FIFA 15 was a game that received initial critical success. There were notable improvements (foul system & presentation) from EA’s first Next-Gen soccer offering, FIFA 14. However, once the dust settled and the initial euphoria wore off, the game proved to be horribly unbalanced making defense painful, containing a stale Career Mode riddled with legacy issues (Youth Academy & Winter Gear bugs, lack of transfers, and lack of variety in CPU teams), while also suffering from inconsistent goalkeepers despite EA’s “Next Gen Goalkeeper” feature.

 

Thankfully, the team over at EA Canada have listened to feedback and have turned it into the best game of the series to-date in FIFA 16. In farming terms, this could be seen as quite a fallow season for the reigning, defending champ of football sims. Wondering which is this year’s best football game? If you want a comparison between FIFA 16 and PES 2016, you’re covered here. Having said that, most great keepers are damn reliable in FIFA 16. Their positioning and decision making typically match their real life counterparts, with several distinct goalkeeping styles that are obviously different on the pitch.

 

Where things matter most, it absolutely is. And FIFA 16 certainly delivers an improved on-pitch experience when compared to FIFA 15, in that there’s little doubt. It’s not a night and day style revamp by any means but in a number of key areas the game has refined itself into the most balanced football interpretation EA have produced in quite some time. That was one of EA’s core aims for FIFA 16, and credit where it's due, they’ve achieved it.

 

It of course starts with the obligatory updates to team kits, line-ups, player stats and so on, along with slightly revamped menus. The midfield-dominated low-scoring (bar one incredible 5-3) matches that unfold don’t offer instant gratification or constant excitement, but through being challenging and absorbing they are ultimately satisfying. The foot and ankle rotation is probably the least noticeable of the new mechanics. Whilst you do pull off some nice outside of the boot shots and passes, for the majority of the time not a lot has changed.

 

The commentary is once again very well done. They’ve added in transfer notifications as you’re in game to give you more bits and pieces to watch while the ball is out of play etc. The licensing elsewhere of course brilliant too. There are countless leagues and teams, as well as fifty stadiums. Most of the top player faces look good, though there are quite a few laughable efforts below the elite level. Also, the general fidelity is pretty low. Fog is probably EA’s most touted visual addition for FIFA 16, but it obviously doesn’t affect gameplay too much, other than it can occasionally be somewhat annoying.

 

Another new key addition is the introduction of player training. Each calendar week, you can choose up to five different drills to be taken on by up to five players (one per drill). You can play through these yourself, or simulate - but the results might be worse. These drills are basically the same Skill minigames that the franchise has featured for a few years as a sort of tutorial. While optional, this training mechanic adds a layer of progression that you can apply to your individual players - which helps especially with youngsters. As a Player Career pro, you can also do the drills weekly to improve your stats gradually.

 

Another area where it shows that the women didn’t get equal attention is in the player models. The players are not nearly as detailed as their male counterparts, which takes away from what is otherwise a beautiful game to look out. Instead of Alex Morgan looking like her gorgeous self in FIFA 16, she instead looks incredibly awkward. It’s a shame since a lot of casual sports fans in the United States can name more women who are a part of the U.S. National Team than men.