FIFA 16 comes with the promise of enhancements and new ways to play
Whether you call it soccer, football or the beautiful game, the world’s favourite sport is once again in the limelight with the anticipated release of EA Sports’ FIFA 16. It’s a title that sends many into a frenzy, and keeps folks glued to their televisions throughout the world, making it no surprise that the series is quickly approaching its twenty-fifth year of existence. Following an off year, where the game that was released felt familiar and far too safe for its own good, FIFA 16 comes to us with the promise of gameplay enhancements and new ways to play. Looking to fix the wrongs of yesteryear, it hopes to reclaim the throne that it once felt like it owned. Goodbye complacency.
Career Mode perhaps has less to shout about but the changes that have been made, are very welcome additions. Player Training allows you to mould and develop young talent as you see fit for the first time, and Preseason Tournaments have changed a normally turgid first four games into an event of their own. Again in combination with a host of other balance changes, Career Mode is quite clearly the best iteration for a few years. But it also carries its usual baggage of “what might have been”had EA really pulled out all the stops. I live in hope for another year but either way, it's best in class. One of the fastest ways to earn coins, other than buying them with real money, is to play online. EA has a variety of different types of online modes this year, ranging from matches involving your Ultimate Team squads to online seasons that are played against real players. I ran into very little lag in the matches I played, and it looks to be fully featured.
These attributes are still as important as ever, and it's more than possible to power through defences with the likes of Christian Benteke, or make a dash down the wing using no touch dribbling with Gareth Bale - it's just no longer weighted to one or the other. The problem with this slower pace and more deliberate build-up play is that FIFA 16 loses that little bit of magic along the way. With a much slower pace overall, players really have to fight for every inch of space, although FIFA 16 does, in fairness, give players more tools than ever to eke out that extra yard. On the flip side, playing defense also requires a disciplined mind. The A.I. speeds down the flanks, often kicking and running onto the ball to try and blow by your backs. I had to take better angles and carefully initiate tackles, even small ones, otherwise I'd be left standing. Thankfully, A.I. centerbacks often step up, challenge, and cut out passes.
When it was crunch time around the edge of the box, my defenders would stick out a leg to deflect balls. “FIFA needed a year like this,”writes Gamespot. “Without serious competition from Konami’s PES in the past few years (until now), and with Ultimate Team keeping players playing and paying all year round, there’s been no pressing motivation to ring the changes.” “Without the Olympian velocity of a Cristiano Ronaldo or Yaya Toure’s adamantine strength, finesse is imperative,”writes Ben Wilson. “That means recycling possession among midfielders and full-backs until a tantalising defensive gap offers a through-ball opportunity, or an out-of-position opponent provides a brief window in which to cross.”
EA have added another layer to celebrations now, meaning that if you score a goal and belt towards a cameraman at the side of the pitch, the view will switch to that of the cameraman, as your player knee slides towards adoring fans or simply just shouts into the lens. It’s an impressive moment when it happens, and is a good demonstration of the game’s autonomous power, but it’ll more than likely get old by the end of September. Normally hitting the post or in the buildup to a decisive penalty would cause your controller to rumble, but now you’ll feel a shudder in the midst of a crunching challenge.
Jam packed with top modes and great presentation, FIFA 16 continues EA’s tradition of offering lots to get stuck into. However, when it comes to gameplay, it’s a different story altogether. Against other humans it’s enjoyable enough, but play against the AI on higher difficulty settings and its flaws are very much apparent. More frustrating than fun, FIFA 16 is one of the most disappointing games in the series to date.
