Unfortunately, as much as we had wanted to pit Claire Rafferty against Lionel Messi in open play, the game keeps the men's and women's teams segregated. Still, users can engage in online and offline tournaments, or just go for some casual head-to-head match play. Oh, and if you're a little bit confused, running the World Cup and lending its name to this series of branded soccer game is actually what FIFA is for. The whole "getting arrested on well-overdue corruption charges" thing is actually more of a hobby. Despite the evident admittance of its influence, it's also particularly commendable that EA Sports has sought to rectify the midfield shortcomings of yonder. As noted extensively in our review of FIFA 16, the middle area of the pitch was always void of any real contestation, never the place where games could be taken by the scruff of the neck or seemed to have any real effect on the overall procession of play.
Now, however, the general gameplay manages to mostly capture that balance of allowing you the sort of malleable room to really work towards a pattern of play and not be let down by a flimsy mechanic or one of those tried-and-tested balls over the top. It's a refreshing change, and while not perfect - EA Sports' post-demo tinkering being one of the culprits - it means that every match plays out in a more distinct and individual way. And unlike years before, playing the computer never feels too formulaic or monotonous either - a testament to the effort leveled towards arguably the most important aspect of the game.
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The ability to reconcile an authentic game of football with an entertaining package has been the forte of EA’s prestigious footballing franchise in recent years. Once an isometric, arcade-style game, it has evolved into a critical and commercial behemoth that plays a fine approximation of the beautiful game. With every annual update bringing the subtlest shifts, the 2016 offering opts for a move towards greater realism and midfield attrition. Slide tackles have also undergone some treatment, with new animations being added to the game. In addition to this, a new mechanism allows players to jump back onto their feet quickly during a slide tackle, once again helping them to keep up with offensive players. With so many interesting adjustments to gameplay, and the inclusion of women’s football for the first time, this edition of FIFA is looking very promising indeed.
But it didn’t need to be. All the refinements this year - bar the rather piecemeal inclusion of women for the first time - are big improvements. They are noticeable improvements if sometimes maddening improvements like defending being easier and harder in different respects but it is all for the better. Most importantly, though, all of the tweaks are based on real feedback from the people who matter most... the gamers. EA have finally been brave enough to tackle their passing mechanics and like it or not make them more challenging. Now this won’t please everyone, but it will the purists and is sure to increase longevity.
FIFA 16, whilst not as graphically enhanced as this years version, appears to use a very similar in-game engine to the PS Vita version, and the slightly faster paced play was much more akin to what I was used to. MFi controller support was also supported and even better news followed as proper support was included for game pads with only two shoulder buttons. The new in-game engine looks prettier but doesn’t feel all that different. Despite my general dislike for virtual thumbsticks, I very much prefer that and buttons for mobile FIFA than the gesture-based controls, but it’s nice that you have options. User-controlled celebrations are in the game this year as well.
The easier skills move execution and overall dribbling does result in players unrealistically seeing more time on the ball in opponents’ penalty boxes however. This is true up to Semi-Pro mode where you can find a reasonably skilled attacker shaking off defenders and passing within the box in a manner similar to Germany during their 7-1 demolition of Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. It’s important that you try to develop your youth talent by gently easing them into the first team and if you have trained them regularly they could start to make an impact. If you frequently train your experienced players their market value will grow and then you can make more money in the transfer window.
