Football! With that note of excitement hanging in the air, allow me a moment of clarity. FIFA is a tough game to review. It's an aggregation of several years’ worth of features and modes, all of which are changed and updated to varying degrees with each iteration. Anyone who’s played FIFA, or PES, or any sports game will know, it’s impossible to really know how you feel about that game until you’ve played it for months; Loved it, hated it, loved it again, and then decided it’s, you know, alright for a game you’ve played for 300 hours. Their support seems to be somewhat conditional, however; if the human player is moving and advancing, they will too, but the briefest of pauses will stop them and leave the player to a smothering AI defense. Keep moving and keep passing.
The opposition defense is much smarter about interfering with passing lanes and intercepting passes, which provides a more earnest challenge (particularly at advanced difficulties) and backs FIFA 16 off its predecessor's overabundance of big plays. Users still must play a very active defense without expecting computer teammates to help as much as they do on offense. But when I recognized the CPU building up its attack in the same way I would, I started jumping its passing routes, picking off the ball without attempting a hazardous tackle. Part of the reason the women’s game showcases FIFA at its best is because the player skill level isn’t quite so high, and thus the occasional heavy touch or mistake means it’s easier to regain possession.
In the men’s game, you can go several in-game minutes without coming close to touching the ball. When you’re in control, FIFA is a little snappier than it has been of late – it doesn’t take as long to release a pass, and you’re more likely to get a shot away before a defender steps in with a last-ditch challenge. Luckily, EA Sports appears to have both noticed and thought about what it could do to broaden Ultimate Team’s appeal. FIFA 16’s solution is FUT Draft Mode. Choose a difficulty level then choose a formation. Now pick a captain from a selection of world-class players to build your team around. Finally, pick your other players, get them in position and choose your team a manager, looking all the time to build synergies between your players that will affect the overall chemistry rating of your team.
When you’re done, you can compete in a series of up to four matches, staying in and winning bigger prizes until you’re beaten. Coins, packs and loan players are all up for grabs. So, yet again, we have a FIFA title that looks great, remains fun and, crucially, is addictive. However, it plays the type of football that would make David Moyes proud. Physical battles and one-on-one contests are more responsive than ever, but alterations need to be made to the success rate of headed goals from crosses. If this translated to real life, Moyes would still be Manchester United manager and the Red Devils would have beaten Fulham 82-2 in February 2014. This year's game prioritises an entertaining and accessible formula over the complexities of football. The short, snappy basics are key to success in a title that replicates real football in everything but the on-field gameplay.
Aside from enhancements to core gameplay, and adding women's teams, FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) is back. This is a feature that lets you put together a ragtag team and turn it into a championship winning outfit. But doing so takes a lot of time and energy and involves acquiring players through card packs. Not so with another mode, FIFA Ultimate Team Draft. This mode lets you experience the best of FUT in just a few matches. You'll build a team, filling out each position and play four matches in a row to win rewards for your club such as rare players, boosts to attributes and coins that you can use in FUT.
And what of the old debate pitting Fifa against old rival PES? As demonstrated by unending schoolyard squabbles on social media, it’s an almost redundant debate – both games are edging back towards peak form, yet neither is likely to coax ardent fans of one series into switching sides. What isn’t in doubt is that EA’s game offers the superior package. Ultimate Team, career mode, online seasons, female players, dozens of leagues and hundreds of teams all with weekly line-up updates, bespoke overlays for Premier League and Bundesliga matches … the feature list goes on. While on-pitch matters between these two old foes are too close to call, Fifa’s breathtaking scope secures yet another silver pot for an already heaving trophy cabinet.
