Evolution not revolution, but why change a winning formula?

Some things are inevitable in soccer: VAR will generate more anger than its benefits, Erling Haaland will score, and EA Sports’ annual game releases will improve an already excellent Product. EA Sports FC 25
is the latest addition to the 30-year-old series (let’s face it, last year FIFA Rebirth was a rebrand in name only), and once again, you get the feeling of Pep Guardiola tweaking things, rather than a director of football trying to change the culture.

Every year, EA Sports promises changes, and although the level of evolution will never match some players’ call to action, FC 25 Comes with some comparatively sizeable changes. Moving a battleship takes a lot, and FC 25 is an admirable attempt to add enough to make things feel fresh. There is no need to refurbish, just as the great soccer dynasties don’t throw out great squads just because it’s a new season.

EA Sports are not about radical experimentation, and it should come as no surprise that the changes made in this year’s chapter of the soccer dynasty are focused on refinement. FC 25 Has better AI, a more complex and rewarding tactical system, a really exciting new game mode and the opportunity to spend an extraordinary amount of money on Ultimate Team. The same as it ever was.

FC 25 is about refinement not radical change (as usual)

EA Sports have tuned things up

If you played FC 24You’re not going to get too many shocks in the gameplay of FC 25. It’s just not that kind of franchise, and there really isn’t a steep learning curve for established players in the most played game modes. This may inspire the usual cynicism about how little things have changed, but it’s an inspired move from a brand familiarity point of view. I’ve been playing for years, and I have no desire to have to relearn. Instead, the education requirements come more subtle or off to the side.

There are some relatively substantial changes, however, including the introduction of women’s teams to career mode, and the ability to start a career at different points. The AI ​​tune-up requires its own section, as does the new mode Rush, but in terms of the impact on gameplay, it’s a noticeable change in a couple of very specific ways. The rate of pass interceptions is higher, so pinged passes are more essential; The game feels more physical and marginally slower; Rebounds also feel more random, and will likely lead to more goals. They are all adequate-ups in realism, which is not a negative.

Past intelligence has also been overhauled, making it much more complex, in an attempt to introduce personality as an influence and reflect a more realistic experience. It’s frustrating, but it feels more true to life. Bad weather also has a tangible impact on the game, which is nice, but again, it will take some getting used to.

even more specifically, EA Sports has – at least partially – addressed the issue of monster strikers at pro clubs. The last two years have been dominated by playing a 6’7″ giant up front, and switching wide for crosses; a tactic that has proven almost impossible to defend against. The maximum height now for established players is 6’5″, which feels right How to close an exploit.

Rush might be the best new thing about FC 25

New small teams game is a vast improvement on Volta

In 2019, the game mode Volta was EA Sports’ attempt to simplify soccer and adopt free-flowing and more accessible small-sided games. It was the replacement for FIFA Street That fans of the unfairly canceled subfranchise have wanted since 2012, but it never really worked because it wasn’t FIFA Street. It was too realistic, too lacking in fun, and somewhat inevitably, it became a ghost town very quickly every year.

But now, Volta is dead, and in the vacuum comes Rush, another Small-sided game mode (this time 5×5), with the inspired addition of full integration in all game modes. Volta was too particular, and there was ultimately too little reward for committing to it. in FC 25Rush delivers a social gaming mode that values ​​teamwork for rewards, as long as you don’t end up stuck playing online games with players who think they’re Ronaldinho. Crucially, in stark contrast to the grind that other game modes are known for, it’s actually great fun, even if the commentary is cringe-inducing almost immediately.

The all-round superior Rush is also a key part of career mode, where you can use it to improve youth players in 5v5 games. It is also a part of clubs as a further commitment to make it feel like something to invest your time in. There’s also the bonus of something that feels overlooked every year in sports simulation – family play at different ages. My son is 7, and he’s a nice little guy, but he’s terrible at 11×11. Rush allowed for fun shared gameplay, and less barely suppressed rage on him misunderstanding the Genpress.

Career mode gets some love, the ultimate team is.. well, the ultimate team

Again, change is good, but some things remain constant

The ultimate team is inevitably very important to EA Sports. It is very popular, no matter how you feel about it personally, and succeeds despite the imputable truth that it is paid to win. It may sound pessimistic, however The addition of relegation to division rivals is hugeGranted it avoids the massive lack of player level that quickly develops. It’s also character building, or so it’s claimed.

The changes in career mode feel more substantial: there are new customization options, as well as the ability to select a real manager for your team. To his presumer’s delight, Fabrizio Romano is included, which means that anyone who loves him can enjoy his updates, and anyone who doesn’t can use the new customization options and turn off the transfer window to minimize his source of income. There is also the option to delete sacking to avoid any excessive eagerness to change things radically back catastrophically.

FC 25 and FC IQ tactical changes work well (until they don’t)

EA Sports have made FC 25 for the tacticians

FC 25 Made a commendable effort to change the tactical system in a way that feels tangible. Flexibility was clearly the mantra: training plans and match tactics were radically changed comparatively, with more focus on individual roles. One of the headlines (especially for Liverpool fans), is the addition of the falseback role (inverted full-back by another name), but there is more to the Changes.

Tactics can be imported and exported, but it’s not as simple as copying and pasting, as players have to fit the roles. them Have four levels of familiarity with roles, and it’s not just a case of putting great players in a role they can’t play And expect class to show. You can also choose how hard to train your players, and in combination with the role skill, there is better control of development. EA Sports are heading in the right direction – to Football ManagerSpecifically – but it is still some way away from optimal levels of control for fans of more complex simulations.

For more than 30 years of soccer simulators, screaming Arteta-like to useless CPU teammates who are both ill-equipped and unwilling to adopt your footballing philosophy. It’s gotten better over the years, though FC 25s new AI is a further step to the positive. Teammates are more intelligent, with some further refinement needed. They’re still not world-class readers of the game, let’s say, and the more you spend playing, the more you’ll see the same old frustrations about movement off the ball.

Smart tactics, however, have proven largely futile or downright terrible. Presented as FC 25s answer to Football Managers assistant manager tips (which have also always been hit-and-miss), it is something to mostly ignore. The advice is simply not intelligent in its current state, and it lacks anything specific about how to beat your current opponent other than big waves.

Final Thoughts on EA Sports FC 25 & Review Score

Radical change is never to be expected, and the final product is still very impressive

FC 25 is another solid and very playable soccer game, polished to a very high level after years of refinement, with just enough novelty to please, even if only in the short term. THere’s a nagging suspicion that EA Sports could and should switch to a less frequent release schedule – even every two years – with seasonal updates in between.

That said, Rush is a great addition, and hopefully the wider adoption of it in game modes will avoid another unfortunate Volta situation. Tactics feel more substantial, and there is an obvious move here to give players more control to feel more like real managers, especially in player development.

If of what you want FC 25 Is wholesale change, you will find yourself disappointed. The graphics look the same, the menus are the same (and still have bugs), and the gameplay is largely the same, despite the aforementioned tweaks. But that’s part of being an annual FC Or FIFA Buyer, and until EA Sports has a real contender in the soccer simulator market, it will remain so. There is currently no incentive to change things up, after all.

Ultimate Team’s cash cow will always override everything else with FC 25unfortunately in an ideal world, EA Sports Would develop clubs into a major eSport, which would do extremely well. Real world soccer clubs around the world could have their own teams, and most importantly, the gameplay would take priority with the Ultimate Team being in the background generating income. Clearly, the game would be much better for him.