Even this long-time dedicated follower of Fifa has had his head turned by the increasingly impressive Pro Evolution Soccer. EA’s response to the fiercer fight for supremacy has been to continue doing exactly the same thing it’s done for years to justify each new annual release of its big-selling franchise - namely making enough improvements on and off the pitch to evolve the game without revolutionizing anything. Some of the changes work better than others, or are at least more noticeable than others, but the overall effect when combined is that they edge the series forward a little bit more than last year.

 

There’s quite a difference in how the women’s game plays out though, and it’s evident that EA has spent a lot of time refining and taking into consideration the differences between the two. The men’s game remains very fast-paced, with counter attacks and interceptions remaining at the forefront of scoring goals. In the women’s game, the whole pace feels ultimately slower, making for a more calculative and precise game of football. It feels unique and genuinely independent, which is a major positive in the grand scheme of things. Career Mode has overseen a couple of notable improvements, of which the most significant is the inclusion of pre-season tournaments, which give you the chance to earn some additional funds during the off-season and experiment with players and formations.

 

To get the basics out of the way first, FIFA 16 offers an untold amount of modes to mess around with which comes with the territory for the series and offers the same managerial, player career, league games, championships etc. from various events like the official Capital One Cup or Barclays Premier League, alongside International events. It’s all here in its licensed glory and looks the part thanks to a cluttered but manageable front end which has changed little from its tiled predecessor. In a nutshell, players can sink their hearts and minds into as much or as little as they care to choose and that even extends to creating fantasy teams and players if that’s your calling. There’s no denying that FIFA 16 is rather complete with its offering and for the first time includes a much publicized Women’s only championship event which is a welcome addition but does take a back seat in terms of options compared to the regular Men’s game.

 

One of FIFA's positives in the past has been the amount of reality they try to bring in to the game and this time as well they have got that perfect - in terms of the players faces, stadiums, commentary and more. Football is all about goals, even when played as a video game. But FIFA 16 is more frustrating for a user than any other previous versions. More emphasis this time has been given to build up play and possession but it might take you while to figure out which players are suitable in your team. There is just no possibility to outpace your opponent with perfect through balls and you will hardly see strikers going one on one with the keeper unless you make a huge error.

 

Overall, the football-playing part of FIFA 16 UT is sorely lacking in customization options and also in tactical options. The only aspect of your team you can change is formation and mentality, nothing else. You can't even decide who takes a corner kick or a penalty kick. I took a look at FIFA 14 while writing this review, and I was amazed at the depth of tactical options that game had compared to this one. I understand that EA probably tried to make the game more accessible to newer players, but more options never hurt; you just ignore them if you don't care about them. FIFA 16 UT doesn't even have player ratings at the end of each match, so you'll have no idea who's playing well and who's not. I could go on about all the really basic features missing from the game, but I think you get the picture. But hey, at least they've added goal celebrations for the first time, a feature EA has been trumpeting for months. So, yeah, priorities.