I am happy to say that handballs, broken in FIFA 15, work now. But as of right now fouls by the CPU are a bit on the low side. A deeper dive into the tactics, instructions and mentalities of players and teams might lead to the root of this issue. One area in which FIFA 15 nailed was fouls and so far my experience with FIFA 16 has produced mixed results as some matches will see aggressive pressure applied by the CPU (especially in the Barclays Premier League) resulting in a lot of fouls while others will produce maybe 2 fouls all match (Default World Class – 10 min halves). Breaking up attacks never felt so rewarding even if it means that you have to put in the tackle yourself as for some reason Tactical Defending still lacks a “Teammate Pressure” button. Although the individual ratings don’t show it, it feels as if player awareness has received a huge boost. The activity levels of your defense have been magnified ten-fold as your CPU teammates play passing lanes, cover gaps and track back on defense. Whereas this is great when defending 1v1 it’s the “Defend as a Unit” that gives me the most satisfaction (especially as a Chelsea supporter). Hips swivel freely as you can now track runs and close down on defenders with swing-steps. You’re now able to keep up with some, not all, of the game’s most adept dribbler’s thanks in part to these changes in locomotion and mobility. I was initially worried when EA released their video touting “Defensive Agility” as it appeared to ignore basic human physics but seeing and feeling how it works in action feels right. The headline feature regarding defending is “Confidence in Defending” and it’s an incredibly accurate one. With FIFA 16, that is certainly not the case. Due to the dreaded jogging animation, incredibly agile dribblers, and curious positioning by your backline, playing defense in 15 literally felt like you were on the back-foot. When coupled with a foul system that gets it right the majority of the time, the gameplay can be quite organic and unpredictable.ĭefending in FIFA 15 was easily the game’s weakest area.
With an increased level of physicality attributed mostly to the refinement of the Ignite Engine, players no longer act like rag-dolls when colliding. If you thought FIFA 15 had countless animations, you will be in for a real treat with this year’s version as some of them are just breathtaking. Player stats, first-touch, quality of the pass received, and body position (of both the offense and defender) will determine what animation plays out and how successful you will be in gaining the advantage. Turns, acceleration bursts and movement in general is dependent upon a multitude of variables. Players have a sense of weight allowing for more human-like reactions when it comes to player locomotion. The speed and pace of the game has been slowed down allowing for more midfield battles and less end-to-end action. While you’re still capable of pulling-off the spectacular, the game has been injected with a dosage of realism and balance.
Thankfully, the team over at EA Canada have listened to feedback and have turned it into the best game of the series to-date in FIFA 16.įIFA’s tagline this year of “Play Beautiful” is little bit of a misnomer. However, once the dust settled and the initial euphoria wore off, the game proved to be horribly unbalanced making defense painful, containing a stale Career Mode riddled with legacy issues (Youth Academy & Winter Gear bugs, lack of transfers, and lack of variety in CPU teams), while also suffering from inconsistent goalkeepers despite EA’s “Next Gen Goalkeeper” feature. There were notable improvements (foul system & presentation) from EA’s first Next-Gen soccer offering, FIFA 14. If early indications are true, it looks like EA has listened to and catered the game to the simulation crowd.įIFA 15 was a game that received initial critical success.
While there are some who can navigate between both worlds, it’s clear that the two groups have separate ideas of what direction FIFA should take.
On the other, there is the offline simulation bunch who like to slow things down (whether it be through changing gameplay sliders or the speed of the game) and play primarily vs the CPU in Career Mode. On one hand there’s the online crowd, partly comprised of Ultimate Team fans who prefer a quicker pace and in general, more open gameplay. FIFA is a game that divides the community like no other.