[rwp-review id=”0″]
Where to start with FIFA 15?
Let me set the tone: I’ve owned – or played – every iteration of FIFA since the game’s launch in 1993 with FIFA International Soccer, better known as FIFA 94. I’ve gone cross platform, from the Sega Genesis, to PC, PS One, PS3 and now PS4. I’ve even played the terrible to control iOS and Android games.
Back to the present day, and FIFA 15 is touting a whole new level of emotional intelligence for their AI. In essence, it’s meant to help the AI act more human, which is a great idea in theory but in practice, it falls a bit short.
FIFA is what you expect it to be. If you’ve played FIFA 12, 13 and 14, you’ll feel right at home. The controls are intuitive, the menus are clean – even more so with FIFA 15 – and the game is responsive. FIFA 15 takes what it did good, and polishes it ever so slightly, so it’s even easier to get in the game.
Graphics are fantastic. You can really see the development of the series in the player reactions – whether on or off the pitch – and even in the crowd. The 3D modeling is just that much better, that it really feels like a step up. The chants have been reworked so that the crowd feels a bit more lively. Commentary is slightly better, but there’s only so much you can say.
Gameplay
I could go either way on this, and I’m very much on the fence. There’s nothing special about it that sets it apart from the previous two iterations. If anything, dealing with the teammate AI is slightly more frustrating, often letting balls roll right through, or tripping over each other.
Dribbling is harder, with defensive players willing to throw their bodies on the line. With the right players, though, and the right sets of skill moves, you can make highlight-reel quality runs, which makes it more satisfying to pull off.
Defences in the game are much tougher to penetrate though, and that’s a good thing. You’re up by one and being pressured by the opposition team? No problem, flick through to the “park the bus” setting (yes, that actually does exist) and your defenders will pull all the stops to keep that goal out. Similarly, you can throw the kitchen sink if you’re a goal down and watch your team push forward… only to be caught on the counter. With any luck, your goalie will pull a fantastic save to keep you in it. Which brings me to my next point: new goalkeeping standards.
I love this new development in FIFA 15. For the most part, it’s virtually impossible to walk right past the goalie and score, as you were able to in FIFA 14.
Let me set the scenario for you: Welbeck, clean through on Lloris, angled shot to the right, easily parried.
Repeat. Fail again.
With that in mind, I took a monstrous shot with Debuchy from well outside the box, and that flew right in under the crossbar.
This is what I loved about FIFA 15. The occasional, over the top goals that you really do witness in the Premier League. They don’t happen often, but when they do, they’re just so sweet.
See the video below of Zlatan scoring a screamer from outside the box. It looks fantastic and gives you a rush that previous FIFA games didn’t give you, and it’s all down to the effort you had to put in to finally get that goal.
With that said, if you favor a long passing game, or are a crossing specialist, you may be in for a bit of trouble. Wing play is frustrating, mainly due to player positioning. I often found my RW playing as a RB, overlapping with the RB as they both run back and forth. It’s beyond frustrating when you attempt a forward pass, only to find your forward players are either next to you, or behind you, resulting in you giving the ball away too cheaply.
On that same note, hacking the ball away often means it will bounce over your defender and onto the feet of the opposition team. There’s actually an option to push your team forward from a goal kick. Just boot it up field and watch as you pass the ball once and have a strike at goal. It’s literally that simple sometimes.
In-game
The graphics are exemplary. Player reactions look realistic, especially with the updated goalkeeper dynamics. That not only affects the way players look, but also movement and reactions.
EA decided to highlight these changes by using in-game cinematics, or cut-aways, every chance they get. Although they do look great and highlight all the best things about the game, they do cut into your play time and sometimes just take you out of it.
For instance, every time the ball goes out of play, there’s a considerable amount of time before the player gets the ball, gets back to the line, gets ready to attempt a throw-in and then eventually go ahead with that command. Although you’re given the option to skip these, they do take some time regardless and it becomes an annoyance if you just want to go through with the game.
Ultimate Team
I’ve tinkered with Ultimate Team in previous iterations of FIFA, but never really got into it. This year just feels better. From the interface, to the addition of loan players to the actual gameplay, it just feels much tighter than before.
Having put a makeshift team together, I was impressed with how fluid getting into a tournament was. You’re met with goals to achieve – such as promotion – and it generally works really well. Winning and gaining points allows you to purchase packs that you can then use to upgrade your team, buy new kits, loan players, etc… It really is very well thought out and presented, and I found that much more enjoyable than your traditional ‘be a manager’ game mode.
Anything else?
The main screen presentation is great, with a clean layout that gives you up to date information from leagues around the world. You also get daily challenges where you’re tasked with completing real-world scenarios, such as overturning a deficit, and are rewarded with points. Online play is as you’d expect, and there’s a very active community in the region so you’ll get into games relatively simply. Commentators, similarly, seem much chirpier, but they do regurgitate facts often. Transition between commentators is smoother and even the speech seems more natural.
Verdict
A very comprehensive effort from EA Sports. It’s really only down to a few niggles that keep this game from having a higher score. It’s much more refined in terms of presentation and getting into the gameplay is seamless, especially for franchise veterans. On next-gen hardware, the difference in graphics, player animation and even crowd liveliness is noticeable, and adds to the fantastic atmosphere that the game tries to immerse you in.
Save for some very minor issues, this is the best FIFA yet and it remains the crown jewel in EA Sports’ licensed franchises.
