In recent years, FIFA has been good. It’s gained a reputation for being a fun if not tactically realistic experience, and it’s one that gamers have latched onto with tenacity. There were of course vocal detractors on the web (angry people on the internet? Say it ain’t so!), and the FIFA team at EA Vancouver set out to change things up. During a recent studio visit, the team openly acknowledged that last year’s effort was enormously unbalanced. To that end, the defensive side of the game has been shaken up - defensively, this is a whole new ball game.
That's pretty much how the gameplay goes as well. If you invest time into this game, you'll master the nuances and gameplay secrets (which are bountiful). If you flick the game on for a 'quickie' once in a blue moon, you'll get your arse handed to you time and again. Which is the beauty of FIFA 16: It's a hard game to master, especially when defending. It looks great and is another jump up in being responsive. New women’s teams might attract more female gamers, which can only be a good thing. Other than than that it’s getting a bit samey and I feel like I shouldn’t be forced to pay for packs on Ultimate team really.
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Moving ahead, the most impressive feature that got us off our seats while playing FIFA 16 was the “No Touch Dribbling” mechanism that allows players to change their directions swiftly while dribbling without even touching the ball. Hands down to EA for coming up with such a technique, it was absolutely beautiful to dribble past defenders in FIFA 16. After all how can you possibly review a game that you don’t truly know you like, love or hate until you have played it for at least a couple of months?
FIFA 16 is seemingly at a point where the series (and those making it) don't really know what to do. It's similar to the FIFA 97 era, or the pre-rebirth period before FIFA 08 when the game was outright bad. But this time around, the lack of real direction isn't because FIFA is floundering - it's because the series is at the top of the pile, and has been for more than half a decade now. This means FIFA 16 is an iterative upgrade to last year's game, rather than something that offers any resounding new mechanics or changes to the way you play.
For the first time in FIFA’s history, you are now able to play as 12 of the world’s best women's national teams. When this feature was announced the reaction was very mixed. Once the demo hit and the community got a chance to play as them the mood did a complete 180. EA Canada has nailed the look, passion, and overall feel of the women’s game. Female specific animations and face/body scans lead to an accurate visual representation while also contributing to the unique playing styles. Brazil’s Marta feels dangerous on the ball with her agility, pace, and skills while Team USA’s Amby Wambach is noticeably stronger and lethal in the air.
The only downside to this addition is that you can only use them in Exhibition Mode and the Women’s International Cup. Once can only hope that EA will continue to grow the mode adding more National teams and possibly even Women’s Club Teams. What does it mean when the sports game you were hooked on for an entire year changes enough the following year to force you drop down a skill level to relearn how to play?
This is the question I grappled with the first few days with FIFA 16, this year’s edition of Electronic Arts’ association football game. The answer was a positive one with a welcome change of pace that makes this year’s offering more in tune with the real-life game than previous titles. It helps to give the player more of a personal experience with their club. These upgrades are being built onto an already very strong career mode, filled with scouting loaning out, and purchasing players. The FIFA career mode has about everything you could desire in a soccer-themed franchise management simulator.
