EA has confirmed quite a few details about FIFA 16, the next title in its popular football franchise, the biggest detail of which is that this is the very first title in the FIFA franchise that features women’s teams. FIFA 16 features women’s teams from at least a dozen different countries including the United States, England, France, China and others. Those who want to play this game on a PC might want to pay attention as the minimum and recommended specs for this title have been confirmed. Woven amid the usual FIFA series offerings of visual fidelity and atmosphere, EA trained its focus on several pillars of gameplay holding up the ideal of "innovation across the pitch."
Much of this was on display when it came to defense, especially when it comes to the concept of defensive awareness (or defensive agility, in EA's presentation). On defense, instead of the usual sight of defenders fully turning and running with every change of direction an offensive player is making, defenders now shift and turn their hips in a fluid manner that looks more natural and allows them to better track the ballhandler's location. It's a subtle and extremely valuable skill to have in practically any sport, but in world-class soccer, it's essential. Playing as women teams is not just a template popped over the male athlete’s frames and animations, rather EA has taken the time and effort to model and animate these in their own dedicated way.
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This shows. Playing as women teams in FIFA 16 will feel different and reflects their real life counterparts. The FIFA Ultimate Team mode also boasts some new features like a Draft to spice things up a bit. If you are a FUT guy or gal, you will love the mode as much as ever. Where the meat and potatoes come in for FIFA is the gameplay of course which has been polished and changed up over last year’s game. The play in FIFA 16 feels more deliberate and precise that last year’s game and demands more skill and patience from the player. Getting through midfield will require you to plan your attack and be more conscious of teammates and defenders because the AI as improved, resulting in tougher opposition and more sophisticated attacks to defend against.
Unfortunately, it feels as if they gone too far in the opposite direction. Individual players do not feel as distinct as they did in FIFA 13 or 14 and hitting a long, lobbed pass invariably results in the loss of possession. A lot of the time it feels like the only way to eke out a result is through short, quick passing, but the moves seldom come across as genuinely fluid. The outcome is an over reliance on using two or three players in a triangular formation to pass your way out of trouble, or using the driven pass option which can cause the receiving player to lose control of the ball.
Technical triumph aside, there's no denying EA's soccer goliath is resting on its considerable laurels. Between FIFA 09-12, each new entry introduced bold new revisions-think 360-Degree Dribbling and Tactical Defending-which had a transformative effect on the actual football year after year. Yet since moving to the Ignite engine, the series has effectively stood still. Is FIFA 16 still the best football sim you can buy on PC? Absolutely. Has it also utterly stagnated over the last two years? You can bet Diego Costa's hollowed out soul it has. So a scout with 1 star in experience only has a 35% chance of finding the player type you’re after, and a 65% chance of finding one of three alternative player types. In contrast, a scout with 5 stars in experience has a reassuring 75% chance of finding the player type you’re after, and just a 25% chance of finding another player type.
Ultimately though it’s hard to argue if people say EA are going through the motions and have called this one in. Ask a mate what the five main improvements are from 15 to 16 and see how long it takes them to cobble together a solid list. I’d have happily paid ￡10 for the small additions and updates and carried on with FIFA 15. It seems fitting that Jordan Henderson is this year’s cover star because it’ll always feel like you’re taking control of Liverpool’s averagely fast and averagely strong midfielder - no matter which player you’ve picked.
