EA’s Visual Trainer (also present in NHL 16) has been implemented in FIFA 16, but doesn’t work too well. I’ve used a couple of FIFA beginners as guinea pigs to test this and both said it was more distracting than helpful. There’s also a distinct lack of advancement in the control suggestions offered (for example, ‘ground pass: X’ will be on screen for a very long time). Elsewhere, FIFA 16 does see two very good additions, one of which presents a crucial moment in the history of sports games.

 

Women’s football has been covered for the first time, rounding off what has been a breakthrough year for the female version of the world’s favourite sport. Speaking of features transferring over from other EA Sports games, FIFA also gets a variant of Madden’s Draft Champions mode in FIFA Ultimate Team Draft. Instead of having to purchase packs of cards, you can now start a draft, choose a captain (usually your highest rated player), choose a formation, and fill out the rest of the roster with different picks. You then play matches with your team, and if you win four in a row, you win coins that will help you purchase packs of cards for the original Ultimate Team feature.

 

On that note, sprint fiends, consider this your warning. Blazing across the field in an attempt to attain solo glory will result in a lost ball more times than not thanks in part to improved defensive AI and a few other factors. The backline is smarter when it comes to closing gaps, shutting down runs, and intercepting passes and shots from their opponents. If you are more of a risk-taker or someone who likes to play on the counter, the new driven pass (X & R1/A & RB) is a way to ping low incisive passes.

 

These passes do come with the added risk of being harder to control as you’ll often see the pass recipient struggle with their first touch. I have to say that this by far my least favorite new feature. In playing vs the CPU you will often see them spam these passes frequently throughout the match. They also struggle with the concept of when to use them as they will occasionally fire one back to the keeper or to a teammate only yards away. Freed of this albatross of small-minded oppressors, we can actually see, praise, and highlight flaws with the women's game in FIFA 16.

 

The positives are manifest: more fans of the women's game, be they male or female, will see something of actual interest to them in the game. One of the most popular games in the world has, finally, found a way to open itself up to (potentially) more popularity. And it plays well. So I cracked open FIFA 16 and fired up the PS4. After going through the mandatory introductions, the game eventually landed on the menu. It was then I realised my time away from the game had put me a long way behind the eight ball. What was this over-complicated, multi-faceted menu process? Sure, more-dedicated souls than me probably found no issues with the menu layout, but yours truly was left scratching his head with the amount of options and the difficulty in manoeuvring around.

 

What’s less clearly stated in game is that your draft team is temporary, and completely separate from your regular FUT team. After completing the squad, you’ll play up to 4 games. Win all 4, and you’ll receive a really nice FUT prize pack you can apply toward your standard FUT team. Win fewer and, well, you’ll get a lesser prize. Once those games are over, your team is GONE. Permanently. This was a bit of a shock, having gotten used to having Messi on one wing and Luis Figo on the other.