Learn a little, play a lot? That’s the apparent credo of this week’s top new and updated Android apps, and FIFA 16 Ultimate Team leads the latter front with an upgraded take on the top soccer simulation. However, games aren’t the only focus this week, as the much-celebrated Khan Academy brings its library of free educational video lectures to Android. The rest of the picks shift back towards fun and leisure, thanks to the addictive challenge of frantic platformer HoPiKo and the Star Wars/Marvel mash-up allure of Disney Infinity: Toy Box 3.0. And if you love Starbucks, the latest update adds convenient online ordering to the app. Take that as a dare to custom-build a truly absurd drink this weekend, if you like. Live a little.

 

“FIFA needed a year like this,” writes Gamespot. “Without serious competition from Konami’s PES in the past few years (until now), and with Ultimate Team keeping players playing and paying all year round, there’s been no pressing motivation to ring the changes.” But Fifa 16 is a game mostly of minor tweaks: small changes to defending and midfield dynamics that manage to limit the power of fast-paced, powerful players. In recent versions of the game, it was possible for someone playing as Real Madrid to punt it to Ronaldo and have him run magically through every defending player - that has been fixed. For that reason, those tweaks are minor but quite important.

 

Speaking of Messi and Ronaldo, FIFA 16’s graphics have improved so much that those two aren’t the only guys in the game who actually look like themselves. Even lesser known players from teams you might not see on TV have incredible similarities to their likenesses. We know because we actually googled some of these players to verify that fact. This is especially noticeable in all of the cinematics and cut-scenes that make a game of FIFA 16 look identical to watching a televised World Cup game. We highly recommend checking it out for yourself, and the easiest way to do that is by scoring a goal and sprinting over to the cameraman for a celebration. You won’t be disappointed. 

 

The commentary, like most other sports games, gets repetitive after a while and simply becomes background noise. But it does hit the nail on storytelling in career and FIFA Ultimate Team modes. Both Tyler and Smith do a good job of filling the player in with what’s going on with their team, whether it’s what happened in the last match, how the team has performed throughout the season and even new player or manager debuts. They talk about the importance of pre-season tournaments and are aware about the difference between a men’s and women’s game. Both Tyler and Smith also hit the nail in their commentary in the women’s games and treat the women’s games as they do the other men’s matches - an awesome sight to see given how much importance there was on their inclusion into the FIFA franchise.

 

As for the online portion, it seems to work fine, although I’d still recommend playing with friends. If you have like-minded buddies, who feel the same way about this sport as you do, you’re far more likely to become engaged in memorable matches. As for the functionality of the online servers, it seems all right, with the exception of a few misconnects. Chances are, if you can get a few reliable and enthusiastic players to participate again and again, you can have tons of fun throughout the fall and into the winter. I have found that, like the Draft, it’s all about finding just the right pieces for any given team. There will always be morons online (sadly unavoidable) and when it comes to in-depth sims, you must weed out the dopes and play with skilled players who simply enjoy the competition.

 

Also, as good as the "FIFA" franchise is, I lament that there's no viable challenger to the throne beyond the "Football Manager" series, which focuses almost completely on the areas and nuances that "FIFA" couldn't possibly cover. While some features have seeped across from "FM" to EA Sports in manager mode -- it's now entirely possible to craft a formation and range of forensic in-game player roles so absurd that not even Marcelo Bielsa could imagine it -- there is a need for another contender in this space. The learning curve will surprise you as you grapple with the drastically upgraded player moves and spend your transfer budgets like Florentino Perez after the Real Madrid Christmas party but once you get comfortable, you'll keep playing as I did.