I’ve recently had a birthday so I decided to celebrate being one year closer to death by acquiring a Playstation 4. This is my quarter life crisis I think. While most people buy a car or start dating someone relatively younger than them, I go and blow 350 Smackers on a gaming console. £350! That’s 70 Bison Dollars!
I did get a free copy of FIFA 15 with the console at least, and I’ve been playing it quite heavily over the weekend. There’s not much I can say to differentiate this from previous FIFA reviews really. It’s a FIFA game. If you like FIFA, you’ll like this. If you don’t like FIFA, this game isn’t going to convert you.
The usual problems are still there in that you can’t change captains during the match, sometimes goalkeepers are overly erratic and the AI can be cheaper than Tesco Value Ginger Ale.
Many of the world’s most prominent club and international teams are present with their most recent kits, formations and players. The gameplay is essentially the same with a few tweaks here or there that EA Sports felt were necessary to include so they could justify a new game in the series.
There are some definite improvements on previous titles though, in the PS4 version at least. The presentation is absolutely excellent and mimics the SKY and BT Sport TV presentation to a tee. Graphically the players look like chunky cartoon versions of their real selves, but they move fluidly and tumble over like drunken crash test dummies when they collide into one another. The physics engine in general feels like it’s had a genuine overhaul for the better.
The gameplay hasn’t changed that much, and nor should it really. Change for merely changes sake really doesn’t make any sense when you have such a successful and popular franchise. FIFA is now pretty much in “tweak” mode and I don’t expect it to make any drastic changes unless a competitor comes along with a new engine and interesting angle on the Soccer Video Game market.
I remember getting some stick from my review of FIFA 14 as I didn’t really talk about the online mode. I’m afraid I’m going to do the same on this review but I can assure it’s not without want of trying.
Believe it or not, I have ventured online on FIFA titles in the past. Back on previous FIFA games you could just hop online and play in friendlies and also Pro matches pretty quickly. I tried to play “Pro Clubs”, which is where you take control of just one player in the squad and then play big online games with other players. However, you have to join a team first before you can play. I created my player, searched online for some Everton supporters with their own teams and then sent out some transfer requests. No dice
Then I noticed that I could create my own club, so I promptly founded the “Toffee Apples”. However, I’m still currently the only player in the squad, so it won’t let me play any matches. So yeah, I would have liked to have included a bit about Pro Clubs in the review but sadly it was not to be.
I did receive a code for Ultimate Team, and I know some people out there love that, but I just couldn’t be bothered with it. I’m sure you can find a detailed review of it on IGN somewhere. Really, Pro matches and playing against friends is all I really use the online mode on FIFA for and I currently only have one friend on PSN and he hasn’t been online at the same time as me so we’ve not had a chance to play.
I’m tempted to mark the game down for this actually. Why can’t it be like previous FIFA’s and just let you online for a quick Pro’s game? Why all the faffing with being in a club and such? Surely EA took into account that some of us are psychotic loners who might find it hard to find friends? I mean, isn’t your typical EA Exec a cold, emotionless, sociopath (Satire) who would find it hard to make friends, even in an online setting? Wouldn’t they be able to comprehend that their fellow sociopaths (More satire) might struggle to actually find friends to play with?
Bad FIFA, no perfect score for you!
That being said, this has everything it needs to keep FIFA aficionados happy. It’s smooth to play, well presented and I have sunk literally hours into career mode already and I’ve not even finished my first season yet, so you know it has a good lifespan.
Buy it, love it, caress it and hope for more of the same in 12 months
9 out of 10
Thanks for reading
Peace Out
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