''THE MAN. THE MYTH. THE LEGEND. SCOTT STERLING!''
Developed: EA Canada
Published: EA
Genre: Sports Simulation
Release Date: Sept 27th, 2024
Platforms: Switch/Xbox/Playstation/Epic Games/Steam
*GAME PROVIDED TO ME BY NINTENDO
EA Sports FC 25 is the latest round of football to hit consoles and it is developed by EA Canada and published by EA. With FC 24 in 2023 getting praised for its variety and overall being a decent time to be had, E.A. now decides to attempt it again with another entry here in 2024. But was making this franchise into a yearly one a good idea or should it have instead tried a bi-yearly format? only one way to find out, so lets go!
''TIME TO TAKE DOWN THE LUCA GOERS''
GAMEPLAY:
EA Sports FC 25 is the latest evolution in EA's catalogue of football simulators, which many people previous know as FIFA. With myself not exactly being up to date on all the lingo that has to go with football and the ignorance of myself wanting to keep saying soccer instead, I'm basically entering new territory here in relation to the sport. I mean the closest thing I've played genre was has been Mario Strikers or if were REALLY reaching here, then you can throw in Blitzball too. While those might not necessarily be FIFA related in the football sense, at least they were better than myself attempting to play the sport in real life and getting kicked in the face with the ball like we were Scott Sterling or something.. so that's a win. Here in FC 25, this entry attempts to blend in familiar gameplay mechanics with extra enhancements that both keep the core mechanics of what worked in last years entry and refine it a tad bit to give long time FIFA fans an experience that both feels fresh, but also one fans have grown accustomed to. One of the ways the team attempts to add in a sense of innovation is by utilizing FC IQ, which is a tactical system that offers players more ways to show their strengths in modes like Manage Career and Ultimate Team, by facilitating player roles and more intricate tactics for on field interactions and engagements. However, while people will use all their brain power to come up with awesome strategies and game winning tactics... myself on the other hand just knows ''see ball, kick in net'', that's about as far as my strategizing goes, for better or worse. They're just lucky that this isn't Blitzball because then I'd just be pulling a Rugby and just tackling everyone when I get mad at them stealing the ball from me. Freaking Jerks. Although this title does TRY to one up last years iteration by refining the gameplay and its controls, it doesnt exactly introduce full on ''groundbreaking'' changes''. Implementing tactical nuances like FC IQ, while in itself works great for the most part by allowing you for greater control over team mechanics, which is a good thing, dont get me wrong - it just feels... not enough?. Maybe they just needed a rice ball maker as motivation to improve the gameplay just a tad bit better just like in Shaolin Soccer, then gameplay would truly get crazy.
Beyond just FC IQ, the passing has also been slightly improved with each kick and pass to your teammates feeling way more responsive and shooting feeling like there's more weight to your kicks rather than the ball feeling weightless and like kicking a golf ball or something. This is noticeable the more you play as you partake in Rush Mode, which is a 5 versus 5 format that further increases the diversity in gameplay when utilizing it in Ultimate Team and Career mode - which changes it up a bit from the standard 11 versus 11 format you might be normally used to. Sure, on paper that doesn't sound like TOO big of a deal, but if you're the type of player that likes fast pick up and play action and quicker matches, then this would be the way to go for you due to emphasis on quick and fluid match gameplay over the overly complex strategy that could take place in an eleven player formation. Honestly it really depends on how you wish to play. Are you a brisk pace player that strategizes and takes their time with full squads or do you want quick match setups with 5 versus 5? there's really no wrong answer here as it appeals to hardcore FIFA fans and is more accessible to others who may not have all the time in the world as well. Which is basically me with my current work schedule, so many times I'm so occupied with my work and covering games that I just want a simple pick up and play leisure experience and Rush mode offers that for me.. however, I just need to remember sometimes to actually stop working and actually eat food for once and get my Kirby or Goku on. Come on food, GET IN MAH BELLY!. When you're done figuring out the dang controls, feel free to actually dive into the actual meat of the game with Ultimate Team and Career Modes. In Ultimate Team mode, think of it as your hub for player management but with only minor updates from last years edition, which means it might not flip the mode on its head but it still preserves the core mechanic of what people liked about it at the very least. Even though this mode is pretty fun with the introduction of player roles and even giving you the chance to archive any duplicate cards you may obtain, it still however falls a bit short by having an overlying need and dependence on microtransactions. No one likes microtransactions... well if we can help it at least.. which some are more tolerable than others.. like sure spend $5 here for some Fortnite add on to get Goku or some thing, but others are more annoying like spending like $20 to get horse armor in Elder Scrolls Oblivion. Yes... that was me. I bought horse armor and then accidently took my horse Shadowmere inside the Oblivion gate and forgot he was there and closed it, thus losing my horse and his armor AND making me lose $20. I'm smart as heck guys. My point in all this is microtransactions can be lived with, but when its a big focus like here in FC 25 due to its grind, then it starts to annoy you rather than be something that adds to your experience. Career Mode is where I had less of an issue however with a good visual refresh from last year to this year and new elements introduced like live season scenarios and youth football integration using Rush Mode. Running down the field, passing, dodging chumps left and right, making an amazing shot and thinking in your head GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! feels great and with the tweaked gameplay mechanics, made matches feel extremely smooth and overall gave me a fun time as I progressed, especially when you factor in FC IQ into the mix for extra depth. But while that holds the game up to an extent, there are some things that definitely hold it back too.
For one thing, while yes the overall gameplay for me is fun and enjoyable, even as someone who's not a major FIFA fan, problems like A.I. responsiveness can happen from time to time with your teammates sometimes not reacting to your pass or where you move and even defenders themselves against you not reacting to you and making some of your shots a little too easy due to, again, the A.I. not holding up quite to the standard as was seen in last years entry, which is a shame. At the same time the user interface can add several problems to the mix as well that may hinder your enjoyment due to its placement and making navigation of it a bit cumbersome and awkward to trudge through. On top of these, server issues also persist to annoy you by either having a slow connection or even being timed out, even though last years game were stable for the most part.. however this years entry seems to be clunkier and less optimized than one would have hoped it would be and that's a shame, especially when you are trying to play with friends - it can completely ruin the mood. Maybe we need to resurrect Rodney Dangerfield and get some high quality Lady Bugs D.L.C. going here to salvage those negatives. Probably not, but a girl can dream.
''THE WHOLE SQUAD HERE''
OVERALL:
At the end of the day EA Sports FC 25 comes up a bit short on what I feel the developers were going for this time around. Its not completely awful though with a great addition of FC IQ that offers you new additions and fun strategy, Rush Mode that introduces a 5 versus 5 format that makes for great pick up and play fun matches, duplicate cards in Ultimate Team that welcomes the idea of getting duplicates rather than thinking of them as a burden, smoother aspects of gameplay with passing, running and kicking - those are all great and hold the game up with all their might. However, being just ''competent'' at something, does not mean you're transformative or a vast improvement as FC 25 has learned with this iteration. But with wonky AI from time to time that impacts both your opponents and your own teammates from responding accordingly, which makes clunky matches, server issues that causes disconnects, menu navigation not being very smooth, microtransactions being a main focus of Ultimate Team rather than an addition to it, those alone outweigh the positives I feel you could have with the titles, even though it can be pretty fun at times and in spurts. Keyword here, spurts, not all the time, and that's really a bummer. Hopefully EA moves the series to bi-yearly and if not, hopefully next years entries improves on this titles mistakes going forward. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says WAIT.
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