This year the situation of FIFA 16 was different. EA Sports admitted that it was necessary to refine gameplay and that's what they did. FIFA 16 is more stable, has fewer 'bugs', and within lies the hidden potential of some high quality football, but it's still not a perfect game. Far from it. FIFA was already a complicated football game, especially for beginners, and the new edition does nothing to improve that situation, with new dribbling and passing options, plus some scrambled button configuration.
The first thing you’ll notice when jumping into a match in FIFA 16 is how much slower everything feels compared to last year. This reduction in speed allows you to take the time to consider your next move, and you’ll need to think carefully as the game isn’t as forgiving as it has been in the past. Pace abusers will be stopped in their tracks, and splitting the defense with a through ball or a mazy run is much harder to achieve, and rightly so.
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The addition of the new Passing With Purpose feature allows players to make direct, decisive passes across the park. However, I feel that there are still too many instances of ping-pong passing in the game, which is an issue that has resurfaced in the last few years. Veterans of this time-tested franchise are in for a rude awakening, at least through their first few matches. The series’ varying levels of defensive quality, depending upon the season, has once again been ratcheted up.
This is a move that while making the game more difficult for aggressively minded offenders, actually plays more true to the way the sport is actually played. The emphasis on shutting down drives early and nullifying the “long ball” forces players to use the entire squad, not to mention pitch, to push an advantage. The result is a far more authentic, team oriented feel. Roughly translated: things are going to be hard at first, but will improve as you learn to use players more like a cohesive unit.
Also, these added defensive smarts apply on both sides of the ball, making defense a bit more manageable than in prior installments. Your favourite stadia are all in there, recreated in unbelievable detail even down to the different dugouts. When you can spot Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher in a blown up photo on the inside of their stand you know EA put in the hours with these little touches.
For newcomers there is an on the fly tutorial of sorts with the FIFA trainer. By clicking the Right Stick you can turn this circle that surrounds the player on or off. Having it on means that it will give an arrow to show what direction the ball and the player are heading towards to help in controlling where the ball is directed when passing or shooting the ball. It also shows the button prompts to help recognize what moves can be performed and at what time. For example, it will come up and say Head Pass and the button needed to make it happen if the ball is coming from a height.
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.
