FIFA 16 adds women's national teams, some career mode features, a new Ultimate Team mode, and a host of gameplay changes. Here's how it stacks up. Players must tailor their approach based on the team being used. Yes, you can "play beautiful" as FIFA 16's marketing has encouraged, but don't expect much of it at lower level teams. This makes it a slower, perhaps even more boring, game to play at times as the ball bobbles around midfield, or passes either ricochet under control or dawdle their way towards a player. It’s more authentic at times, but many would say that they play FIFA for enjoyment and fantasy rather than to recreate endless 1-0 and 0-0 games.
Thankfully none of this madness seems to have impacted EA’s FIFA 16. It should come as no surprise to fans of the series that this latest rendition continues to expand and improve on an already robust footballing experience. It brings the flair and excitement of the beautiful game to life, while retaining the realism and depth that football fans demand. And with each annual update, there is always that nagging question of whether it’s worth the investment for those who already own a previous version. So with that in mind, this review is going to point out the shortcomings of last year’s game and what’s new in FIFA 16.
Those are the additions that attracted most pre-release publicity, but FIFA 16 also makes some pretty notable changes that affect the flow of the game. As mentioned at the start, there’s only so much EA can do with the existing engine, so these changes are restricted to altering, or re-balancing pre-existing systems. Regular FIFA players will quickly note that ground passes are a lot more sluggish. Passes that would have been fairly soft in previous editions now travel with the impetus of a ball kicked in wet sand by a toddler. To get any sort of pace on a pass, it’s now necessary to use the new ‘do a harder ground pass, you idiot’ modifier of (on a basic Xbox controller) RB. Abstracting ‘harder pass’ to a separate button combo (instead of just holding down A longer) is, frankly, a bit rubbish, but some of the accompanying passing changes do appear to be for the better.
Likewise, presentation during matches has also been altered for the better. New information graphics have been incorporated into gameplay, which feature details such as player transfer fees and individual player statistics, and although they don't represent a huge step forward, it's nice to see your team's current star get highlighted before kick off, and it helps the release build an even more believable campaign - especially in career mode. Graphically, FIFA 16 hasn't changed all that much since last year's iteration. There's some better lighting and more detail to be found in many of the included stadiums, but player models still look slightly awkward at times, and some embarrassing clipping issues remain, if you know where to find them. Make no mistake, though - this is still an attractive footy sim, it's just that we'd like to see a bit of an update on the visual side of things by the time that FIFA 17 rolls around. As it stands, FIFA's looked just about the same since it first appeared on the PlayStation 4 - and that was three games ago.
FIFA has long indulged fantasy scenarios and alternate-reality leagues and schedules. Look no further than Ultimate Team, which FIFA originated in 2008, isn't rooted in any kind of reality, and still is the franchise's most appealing mode of play. FIFA Ultimate Team has, by a mile, introduced me to more spectacular performers in world soccer than watching two World Cups or all of NBC's Premier League broadcasts. It gets a boost this year with something called FUT Draft which, like its Madden NFL "Draft Champions" counterpart, lets players assemble a highly rated squad for short-term use, rather than labor through building an 85- or 90-rated side. Draft mode isn’t the only concession to accessibility. Inter-match drills are better than ever, teaching genuinely useful skills and strategies, while a new built-in trainer surrounds the current player with a glowing ring plus context-sensitive prompts for appropriate buttons to press. Old-hands can switch it off quickly and without remorse, but if you’re trying to learn FIFA or teach someone else, you’ll find the trainer’s tips invaluable.
