The Beautifully Tedious Game?

This happens every year. The gameplay is tweaked ever so slightly and people lose their shit over it. A couple of years ago the shooting changed and everyone hated it. The year before, tactical defending was introduced and made compulsory for online games to an uproar from seasoned veterans. This year, passing was given a complete overhaul, almost randomising the chances of pass completion. But have EA finally gone too far with their changes?

Ah, the X/A button. The staple of the beautiful game. By simply repeating short pass you were able to destroy teams in a Barca-esque fashion that was a joy to watch and most importantly play. But on FIFA 16? No such luck. I haven't quite understood EA's angle here. I'm fairly sure they're opting for realism above anything and it has come at a price unfortunately. Passing now feels entirely random; seasoned pros such as Andrés Iniesta will now misplace simple five yard passes to the frustration of the player controlling them who has simply tapped X/A and aimed to the nearest player. Perhaps it's context bound and it's entirely possible EA wish for the player to take into account the footballer's individual passing and control stats... but you'd expect a player with an overall rating of nearly 90 to be making simple passes. While players are left struggling to adapt to this change in gameplay it remains a frustrating addition and fans are left clamouring as to why EA just didn't leave passing the same. What's more, the power of passes and through balls now feels erratic at best; sometimes you'll hold the button down and it'll go 20 yards... then you tap it and it travels the length of the pitch. It'll certainly be a learning curve for returning players.

This year's gameplay also welcomes the effectiveness of player physicality over speed. Fans of the series have been crying out for slower defenders who are strong and talented in the air to be as effective as players with raw pace. It appears this year they've got their wish; while speed is still pivotal for counter attacks, no longer does every player with under 60 sprint speed feel like a statue. Walcott cannot make up 50 yards on John Terry if the latter is nearer possession. The game does feel more balanced and gives a real benefit to defenders.

Outside of gameplay changes, EA have brought in Draft Mode, a 15k entry tournament for Ultimate Team consisting of 4 games and some highly rewarding prizes. Even a first round loss brings the player a handful of packs, providing an incentive to come back and try again knowing money will not go completely down the drain. It's an interesting mode, perhaps overshadowed by my own bitter first experience where I drafted a 73 overall striker and ended up losing on penalties. While the luck of the draw will frustrate some, it certainly adds a level of depth to the mode; do you choose the team with the highest chemistry, or the best players? It's certainly something worth trying out, even if I disagree with the steep entry fee.

Career Mode wasn't so much overhauled as touched up, with a nice training mode added to raise your player's overall rating and a preseason tournament option that can win the manager some extra transfer budget. These are welcome additions but nothing groundbreaking. Likewise, Pro Clubs has been given a lick of blue background paint and builds on the gameplay elements detailed above. It would've been nice to see a few new innovations in this team-based mode, and feels like a wasted opportunity.

While FIFA 16 will wow some, it will no doubt frustrate veterans of the series who are forced to rethink their entire attacking strategies. I'm somewhere in between. While I'd have preferred the simple passing style from its predecessor, I welcome the challenge of learning an entire new way to pass the ball. It's worth mentioning that by pressing the finesse shot button while passing you're able to 'drive' your passes to their intended target with greater effect. Only time will tell if the gameplay adjustments will keep fans of the series satisfied when they've had a few months with the game. I’m sure over time we’ll still recognise FIFA as the beautiful game, but for now, it’s two steps forward, two steps back.

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