EA’s waxed lyrical about ‘reactive AI’ in the build up to release, and it’s clear from the start the impact this refinement has on gameplay. As opponents make runs on and off the ball, defenders and midfielders move quickly to track that run, but in this year’s game, another player drops in for cover in the area vacated. This single move makes formations more solid in defence, while still allowing fluidity in attack. Strictly speaking, you shouldn’t really see a formation in real life when attacking - only when defending, and FIFA replicates this brilliantly.
EA have finally been brave enough to tackle their passing mechanics and like it or not make them more challenging. Now this won’t please everyone, but it will the purists and is sure to increase longevity. Your passes will go awry and short sharp passing becomes the name of the game until a gap opens up out wide or through the middle. New driven passes are a joy and my favourite new feature.
FUT returns to FIFA 16 with an emphasis on perfecting team chemistry (players from the same country, club and/or work well together), but the star of this year's version is FUT Draft. This mode gives players the chance to take a randomly generated team (not the same one they create in FUT) and battle other fans with the goal of winning four consecutive matches for big-time payouts in virtual currency. This is great for two reasons.
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First, you don't have to disassemble your FUT team. Second, it's the ultimate test of skill, where you must win four straight games with a random group; on a side note, this lets you compete with players you may not have received in those aforementioned card packs. FIFA 15 introduced players with emotions, which did help make the game more immersive and gave your players on the pitch a bit of personality - especially when called up by an official.
However they also tried to include the linesmen, and FIFA 15 made a ridiculous deal about zooming into a linesman after an offside call only to see his sarcastic sneer and mouth twitch. The same snarky animation. Every single time. The star players do truly resemble their genuine partners now and are, in all honesty, a gem. The colossally well known - and hugely lucrative - Ultimate Team has had a couple changes however it is still ensured to convey a lot of controller-hammering minutes.
EA Sports have buckled down on enhancing the overall gameplay and it’s paying off as the diversion steadily gets to be harder. No one makes the action on the pitch look quite like EA does. The graphics aren’t console quality, given what the PS4 and Xbox One can now do with player likenesses, but they’re impressive. And since FIFA has licenses with almost every pro league worth mentioning around the world, the number of real uniforms, badges and stadiums you can assign to your Ultimate Team is as impressive as usual.
Last year’s big gameplay feature was the ability to use either virtual controls or gestures to control your team, but this time around, the thumbstick and buttons get top billing. They’re not bad, though early feedback from players suggests that many people aren’t fans of the tap and slide button used to control side tackles.
