‘FIFA 16’ – The Okay, The Bad and The Slightly Worse

EA had a clear idea with FIFA 16 and it was something many fans were happy to see. They wanted to reduce the fact that pace almost guaranteed a win, reduce the amount of coin sellers and improve the general gameplay. Unfortunately it is one of those scenarios where the theory is better than the product offered. While they have improved some aspects of the game, they have created even bigger problems which are becoming harder to ignore. Below are some of the good things, and the bad things in the new FIFA.

FUT Draft

This is a new feature to Ultimate Team and something which I was happy to see. Not everyone can afford to get players like Messi or Ronaldo so being able to have the chance to play them online was exciting. You pick a formation out of five choices and each position a random set of player cards appear. Each position you get to choose which player you want and form a team to play other people online. Each time you win you get a better prize in the form of card packs. Unfortunately I haven’t had the luck to win 4 games in a row to see what the final prize is. Now the idea of this is awesome but unfortunately it is something which I don’t see continuing. Many users are complaining about scripting within draft and it is something I see ruining the potential future of draft.

A common complaint I have heard is that the game forces the AI players into silly errors which usualy ends up in a conceded goal. Whether this is true or not it is a worry that fans are already suspecting it. Not only that but to be able to play Draft you either need to have 15,000 coins or 300 FIFA points which are the currency you pay real money for. This is the main gripe I have with this mode. Unless you have the coins available you wont be playing draft unless you are willing to cough up more cash. I have neglected this mode in favour of either spending my coins on players I need or just buying card packs without dealing with the frustrating draft gameplay. If the entries were reduced to a more reasonable price between 5,000-7,500 I could see it being used more often.

Defending AI

Now EA wanted to improve the defense this year by improving the mobility of defenders and their in-game intelligence. Again, another good idea after the overpowered lob through-ball and sprint in FIFA 15 which often resulted in a goal. Unfortunately this time you will find your potential counter attacks quickly shut down by a defender intercepting and reading the play better than the forward. Sure, this is a common thing in real life as the defenders commonly intercept.

The main problem is the fact that your attackers seem to be glued to the floor as the defender will charge the pass every time. I have conceded so many counter attacks simply because I couldn’t move my player to at least try put on pressure to get the ball no matter how much I urge him to move. On top of that every single defender, no matter how high their defensive skill is, seem to have the world-class ability of reading every single play. I hope it is a feature which is slightly nerfed to balance the game fairly.

Pace

As mentioned before, in the FIFA of recent years many players would stock up on the speedsters and lob the ball over the defence for an open run to the goalkeeper. It required little skill as the defenders struggled to make up ground and resulted in many cheap goals. This year it is much harder to do both of those things, and unfortunately it is a double-edged sword. I have slowly become used to the passing style FIFA 16 demands in terms of being aware of how my player is positioned and how good his passing is. One thing I can’t get used to though is how much they nerfed pace within the gameplay. I’ve lost count of how many times a defender like Terry or Janmaat easily catch up to a speedster in Walcott who has one of the fastest sprints in the game. Like the defensive AI issue it is a great idea to create a balanced gameplay and a small patch would fix the issue.

Referees

Boy oh boy. Just when I thought FIFA couldn’t make the refereeing system any worse after FIFA 15. For me this is easily the most broken aspect of the game and an issue which needs urgent attention to keep fans happy. This year EA implemented the ability to have better physical contests between players to make it more exciting. One thing they must have skipped over in the development was how referees would react to this. Time and time again I have conceded penalties simply because my defender would do a shoulder to shoulder challenge only to see the attacker drop to the ground and a penalty called.

The slightest touch inside the box sends them flying and even challenges which are completely fair get called a foul. The most frustrating thing is how inconsistent the system is in terms of what is deemed a foul and what isn’t. I have had players taken down with a mistimed slide tackle in the box countless times yet nothing is called. I will do something less back and most likely get sent off and a penalty conceded. Please EA fix this issue as soon as you can because the fans are getting close to breaking point.

Ultimate Team Market

In the past couple of seasons the market has been inflated heavily due to coin-selling websites which were fairly easy to access. Players would spend x amount of money and get x amount of coins. It flooded the market and made it very difficult for amateur players to form a good team. Halfway through the season they implemented a feature which put price caps on players. The common technique for coin-sellers was to buy a cheap player who the buyer had put on the market which is how they got the coins into the market.

Now players are valued on their quality of card and overall and a min and max price is set. It didn’t really work last season because it was too late by then but this season it has worked wonders, to an extent. For now the market is fairly stable but EA are slowly pushing the limit. Every day they are offering specials on card packs which is flooding the market with insane amounts of rare players. It works for them because they are making a ridiculous amount of money of it, admittedly I have probably spent about $100 on the specials in the hope I can get a rare. EA needs to curve how much they are trying to sell to the public to ensure the market remains stable.

Offline Modes

Career mode used to be my favourite aspect of FIFA because of the satisfaction you would get after building up an awesome team. These days however they have neglected offline modes in favour of pushing Ultimate Team to the max. They have failed to add any major additions to the offline modes in the past couple of years which has been really disappointing to see. It is also incredibly tedious to verse AI due to the similar style every team seems to play. Once you get higher difficulties against AI it becomes a game of frustration with little enjoyment.

Every single team regardless of how good the team may be end up playing like Barcelona and pass you off the field. Even versing teams like Sunderland who aren’t known for their glamorous football will still play like theyre world beaters. It is so disappointing to see such little variation for the teams you are playing. It is too tedious for me to play as I would rather verse people online who vary in style. It is perhaps what they are aiming to push towards, if they already haven’t.

Do you agree with what I have said or have anything else to add? Let us know in the comments below!