FIFA is a game that divides the community like no other. On one hand there’s the online crowd, partly comprised of Ultimate Team fans who prefer a quicker pace and in general, more open gameplay. On the other, there is the offline simulation bunch who like to slow things down (whether it be through changing gameplay sliders or the speed of the game) and play primarily vs the CPU in Career Mode. While there are some who can navigate between both worlds, it’s clear that the two groups have separate ideas of what direction FIFA should take. If early indications are true, it looks like EA has listened to and catered the game to the simulation crowd.
The complete package is as substantial as ever, and those who’ve acclimatised to FIFA’s play style in recent years will likely consider it good enough. But in the face of much stronger competition, ‘good enough’ might not actually be good enough. With its biggest rival matching its dynamism and beating it for fluidity and responsiveness, EA Sports has work to do if FIFA is to regain its title as king of the digital sport. This sequence is the story of FIFA 16, from its participants, to the tools used to deliver the goal, to the cathartic payoff that sent me leaping from my seat. Sports video gaming is at its best when you’re fighting your ass off and the miracle comes through. And when it does, no game rolls out the TNT like FIFA 16.
All of this has a domino effect, with the lack of space making dribbling in FIFA 16 a complete chore. There little to no room to express yourself with the decent players let alone the star ones. Given the reliance on top players in FIFA 15, especially their pace, I get what EA has tried to do, but they’ve gone completely the other way. Dribbling feels like you’re battling with a combination of your controller and the game itself. It doesn’t feel responsive, with players taking an extra touch or two rather than moving in the direction you want. It almost feels like you’re trudging through mud. As a result, before you know it the opponent is on top of you in flash or simply shuts down the space you want to move into.
One of the new features, no touch dribbling, helps to somewhat alleviate the frustrating nature of the dribbling, but far from a solution. Plus, this facet of the beautiful game isn’t all about feints and skills, so it really shouldn’t be a “fix” in any case. In previous games, the star players looked fantastic but outside of the world’s elite, the game was scattered with generic heads and faces that bore no resemblance. Now, every player from the Premier League games we played looks fantastic, and while it may just be a small detail, it’s a good move. In general, across the entire game, EA has piled a whole host of new animations. They are regular, yearly additions to the game but always go a long way towards improving it. if nothing else, the animations keep the game feeling fresh, and more variation means it is less likely for fans to get bored of the same rigid tackles, shooting mechanics, or cut-scenes.
But Fifa 16 is a game mostly of minor tweaks: small changes to defending and midfield dynamics that manage to limit the power of fast-paced, powerful players. In recent versions of the game, it was possible for someone playing as Real Madrid to punt it to Ronaldo and have him run magically through every defending player - that has been fixed. For that reason, those tweaks are minor but quite important. And they’re extra significant in the women’s mode, The Guardian notes. The contributions of two of the more heralded additions - the career mode's training component and Ultimate Team's draft mode - are not clear-cut winners. The training is great because you progress your players in the areas of your choice through the season, and it's been a long time coming, but it becomes a drag because you can't automate which players you want to do what. Therefore, it becomes a chore to set up every week. Thankfully, if you don't use it, your players still progress.
FIFA 16 is undoubtedly an impressive beast of a game that's stuffed with official leagues and licenses, game modes and other little touches that add flavor to the match day experience. EA's noble quest for authenticity certainly has its benefits, but there are times when the slower pace and more deliberate build-up play takes the shine off what is, after all, a video game representation of the beautiful game. It makes those wonder strikes and team goals all the more magical when you pull them off, but you're going to have to work a little harder to make these moments happen.
