FIFA 15 Review.
Developer EA Sports
Publisher EA
Platform Gen 3, Gen 4, PC
Release Date Out Now
Officially Fifa 14 was the first and only football game to appear on “Next Gen” but apart from spending some time in the make up chair getting some beatification in the graphics department it didn’t really capitalize on the extra power available. We saw no improvements for the long suffering crowds, physics or gameplay. It was essentially still a Gen 3 title in all but looks.
This year however things are different, the extra 12 months has been well spent. You now have far more lifelike players with their real life personalities. The crowds have come on leaps and bounds and are now made up of individuals who react to what is happening on the pitch. Even the pitch itself has seen the benefits of Next Gen.
It might sound silly but when you think about it grass is a major focal point for football and why shouldn’t it take a more active role. Depending on the ferocity of the match being played and the weather conditions it will get worn in patches, scuffed during tackles or worse still torn up under particularly hard sliding tackles. It is a simple yet very pleasing addition.
Unfortunately all the focus off the pitch has led to a less than perfect experience on the pitch. A lot has been made of Fifa’s real life physics and it is realistic but this is a problem. Games can become hugely frustrating and lack a real flow. Passing can be slow, players want to take a touch before passing it on again and players are so easily knocked off their stride that they almost come to a standstill in disbelief rather than lunging at that free ball two feet in front of them and an open goal.
Fifa 15 does a great job of capturing the feel of watching a game on TV. The presentation is spectacular, the pre-game build up, commentary and camera angles all add to this feeling, but cut aways and needless replays during the game again break the natural flow of the game.
Gameplay has changed again as it does most years. However the old school approach of playing 442 and getting the ball out wide and whipping in crosses seems almost pointless this year. Crosses are poor and more often than not are easily gathered up by the improved goalkeepers or headed away by the defenders. A much more flamboyant approach of knocking delicate over the head through balls, or dribbling past six players before shooting from inside the box have become the easiest way to score. In doing so it has taken all the magic out of those moments. These are special match winning moments that should happen once in a blue moon, not every five minutes. Spend 88 minutes bombarding a team with crosses only to be left goalless and you will soon resort to the old reliables.
This is down to two things, attackers being really nimble and fast and defenders being lumbering oafs. The team to their credit are trying to work out the problems of players just holding the press or contain buttons by making tackling an action you need to time and get right. However this is not matched by the players ability to change direction. Attacking players can quickly whip left then right and dart past you while your defender is stuck trying to find his feet. It makes defending a “balls to the wall” affair and not a very enjoyable one.
Overall: FIFA 15 is the first real Next Gen football game, it brings a lot of new options to the table and builds on the ever popular Ultimate team which seems to be the main focus now. I am torn between the idea of changing everything or changing very little. You can’t really say FIFA is the same every year as it really isn’t, for better or worse FIFA 15 is its own game. It will offer you countless hours of exhilaration and frustration until next year.
