As part of my preview for EA FC 25, I was sent around 90 minutes of panel discussions of the new features in the game. But sometimes these can cloud your judgement - I've been playing EA FC (or FIFA, as it was then) since FIFA '99, as well as several of its competitors, so I know how the game feels. The best place to start was with a match.
In diving right in like this, there are two things instantly noticeable. Firstly, it's the same game. Secondly, it's not the same game at all. As a yearly series that offers minor evolutions each term and ♛168澳洲幸运5开奖网:has long felt more s൩uited to a live-service model, comparing one EA FC to the last is a microscopic task. The last few entries have brought more significant overhauls - 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:HyperMotion, the generational jump, the rebrand and arrival of PlayStyles - but this time, ♑not so much.
EA FC 25 Plays Mostly Like EA FC 24
On the pitch, it's EA FC. It looks the same as last year and the general feeling of the game is similar, too. That's to be expected, and while going back to those videos from EA did reveal some under the hood tweaks (more on those below), it's hard to see that much impact in the short time I had actually playing the game.
But in presentation and organisation, EA FC feels very different. It feels a lot more Tactico-coded; no longer do players play in Defence or Midfield but as Inverted Wingbacks, Ballplaying Centre Backs, Wide Forwards, Shadow Strikers, and Roaming Playmakers. There have been options to control your positioning on a more micro l🅠evel before, but this brings it front and centre, emphasising tactical input - how the players react to this is called FC IQ.
It can make picking your formation and best line-up take a little longer, but playing Fode🅰n and Doku in the same position but with different roles, I did see an impact in how the players moved around the pitch. It seems good for Career Mode, but takes away from the pick up and go feeling of playing with friends or online, and how it will work in Ultimate Team when cardꦜs change players’ stats is still unclear.
Each player's strengths in each position is based on Opta analysis of the past two seasons, including thousands of minutes, but I'm not sure what this means for lower league players. I'm also less confident in the numbers EA presented, which had Bellingham at 14 percent suitability as a Shadow Striker. Maybe these numbers aren't final, as he also has the Role Plus Plus for this position, which is reserved for world class stars. Every player has a Role Plus, the position and emphasis (Roaming, Deep-Lying, Defensive etc) in which they play best, and Plus Plus is where they are the best of the best.
EA FC 25's Presentation Has Been Modernised
The presentation of the game looks a lot more modern with these additions, moving away from coloured dots into more informative panels that are clearly influenced by making Ultimate Team feel like the norm. Player information also emphasises PlayStyles more prominently over the list of endless numbers that dominated previously, while more tactical tweaks will be suggested mid-match. Other gameplay updates include new PlayStyles for goalkeepers, professional fouls, weather impacting play (wind for corner curvage), and greater situational awareness. The sort of thing you'll notice less but grow to appreciate, I suspect.
Adding PlayStyles for goalkeepers brings them up to speed with the outfield players, and gives them a more personal touch. Goalkeeper PlayStyles include: Footwork, Rush Out, Cross Claimer, Deflector (as in, better 🐓a🍷t pushing the ball to safety), Far Throw, and Far Reach.
In terms of presentation, mascots, manager reactions, and crowds have been revamped for more dynamic match camera direction, and for the first time ever there's a Performance versus Resolution graphics mode. With longer match intros (as well as skipping them all together), it feels like a lot of tweaks are being offered here in lieu of a true evolution we’ve seen in the past few years.
Away from life on the pitch, the two biggest changes include new modes. There's Rush, a five-a-side mode that stays far closer to regular football than 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the street stylings of Volta. The TL;DR it’s the fastest the series has ever played but until I can take it online I don't think that's actually a good thing. The full preview of EA FC's Rush mode can be read here (boജnus: contains complaints about Arsene Wenger!).
Is Career Mode Finally Getting Some Love?
Then there's Career Mode. I'm a rare breed of EA FC player (or at least I feel like I am) in that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Career Mode is my go-to, followed by Online Seasons. Ultimate Team has never had its claws in me much. This time, the biggest change is the addition of women's teams for Career Mode. In our short preview we only had Kick-Off and Rush, but it's a requested change which adds more options to the game with a simple fix.
Greater depth has been added to the youth academy with more chance to push a philosophy over relying on stats and regens, while transfer rules and negotiations can be customised to include embargoes or be skipped and done automatically. For Player Career, you can adjust the start of your career to create a mini version of The Journey, and in a move every sports game ever has tried and none have ever succeeded at, there's a redesigned in-game social media feed.
Fabrizio Romano is in the social media feature. There's no getting away from him. Did you hear Mbappe signed for Real Madrid?!
You can also pick up Career Mode halfway through a season, taking over from a sacked manager or following a player's transfer, with live updates being added as real-life incidents happen in the leagues. In a similar vein, you can take Icons through their careers, which is getting closer to the features we've seen in previous World Cup games of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:recreating classic moments. One day, maybe.
All in all, it's EA FC with some decent additions, which is really all you're looking for. I still suspect Ultimate Team will dominate the conversation and the attention, but there's enough to suggest Career Mode has had a bigger polish and the gameplay will offer something different. If I'm being honest, though, I didn't really feel the difference.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: EA Sports FC 25
- Top Critic Avg: 76/100 Critics Rec: 63%
- Released
- September 27, 2024
- ESRB
- Everyone // Alcohol And Tobacco Reference, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items) ✅
- Developer(s)
- ♚ EA Canada, EA Romania
- Publisher(s)
- EA Sports
- Engine
- Frostbite
EA Sports FC 25 is the next iteration of the long-running football simulation series🐻, formerly known as FIFA. It introduces an overhaul of positional tactics, named FC IQ, as well as the new 5v5 Rush mode.
