EA’s latest football game FIFA 16 just saw its official release in the North America this Tuesday, 22nd September whilst the game is said to be launched in the European regions today. While others are reviewing FIFA 16 on current-gen consoles, we at TechNewsToday purchased a copy of the game for Xbox 360 and the PS3. It’s obvious that FIFA 16’s current-gen console version differs from the old-gens in almost every matter, especially when it comes to graphics.
We tried out FIFA 16 on Xbox 360 earlier today and to be honest, players on the old-gen console look absolutely bullish. It’s depressing to see that even though FIFA 16 is the latest entry in the books, FIFA 15 still has better graphics on the old gen consoles. Let’s be clear from the off FIFA 16 is not a huge step forward for the franchise. 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.
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They are noticeable improvements if sometimes maddening improvements like defending being easier and harder in different respects but it is all for the better. There are a few bullet point features EA wants us all to talk about, but the simple fact is they all feel minor on the pitch, and so hardly worth talking about at all. Defending has more animations, but will still make you feel like you can hardly do anything unless you mastered the clunky tactical defending introduced a few years ago (or switch to legacy defending, obviously).
Keepers have also been improved this as they now protect their front-post much better, come off their line quicker, and command their box with authority on crosses. They will still make the occasional howler (something not uncommon to real life keepers) but some of the new punch animations look so life-like it’s scary. I’ve seen two-handed punches by keepers who were interfered with called fouls and the occasional nasty blow being delivered to the head of a player resulting in them staying down with an injury (no concussions yet, but they can injure their shoulder if they land on it). Now that we’ve looked at the defense let’s head over to the offensive side of things.
The changes make FIFA 16 more of a chess battle stretched across two halves. The pace, better defending, and emphasis on build-up play through the midfield create a new challenge that makes every goal and victory feel many times more rewarding. There are also other changes in the game though most are cosmetic or additions to game modes. For starters, the game menu contains the same tabs but now pops out thanks to a spectrum of vibrant blue colors. The home tab also contains a window for promotional videos for EA’s online tournaments plus tutorial videos on how to play the game. Neat and convenient!
The FIFA series has always been one of the more visually impressive showpieces on consoles. The same can be said in FIFA 16, as it looks wonderful, with every green speck of grass achieving great detail. As is typically the case with a new FIFA, the animations have been updated and improved. Players move more realistically and navigating through tight areas feels better; it is just an all around improvement on the visuals front. At long last, there are new weather patterns to experiment with as well. Instead of your boring rain, sun, etc., you can now select options such as random rain, variable flurries, etc. While this being a new inclusion is a bit comical, it is a nice touch to an already very realistic product.
All this comes together to make FIFA 16 one of the best looking sports games around. If you have a passing interest in soccer or need to experience the women’s version of the sport, buy FIFA. Equally, if you love Ultimate Team and have to immerse yourself in a wealth of game modes, FIFA is a great game. If you’re a footballing purist though, who craves beautifully fluid play alongside a set of animations and tendencies which captures the nuances of top players, FIFA is now a long way behind Pro Evo.
