So another year gone and a new football season has begun, of course with a new season comes a new Fifa game from EA, this year EA have really pushed the boat out on quality testing with the BETA access being released for avid players to test the game and the demo having the new mode FUT (Fifa Ultimate Team) Draft to play and test out.
So with that being said the game shouldn’t have any flaws…right? Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, EA are top of the list at getting the most out of their fans/players whether it’s money for ingame purchases or added extras on the full price and some fancy new name like super duper deluxe king edition (not the real name just my interpretation of what it is) which can take you back at least £80 now for a flawed game it feels like daylight robbery that users have to pay that much for a computer game.
Let’s not slag the game off before we’ve even played it now, but Fifa 15 was one of the worst ones for me…yes worse than Fifa 08.
I’m going to start on the newest feature added this year, FUT Draft.
FUT Draft, this feature is used under the banner of Ultimate Team where you can select from five formations (completely random) and from that select your captain which can contain top players like Messi and Ronaldo or even Legends (Sorry Sony) and even players from the current TOTW (Team of the week). Once you select your Captain you then have the choice to select each player position for the position or pick your bench and reserves or you can do a random selection from the CPU and it picks random players for you. You then need to pick your manager which will boost the team’s chemistry. Chemistry is a big part of this game mode and ultimate team as well, if you see the below video you will see why.
The chemistry works on what league your player plays in, what his nationality is and whether they play for the same team.
So how much to play this incredible game mode you ask? Well it costs 15,000 coins or 300 Fifa points, you can play it online or offline for the same price. Sounds steep but if or when you win you can aquire 2 mega packs, an all gold player pack and a premium gold pack which can contain little gems or in my case, absolute crap. Apart from that FUT has not changed, although the TOTW players have a new look which I absolutely love.
Improvements have been made to the single player mode as well, I’m a massive fan of offline game modes in games, maybe because i’m an only child i was used to playing single player (Cue the Violins). EA have really listened to the fifa community this year and have made career mode a really enjoyable experience, you can now train your players to improve them and raise their stats, you can enter pre-season tournaments to gain a better understanding around your team and win a little extra transfer budget. They’ve also improved the transfer market to make it more realistic and real to life. Fixtures have had an overhaul and now look more realistic to real life schedules, no more games on Tuesday and then another on Thursday and another on Saturday…it seriously would NEVER happen, so thank you EA.
The menu has has a colour revamp and works well, no lag, in game sound has a fresh new soundtrack which will get boring after a few months I promise but its new FIFA guys and girls…who cares.
EA have done a real good job on the stadium sounds as well, the crowds sound more authentic and have more chants for games, they even pop up with little player chants when he/she is playing really well… that’s if the player has one, being a lifelong Chelsea fan I noticed little chants that I hear week in week out for the likes of Costa and hazard, these little touches are quality for me.
More added improvements are the addition of the women’s international teams, i think it’s a good addition although i personally don’t use them in the game as i don’t like the way they play it’s not because they’re female athletes it’s just a personal preference i’m all for female engagement in sports but i simply prefer using the club teams, their movement seems sluggish, ball physics just don’t feel right to me.
On top of those additions there are the new skill games to sink your teeth into and the gameplay…wait i’ve not got to that yet have I, hmmm well let’s put it this way EA have made real improvements, speed is no longer the best form of attack, passing has been gutted and really takes getting used to, there is the new jockey feature that EA has thrown at every video they have published which works with the LB and the left stick, it’s used to send your opponent off and look the other way personally i prefer to shout at them like “is that the queen??”
The team really does work for each other this time as well, the midfield helps and gets back and the more creative you are as a player the better you will play.
With the additions of new skill games, better physics, new game motions for team mates what is new? Well EA have now made the CPU hold onto to the ball more and I mean MORE! Good god, playing a side like Barnet and they keep the ball patient playing and smart movement, this is on Professional by the way World Class seems impossible to win the ball. Teams like Barcelona and Arsenal who build their play up are such a beauty to watch in real life and on Fifa 16, I found them playing me off the park but I weren’t even mad it was such a new thing that has been included it makes players focus more and will better players in the long run.
They have again continued to capture all the premier league stadiums and now have captured more player game faces, as well as that they’ve grabbed the licensing for the German league (bundesliga) to add more realism to and already license boosted title.
Summary
Having played every Fifa since 95 i can safely say this is one of the best ones up there, EA have captured so much, i’ve only rated it an 8.5 as the more EA look to squeeze as much money out of its consumers the worse of they look and the players may look to jump ship like they did last season and play PES which is already a great game.
The FUT Draft is a tidy little game mode and the massive improvements to career mode has made this a great football sim.
