Gamers in the United States rejoice today with the release of FIFA 16. FIFA is one of the most popular video games in the world, and fans have eagerly waited for the newest version. EA Sports has made a few tweaks and updates to the beloved game, which many hope will enhance the gameplay experience.
First and foremost, this game features women’s national teams. Heeding the calls of many fans, FIFA has decided to add women to the game, albeit only a select number of national teams. The women have a different rating system, and play differently than their male counterparts. You cannot play men vs women, so no Alex Morgan on Arsenal or anything like that. After playing the demo, I can confirm that it is a uniquely different experience playing with the women.
As for gameplay there are a couple of feature updates that have really been garnering some interest. The first being the updates for defending players. Teammates will help to close gaps when you are on ball defending, while you can recover quicker from slide tackles instead of flopping around never to recover. Additionally, players will anticipate passes to better intercept the ball.
On the offensive side, the biggest update has been the on ball dribbling. Now there are a multitude of options for movement without bringing the ball with you, the ultimate juke option. This leads to more precise passing, which helps your build up play. These are just the next steps to making the gameplay more realistic.
As for the game modes, there have been some updates to Ultimate Team, including the brand new FUT Draft. You get to draft a squad based upon random packs, and then you play an opponent earning rewards as you go along. If you win four games in a row, you get the best rewards. There are also some new Legends to play with including Alexi Lalas and Landon Donovan. EA has also improved the interface for Ultimate Team, making it easier to navigate.
My favorite mode on the game is the Career Mode. EA listened to the fans and made some big changes that should be exciting. An interesting addition is Player Training, allowing you to advance individual players by taking them through training drills. This is a perfect way to help your youth system players develop, or take that budding star to the next level.
The other big changes are to player transfers. Firstly, you will have an opportunity to choose which preseason tournament you play in. If you win that tournament, you get a nice bit of bonus cash for your transfer budget. With the extra cash, you will be able to buy players with more realistic transfers, with constantly updated player values. You will also have some more options for loans, including a new 2-year loan option. Another addition that I absolutely love is being able to sign free agents outside of the transfer window. This is perfect for someone like me who somehow has an unreal amount of season-ending injuries right after the transfer window closes.
Most of the reviewers are pretty happy with the game. A heavy majority give the game somewhere between 4 and 5 stars, which in the video game industry is pretty darn good. Is it perfect? Of course not, but the changes they have made are pretty good. I give this game a double thumbs up.
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