The first thing you’ll notice about FIFA 16 is that it’s harder to score goals. Messi may be on the box art again, but the latest edition of this best-selling football sim focuses on defence. In previous games it was fairly easy to draw out opposition players, creating space in behind for an attacker to occupy and a pass to be played into. FIFA 16’s teams, however, have been watching Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and now hold their shape much more stubbornly. The result is a game that’s more realistic and tactics-driven than ever before. Especially if you fancy yourself as an armchair Mourinho.
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.
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The other key new mode is women's football although it may not be as fully fleshed out as some would like to see. It has been interesting in some ways that it has taken this long for EA to get a female component of the game done given the popularity of female football in the US. However, they wanted to get it right, and they have. There is a clear difference to how the females play in the game, and it very much reflects that of the real-world style differences between the two sexes. While crunching tackles still occur, it's more about technique and skill and the movement of the players is a bit different as well. The women teams are fun to play, but the mode is not as fleshed out as it could be. There is no league format (only an international team available), and you cannot create custom female players, something that will no doubt disappoint female fans of the series. Still, it's a good start, and hopefully EA uses this to build upon in the future.
Lets talk defending. FIFA 16 gives you the tools to stop your opponent with confidence. You can move with greater freedom as a defender unlike before and you’ll be able to rely on your team to defend as a unit, and your back line to track menacing runs to create a better balance between attacking and defending and of course there is Defensive Agility… What’s that you might be asking? Fifa 16 has a new suite of 25 feature changes to defensive locomotion creates agile defenders that track attacking opponents. Defenders are able to seamlessly close down space and change direction using swing steps, creating balance in 1 v 1 situations. Defender acceleration time to top speed and greater freedom of movement help defenders stay with their opponents as they look to break up attacks. Always Remember the key to defending is of course Defend together, win together.
Each year the tuning done to the Fifa engine by the EA team changes the overall ‘feel’ of the action. This year’s play is slightly slower and more considered. Possession football is the name of the game. Perhaps Louis van Gaal has been used as a consultant this year. When you’re in attack extra care and precision are required to carve out any of the few clear-cut chances that emerge during matches. You’ll do a lot of passing the ball around, often backwards or sideways as you look for openings. When defending you’ll need to bide your time waiting for the opportunity to snatch back possession while the opposition strokes the ball around. Even lowly League 2 teams are adept at stringing passes together, forcing you to choose between patiently sitting back or chasing shadows.
The latest version of EA's flagship football game, with super-duper star Lionel Messi gracing the cover, once again delivers without surprising. The gameplay is improved with new tackling mechanics and animations while passing and finishing have both been upgraded to make it an even smoother experience. The pitch and players look sharper and it's getting even harder to tell the difference between real-life coverage and Fifa coverage.
