The latest installment of the world-famous FIFA series by EA Sports was released on the 22nd of September (7 days after Fifa’s major rivals PES released PES 2016) and while some experienced trouble accessing online features in the early stages of its arrival to the gaming world, it immeadietly became an instant hit as expected.
One of the major new features was the all new FUT Draft which gave Ultimate Team players the chance to draft some of the best FUT players in the game and play with them in a series of matches. While there is a small entry fee, rewards are high and it is an immensely enjoyable and unique feature added to FUT.
Career mode also saw some improvements, with the addition of pre season tournaments, 2 year loan deals and the ability to sign free agents outside of the transfer window adding a sense of realism to career mode.
In terms of the gameplay improvements compared to its predecessor (FIFA 15), EA Sports FIFA 16 is outstanding and this is the reason why many believe FIFA is far better than PES. The gameplay is simply much better and enjoyable. There has been a new type of pass called the driven pass which will execute a normal pass with a bit more speed on it. Defending in general also has been majorly improved with the defensive AI now defending as a unit and covering for one another making it extremely difficult to break down defences. EA say goalkeepers have become more intelligent in various situations such as 1v1’s ,free kicks etc. However in my opinion I feel goalkeeping has taken a step back in terms of improvements as goalkeepers in FIFA 16 make far more mistakes than goalkeepers in FIFA 15. Pace abusers have also somewhat been nullified in this FIFA meaning pace abusers will have to be more creative and intelligent when breaking down defences.
As usual EA have not failed to deliver in terms of realism and graphics with every installment of FIFA being more aesthetically pleasing than the previous one. Graphics and realism have just gotten better and gone from strength to strength. The possibilities are endless. While the realism of the chanting crowd, questionable referee decisions ,goal line technology and so much more will leave you enthralled for hours of pure footballing heaven. The graphics are rather pleasing on the eye as well which does aid all this. Adding to the realism is the addition of dynamic weather meaning it could be dry and clear during a match and then it begins to rain or vice versa and it’s these small things that leave us immersed in this wonderful game, its these small things that EA have paid close attention to that brings joy to any gamer or FIFA lover.
EA Sports FIFA 16 has definitely succeeded all expectations and definitely is better than FIFA 15. While compared to PES 2016 it is not hard to see which is the better of the two. Many believe PES has better quality graphics (this is solely down to personal opinion), however Fifa’s gameplay is way better and something PES still haven’t gotten right which has proved to be vital in the “FIFA vs PES” debate is the fact that PES still do not have naming rights to all leagues and clubs. I mean who wants to play with a team called “Merseyside Red” when we could rather walk on to a wonderful rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield and play as Liverpool. PES does however have naming rights to The Champions League and Europa league which is something FIFA lacks, a minor thing which can be overlooked though. I’d highly recommend FIFA 16 over PES to any avid gamer or football fan. EA has done a wonderful job yet again. Thank you EA and bye-bye to all the free time I have.
REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.
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