll get to build your team from a random selection of five players. Properly setting up your team leader and player positions is an activity built for beginner and expert players alike. The majority of fun that comes from this mode is the increasing difficulty of the four proceeding games your drafted team plays and the rewards that come from being victorious. More skillful players appear to have slightly greater control over the ball. Rotate the left stick and you can really see David Silva shift the position of the ball with the outside of his boot.

 

Defenders also move more realistically and are less likely to win the ball in the air if they turn their back on it, meaning positioning is crucial to dealing with danger. Sometimes it’s better to drop off and protect the space than challenge for every single ball. Players might be more agile now but they also deal with danger more pragmatically, taking the safe option when in doubt and clearing a ball into touch rather than risking it falling to an opposition player in a dangerous area. Also, navigating the menus is a dreadful experience - which is surprising given how heavily Ultimate Team uses them. Not only is every action as slow and sluggish as dial-up internet, you have to tap so many buttons just to perform a simple action.

 

Why can't we just see a list of all the players in our inventory and drag them into the team? Why do we have to assign them to the squad first and then do it? It's archaic, it's dull, and it's frustrating. With a refined gameplay that requires a more tactical approach to achieve success, fine tuning of numerous details, and deeper options for both online and offline play, FIFA 16 has proven yet again to be the quintessential title for fans of the beautiful game.