Unlike its American football counterpart, FIFA 15 has consistently featured fantastic soundtracks and this year is no different. Perhaps it’s because it’s a series that appears to a world audience which appreciates more indie-leaning music, but there’s always been a fantastic mix of emerging artists — some of which have been featured in the game before reaching indie circles.
The FIFA series has long reveled in its own pomp and circumstance. Awash in league licenses and Ultimate Team microtransaction money, its self-belief was arguably greater than its on-the-pitch accomplishments. That being said, EA Canada deserves recognition for continually working on the series, adding to an ever-growing and vital list of game modes and chipping away at its gameplay to-do list. FIFA 15 is the big pay-off you've been waiting for. It isn't perfect, but it's a quality title that finally aligns many of EA's ambitions with firm results.
EA has never made FIFA from a sense of duty or sporting spiritualism. But now it has devised a machine capable of monetising the adulation of role-models with a precision that overshadows how the game imitates and celebrates the sport itself. Ultimate Team is brilliantly designed and compelling, but it’s also the Premier League - it represents a different joy, a different compulsion. It’s not an attempt to simulate football and all its pleasures.
As for Ultimate Team, a football sim Top Trumps hybrid and the franchise’s most popular game mode, many of the old truths remain. The gameplay is faster and more arcade-like than in the other modes, and the defenders seem more error-prone. As a consequence, this encourages online players to adopt an ugly, high-pressure, route one style of football, with an over-reliance on lofted through balls to a fast striker lurking on the shoulders of the defence – simply because this tactic is so effective. Ultimate Team is a still a fun and addictive game mode, but the beautiful game it ain’t.
There are some good ideas this year, then - and the bot-smashing infrastructure changes probably represent a mountain of expensive work, so respect is due - but overall FIFA 15 Ultimate Team still feels a bit flat. In many ways, it's the best it's ever been and yet somehow I find myself losing interest in it quicker than ever.
Final note:
Build your Ultimate Team
Earn, trade, and collect superstars like Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard to create your own fantasy team. Choose your play style, formation, kits, and more.
Play in Quick Simulation Mode
Put your management skills to the test with new Quick Simulations. Set up your squad, start the match, and watch it unfold. Make smart subs, tactical tweaks, and gauge team effort along the way. Your match results depend entirely on your ability to manage player skills and chemistry – taking authenticity to the next level.
