There was a time when you would fall in to one of two camps: FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer. That time is long since passed. Sadly, Pro Evo hasn’t been relevant since a few years into the shelf life of last generation’s consoles, as the unstoppable money machine at EA actually managed to not only churn out a fully-licensed, well presented product - but an unbelievably playable one as well. The bottom line is that FIFA 16 is a better game of football than FIFA 15. It’s simply a far more realistic, more balanced experience, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise either has a hard time adapting their style of play or is simply not very good. It’s not without its flaws of course, but we’ll get to that later.
In match, the defensive A.I. is much improved. Defenders will properly use their bodies to slow an attacker down, giving their help time to get there. From my time playing too, it seems like defenders are more likely to get in the way of a shot or cross then they were in previous iterations of the franchise. It also appears that the defenders are more aggressive with their challenges. Frequently I’ve lost the ball to a slide tackle, though it makes it more satisfying to dodge a tackle completely giving you an open path to the net. The aggressive A.I. also tends to give you more opportunities to draw fouls with clever play. Sadly, there appears to be a bit of a catch-up mechanic with the defenders. Oddly, the defense in FIFA 16 seems a bit to eager to kick the ball out of play instead of sending the ball back to the keeper or just clearing it deep.
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There are multiple occasions when I’ve been chased down easily by a slower defender when I’ve was sprinting up-field with my fastest players. At least the mechanic works against the A.I. as well, so at least you can chose to be a little aggressive defensively. There are other elements of the game which have improved significantly too, aside from just those listed on the box. Some of these in fact are much more important to play, and so it is odd that EA did not choose to highlight them as well, but nonetheless, here they are: First of all there are more tactical options available to you now during a match. When you are taking a free kick or throw in, you can now switch to the receiver of the ball to better position them. You then simply call for the play and the rest is magic. This can make some of these set pieces a lot easier to master and perfect.
You can also tell your teammates where to position themselves in the box for a corner; a feature introduced in the World Cup game and one which also makes set pieces more adaptable, useful and meaningful. Every football match deserves a bustling stadium that feels alive and pumps you up to face your demons on the ground. FIFA 16 does that with barely any effort. The polished spectator animations tell you the flip sides of a crucial clash, as I recollect Madridistas battling it out on a rainy night at Santiago Bernabeu with my bunch of traveling Gooners. The audience yells lungs out whenever you are about to take a corner, they cheer ahead of you whenever you net the ball. The dying moments at Anfield especially when Liverpool is on its way to seal a victory grows mad with waves of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.
On numerous occasions, the mass chant of ‘Come on You Gunners’ fired me up to cross a ball earlier than expected inside the six yard box. Players are more emotional after scoring a crucial goal, as every victory dance and celebration feels different and raw. The pitch takes the heart of the match, and the weather conditions predetermine how the match is going to end. EA Sports righteously optimized ground clarity during matches played under the rain, and left one to his remorse when the ground was covered with thick white ice. The new pitch wear and tear technology leaves behind reminiscent of hard tackles and dives, as you hurry the ball alongside your favorite flank.
I can no longer say with any certainty that the FIFA development team have a clear plan about how they are going to ensure that their game remains the top football simulation available, yet what they have done here-as they always seem to do-is build upon last year’s effort with some solid new features that, with some more tweaking, might just lay the groundwork for a truly revolutionary football experience. And yet, for all of its shortcomings, FIFA 16 is still the one to beat, its passionate, stirring replication of the real game is simply second to none and it proves beyond doubt that there is life still left in the old series yet.
