Like a scout evaluating a kid who could become the next Neymar, I’m still going over everything that the multiplatform FIFA 16 has to offer. I’ve put in plenty of minutes on the pitch - and have my fair share of yellow cards to prove it. But in this case, I don’t want to leave anything on the field. I’ll make sure it’s all in my final review instead. I still have some thoughts to share regarding my experience with EA’s latest soccer title - played here on Xbox One - which releases today. Think of them as the kickoff to the kickoff. Finally, women’s teams have made it to FIFA. You can now play as 12 of the most prominent international squads, re-creating some of the best matchups from the recent Women’s World Cup.
Simply put, if any major team sport needed to be representing the women’s side of the game, it’s soccer/futbol. As the world’s game, it’s a sport embraced by cultures all over the globe and played by both men and women at high-skill, professional levels. The sport is experiencing a resurgence in popularity in the United States as well–themselves winners of two FIFA Women’s World Cups–so there has never been a better time to make the extra investment of development time and expense to bring women to the game. The EA SPORTS interviews regarding the feature thus far have also spoken to the inclusion of women being oft-requested by fans of the series, so it’s a good win by the development team on that front as well.
The downside of these changes is that matches can often turn into a ping-pong battle. The AI does a better job of knowing when to attack and hold onto the ball, but all too often does the opposition AI just kick the ball back and forth in the back-half of the pitch. If you do push forward in formation, the opposition will push further back, which is fine -- you’d expect to see that in a real match -- but on higher difficulties it’s nigh impossible to steal the ball unless the AI tries its luck with a long pass to a contest in the air, which rarely happens. Some matches can go minutes without the ball changing teams, and I think this might frustrate players after a faster, more attacking style of game. Even though I embrace and utilise FIFA 16’s enhanced focus on defence and maintaining possession, it can sometimes lead to a pretty dull football experience. That’s a balancing act EA Canada needs to address in next year’s iteration without ditching this year’s defensive focus.
Overall then, FIFA plays a better game of football than last year. I’m fairly pleased with what they’ve done but my mixed feelings remain in some areas. General control and ball movement still feels slightly beyond you, by which I mean it feels like you’re constantly fighting the ball and never quite getting it to do what you want. I don’t really mean that as a criticism because I think part of it is down to the game’s realism; playing football can be quite hard and accurately directing a ball under pressure is a tricky thing to do. I also play with fully manual controls which probably doesn’t help. By comparison, PES always feel like you have real complete control and if you see a pass you can make it. You might make the odd mistake but it feels like your mistake. I would say that in PES, misplaced passes and shots are down to the pressure that you, the player, might be feeling whereas in FIFA there is the additional element of player character error and physics which can result in misses whether you yourself are feeling pressure or not.
Defense has really been given a face lift, and it begins with slide tackles. In 2015, slide tackles were less a slide and more a tackle. In FIFA 16, players will actually slide, allowing players to break up plays they normally might not be able to. While timing these tackles will take time and practice, the satisfaction of breaking up a play that seemed out of reach is exhilarating. This ability to win the ball more easily on defense is coupled with a more intelligent AI companion. AI defenders will not longer cost you goals - at least not as frequently - since their placement on the field is more accurate to real football. This might seem minor to some, but there is nothing worse than conceding a goal when you changed players to a defender horribly out of position.
Overall, FIFA 16 is a return to form for soccer’s most popular video game franchise, and ushers in a welcomed new way to play with the introduction of female teams. It’s a very solid pick-up for anyone in the market for a footie game, and exists as another step forward for the critically acclaimed series.
