Well this is very interesting. For many years now EA Sports' FIFA games have been absolutely dominated by pace across the football pitch, fast passing, fast players, that all seemed to work in the past. Now? Not so much, and I couldn’t be any happier. Every football or soccer fan will know that some teams can play attractive football, some others can’t. Well, from my personal experience with the FIFA 16 demo, this contrast in footballing style has been captured like never before. You look across the world of football and the main stereotypes usually read something like this; Spanish football is technical, English football is fast, Italian football is slow/patient, well this demo provides that perfect balance.
Like a diehard Arsenal fan (I’m not) admiring a Spurs goal (it would never happen), I’ve adulterously found much to admire in PES (my review will come soon). However, I’m not ready to fully switch my allegiance just yet - partly because the two games can co-exist and can both be enjoyed for different reasons (if there was ever a PES-Fifa merger sometime it would be pretty great), but mainly because Fifa still offers a very good game of football. EA’s old master has much tougher competition than it’s had in a while but it’s far from being beaten.
Last year’s game was all about speed and you could button bash your way from back to front in a few seconds. EA have finally been brave enough to tackle their passing mechanics and like it or not make them more challenging. Now this won’t please everyone, but it will the purists and is sure to increase longevity. Your passes will go awry and short sharp passing becomes the name of the game until a gap opens up out wide or through the middle. New driven passes are a joy and my favourite new feature.
The game offers a vast array of options, more then ever, and it even changes some of the button’s actions since last year. This can be quite complicated to manage during a match, even more so if you’re not a big FIFA player. This, coupled with the relentless defensive AI, makes it very difficult to practice the beautiful game. It is a more realistic offering, especially considering the European style of play, where teams usually defend well, and where there is great pressure in the midfield. In this sense, players will need to clearly significantly improve their overall game if they want to play decent football in FIFA 16. The question is whether they will have the ability or the patience for it.
For people already spending money in Ultimate Team, that isn’t going to matter. The rewards make the cost of entry worth it. But it eliminates what could have been an intriguing way for others to play the game. Draft Champions in Madden has been found to have widespread appeal. FUT Draft is not going to reach consumers in that same way, and as someone who doesn’t care for Ultimate Team it’s almost insulting to see a feature promoted in the manner it has been only to discover it’s not meant for anyone but the heavily invested and dedicated Ultimate Team player.
Overall FIFA 16 is much improved this year. The integration of AI interceptions and the increased agility of defenders creates a much more even battle between attackers and defenders. Something that’s been desperately needed for a while. The general gameplay feels far more realistic. I feel like when I play a match in FIFA 16, I’m playing it the way I would see it played on television. This is huge for me. I think I’m falling in love again.
