About this time last year, I was putting the finishing touches on last year's iteration of EA Sports' soccer IP. I spent over a week playing through every game mode, trying to see what worked and what needed fine tuning. At the end of my review, I had some minor problems with what I felt was a truly finished product. Some minor issues with goalkeeping, missing additions in career mode, and lack of official stadiums were at the top of the list. Ultimately, I found an amazing product that I put in over 500 hours in over the course of 12 months. Addiction problems aside, I was looking for specific upgrades for FIFA 16, and I've found that a little fine tuning goes a long way.
Smaller additions include new celebrations such as running to the camera or towards your bench as teammates flood the scorer and the crowds chant your name. New weather conditions are always welcome as this season’s entry adds hazy and foggy conditions among others resulting in unique scenarios unavailable in the orthodox ‘Clear’ or ‘Cloudy’ conditions. Players can now also hold the right bumper when passing to launch a powerful driven pass across the pitch which I used more often than I thought I would have to spread the play quickly and attack from the other flank. Other modes such as co-op seasons and Pro Clubs have stayed almost the same.
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At times though, it feels like the defensive AI was tuned too far in the direction of space coverage. Headed clearances and other loose ball situations are taken rather lightly by defenders, preferring to hold shape than chase a favourable ball. Similarly, dangerous players are given a wide berth in the centre of the field – too wide for my tastes. Tactical changes can help alleviate this apparent defensive complacence, but this is the one defensive area that feels less than natural. Having said that, most great keepers are damn reliable in FIFA 16. Their positioning and decision making typically match their real life counterparts, with several distinct goalkeeping styles that are obviously different on the pitch.
Creative Director of the FIFA series Simon Humber unfortunately passed away early this year and to honor his great contribution to FIFA and EA Sports, creative team at EA Canada worked tirelessly to recreate Portsmouth FC's Fratton Park Stadium as a tribute to Simon, a big Pompey fan. Rutter, who worked very closely with Humber along with the entire creative team, acknowledges how deep Humber loves the game, "I worked with Simon daily for seven years, and feel like I - and the team - lost a family member. In terms of his legacy within FIFA, he was the daddy of Ultimate Team, and played a big role in career mode - many of the features coming this year were ones he was leading development on."
Everything you do in FIFA 16 earns the players an in-game currency called FCC, which is largely tied into the game’s micro-transactions and Ultimate Team mode. Other than Ultimate Team cards, the coins can be used to buy a variety of alternate kits and extras. I found the currency system to be pretty well balanced, and was able to regularly buy new kits to use. One of the fastest ways to earn coins, other than buying them with real money, is to play online. EA has a variety of different types of online modes this year, ranging from matches involving your Ultimate Team squads to online seasons that are played against real players. I ran into very little lag in the matches I played, and it looks to be fully featured.
When it comes to selecting a manager, choose the boss who either manages in the league or is from the nation that the majority of your players are. This will give you a nice chemistry boost that can end up having a big payoff on the pitch. Once you have your squad, it's worth taking a closer look at each of them before heading into your first game. While the bigger names' strengths and weakness will be immediately obvious, knowing the more obscure players' weaker foots, heading capabilities and where your team is strongest is your best bet of preparing your approach to a match.
The widely popular Ultimate Team returns with the inclusion of a new pay-to-play (15k EA Coins or 200 FIFA Points =~$2.67) “Ultimate Team Draft.” This new mode within FUT sees you build your squad from a five player positional draw. Start out by selecting your desired formation before selecting a captain. From there you’ll fill out your squad as you would in the regular FUT mode, taking into account team chemistry as you set your lineup. Once your squad and manager are set, you take to the competition, whether it be single player vs the CPU or online against human opponents. Rewards are then doled out based upon your success. EA continues to set the bar with the success of Ultimate Team but the verdict is still out on whether or not this pay-to-play mode will be successful.
