The more things change, the more they stay the same.
This review is going to be a little different to those you normally see here on Kotaku. I figured Iâd do it via bullet-points, since thatâs the language sports games tend to speak these days.
WHATâS NEW
FIFAâs crown jewel has long been the fact it holds the rights to the English Premier League, the worldâs biggest and most popular annual football license. But FIFA 15 is the first year EA has actually doubled down on that property, and itâs fantastic. All 20 Premier League teams have their own stadiums in the game, there are custom match intros and more expansive commentary. Itâs taken years but, so long as youâre playing an EPL game, FIFA 15 can finally meet the matchday presentation of American sports games.
WHATâS CHANGED
Goalkeepers have had a significant upgrade, and it makes a big difference. Not necessarily when it comes to their behaviour â though I have seen a few more instances of âsweeper keepingâ than usual â but their construction. In terms of your shots finding the back of the net, goalkeepers used to be a giant hitbox. You either got it past them or you didnât. This year their stance and movement really makes a difference. Iâve scored a lot of goals where the ball has dipped under the keeperâs butt, or deflected off an extended shin, and likewise Iâve seen some terrific saves be made with shoulders and knees. It really helps make shooting and scoring (or not scoring) a lot more realistic.
A big complaint Iâve had with FIFA over the years has been its fear of counter-attacking football. Through-balls rarely found open space, and even when they did, defenders could easily run down attackers. Not this year. EA have done a complete 180, with through-balls cutting easily into wide open pastures and attackers able to bolt through onto goal once theyâve got the ball. Some people will complain this throws out balance, but as someone who enjoys this style of football â and letâs not forget, a lot of teams score a lot of goals like this â I love it.
Ball movement has been drastically changed, and while it doesnât grab headlines or dominate back-of-box marketing, itâs the biggest alteration (and improvement) to this yearâs game. Both shots and crosses have a lot more fluidity and variety in their delivery, meaning you donât just see balls come in along the same handful of predictable trajectories. Crossing in particular feels a lot punchier than it used to, and long passes along the deck donât feel like theyâre stuck in the mud.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE
The way the game has opened up attacking football is welcome, but only in terms of passing. Thereâs a weird tendency with AI-controlled players to take the ball and run, regardless of who they are of where they are on the pitch, which at times can get ridiculous. Steve Sidwell is not Lionel Messi, but FIFA 15 thinks he is.
EAâs roster of licensed international teams is a joke. While it boasts loads of teams from all over the world, few are using their actual logos and kits, which makes international tournaments/games look strangely low-rent for a series that otherwise prides itself on its licensing and presentation.
I get what EA was trying to do with the global scouting network in career mode. Make it a more organic process, stop people simply poaching the best players on the planet at the click of a thumbstick. But what theyâve got here is too slow and too cumbersome. I can understand having to scout unknown 18 year-old kids from the Bundesliga, but do I really need to assign a scout to tell me how Jack Wilshere plays?
We know, Ultimate Team is now the cornerstone of not just the game, but EAâs business surrounding the game. So itâs top priority. But I wish elements like Be A Pro and Manager mode were given a similar level of attention. They havenât seen any real changes in years, and while series like NBA2K forge unique sports game experiences â turning them into a commercialised RPG â FIFA lags well behind for those who game mostly on their own.
WHAT DOESNâT NEED TO CHANGE
If you donât play FIFA, know that FIFAâs loading screens give you all these little mini-games to play while the code crunches in the background. I wish every game did this. It really helps kill the time, and when you jump from FIFA to a game like Madden, it just crushes you that you have to sit and watch a static screen instead of trying a few passes.
FIFA has the best menu system in video games. Seriously. I donât know how long they spent designing it, or how much money, but itâs clear, simple, intuitive and fast.
Look, I like FIFA. Iâve liked it for a long time, and even when the game has an off year, Iâve stuck by it and enjoyed my time with it. This year is no different. The EPL presentation is fantastic, and the changes to attacking and shooting really open the game up.
ButâŚIâm starting to get a little restless. After Pro Evoâs technical strides last year (its 2013 game looks and animates better than EAâs 2014 game), my willingness to sit down and devote dozens/hundreds of hours year-in, year-out to FIFA is no longer guaranteed. This year, for example, once Iâd tested out all the new stuff and explored the stuff that had changed, I had little interest in playing for fun. It just all felt too familiar, too similar to the FIFA Iâd only stopped playing a couple of months ago.
EA will tell us that their âIgnitionâ engine was a massive change, but long-time FIFA fans will know better. The animation has gotten a little smoother, the shirt textures a little more detailed, but deep down, in how the players move on the pitch and how everything feels through your controller, the bones of this series havenât seen a total overhaul since FIFA 07. And itâs all starting to feel a bit stale.
Hopefully, with the transition between console generations a little less painful by next year, weâll be able to play something fresher when FIFA 16 comes around. That or we could all take a much closer look at Pro Evo when itâs out later in the year, since last yearâs overhaul promisedso muchâŚ
