For the last few years the FIFA series had been flagging, barely changing from one year to the next. This year, however, EA Sports have used the move to a new engine on next-gen consoles to bounce back, introducing a wide range of useful, if poorly named, new features. Some of the game modes are the same as ever, and the Creation Centre has been dropped, but the developments on the pitch are remarkable and work well to make this one of the FIFAs in years.

With the release of Fifa 15 I feel that the series has stagnated and is struggling to find ways to keep the series evolving, but then again what can they do that they haven’t already done? Fifa 15 is another quality addition to the series which has been on top ever since Fifa 08, but it just feels that they have simply run out of ways to innovate the series. With Pro Evo 2015 promising to finally get their act together it may leave Fifa in a venerable position and could be forced to relinquish their spot at the top of the table.

The Fifa 15 soundtrack headliners include Avicii, Foster the People, Vance Joy, Rudimental and Milky Chance, making the soundtrack much less indie than in prior years. More pop and electronic music definitely prevail. Some more indie-type bands do make their way into their deeper parts of the soundtrack including Tune Yards and The Kooks. On a song by song basis, this soundtrack falls short of those from prior games. But, the soundtrack does an excellent job of providing an upbeat feel for gameplay and its diversity makes for an interesting listen in any case. Fifa would be a great game without its soundtrack, but it’s refreshing to see a gaming franchise as invested in their music as they appear to be.



The players in this years FIFA are sharper and more intelligent than ever before. If Madrid's Pepe thunders into Barcelona's Lionel Messi with a heavy challenge, the four time Ballon d'Or winner will let it slide (excuse the pun). But if Pepe goes in for an equally heavy challenge Messi won't be so accommodating, with a confrontation sure to ensue. FIFA claim there are over 600 emotional reactions available for each unique situation players may encounter on the pitch.

Now that most players fly around at lightening pace, defending can be an absolute nightmare. First off, you need to catch your opponent first before you can even attempt to tackle the opposition. Even then, chances are that the ball will ping around between dangling legs and you’re left in the dust anyway! A new added feature which brings in a new element of defending is shirt pulling. This makes up for the physical battles in FIFA 15 becoming less effective, especially against the CPU.

Here are some things I've noticed fifa 15've FIXED:

Player ratings during solo careers is less intrusive and seems a bit more lenient.

Most defenders don't do a 180 and boot the ball way downfield when kicking the ball out of bounds. They still boot it way up in the air, and they still do some twisting. But it's way better than FIFA14.

Can now choose what news to share with your friends among all the various activities you've completed. You can even thumb-up or comment on other friend's news.

You can share your UT team with friends so they can see what you've got.

You can create your own tournaments, though I haven't done this yet.