EA Sports FC: six things we want to see in the FIFA follow up
The EA Sports FC era arrives on 22 September.
The gaming franchise formerly known as FIFA will soon make way to EA Sports FC. EA and FIFA parted ways in 2022, with both companies saying that their own football game will be coming. For now, only EA are actually backing that statement up.
What will the next instalment hold? For now, we’re not too sure as EA remain tightlipped, only offering a vague July date for news. We’d like to see Man City banned from the game for ten years after beating Arsenal to the Premier League title, but that’s a personal gripe. We’d also like everyone to let us win and generally, be really nice to us. And let’s not forget, immediate bans for anyone who passes it back and forth to their keeper when they’re one up.
None of those are going to happen, but there are some tangible, very realistic tweaks and additions we’d like to get from the next EA title. Would they help improve the game? In our opinion, of course. Were some of them influenced by how painfully amateur we are at the game? Also yes.
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VAR is everyone’s worst enemy, until it works in your favour. There was a general consensus around football fans that VAR sort of zaps the fun out of the game. Now, we’re kinda used to it, but there needs to be a coherent application of VAR in the game. VAR already fails to spot clear penalty box fouls or handballs that simply weren’t handballs. The same should be applied to EA Sports FC.
For better or worse, VAR exists in the real world, and it should in EA Sports FC. There could be a few creative ways to implement this. It could work similar to the real game, where a potential foul could be ‘appealed’ by your players with a push of the button. It could even work as a placebo, ignoring a clear penalty only to then overturn it on review. However it’s done, VAR is the biggest real-world rule missing in the series.
Less skills, more thrills
This is probably a very subjective addition based on the type of player you are. Or, more specific, the very average players we are. But, much like the goalkeepers in the game, skills are overpowered.
Before folks enter our DMs to rant, let us explain. Every game can be learned and taken to the next level. Mastering Street Fighter 6 combos is exactly why so many players flock to the series, but SF6 is also highly weighted on fighter class. A slow powerhouse like Zangief can be equal to Dhalsim, if you actually master their individual move sets. In a similar vein, we expect Ronaldinho to float across the pitch with the ball surgically attached to his feet. And, in FIFA 23, he does. But so can everyone else.
That’s fine on its own, but it can make custom tactics a little flawed. To win, the game strongly encourages you to adapt to a very specific playing style. We’re not suggesting getting rid of reverse stepovers or ball rolls, but a greater balance of play could make for much more interesting, creative games.
Crack the tactics
For those who’ve literally never seen a football before, tactics are a pretty important part of the game we’d say. In past FIFA titles, tactics do help you build a coherent team, and can be used to apply a managerial style. There’s some of that, but the game’s AI has a tendency to go rogue. This means that many tactical decisions are used to simply stop players from wandering around aimlessly.
That said, making them stick to their positions is a tactic in itself. There’s a level of freedom in that, and it’s something that can be fun to play around with. However, there could be more room for creativity if we didn’t have to substitute for missing in action AI.
Make fouls make sense
Imagine the scenario. The opposite team are in your penalty box, and you’re scrambling to win the ball back. You cautiously keep your distance, holding your line, when all of a sudden it’s a penalty. Or, you’re decapitated by the keeper, and get nothing.
How the refs call fouls in EA has long been a mystery to players. Part of it is down to how the game is programmed. Sometimes, it’s unintentional glitches. Whatever it may be, please make it make sense in EA Sports FC.
Online career mode
Currently, online play is where it’s at. It’s where players can get the best loot, FUT players and more. That’s made the FIFA career mode something of a second-tier option, despite it actually being pretty fun. The chance to take your third division team through the ranks alongside friends and strangers alike is a pretty appealing option to us. With career mode already in existence, it seems a pretty easy open goal to take it online.
And while we’re on the subject of career mode, taking some pointers from Football Manager and upping the realism element would help revitalise the game mode. Top teams can be beaten easily, only to then randomly lose to those lower down the table. Opposition tactics are a little random, and transfers exist in an absurdist fantasy. Ashley Young wouldn’t join Athletic Club in real life, so we’d like to see this in game.
Make FUT Champions fairer
For the uninitiated, FUT Champions is where things get really serious. Players earn points to make it through the play-off stages, to then compete for prizes later on. Wins equal points, and points equal greater prizes. But, like any online game played by millions, not everyone plays fair.
Currently, if a game is tied, one player can quit the game entirely. The person who quits doesn’t get any points, but neither does the one they were playing. Why do they do it? We’re not sure, but it’s frustrating. Awarding one, two or three points to players if their opponent bails would really level the playing field for the more honest gamers.
Jack Needham
