Ironically, the rhetoric surrounding EA Sports football games remains the same year after year. Those who don’t really understand this wonder why these seemingly minor modifications can’t be added in updates, while the diehards, perhaps importing their tribal fan culture from real-life football, feel for every new face and feature distressed.
I’m definitely one of those people who’s been stuck in the highs and lows of FIFA and EA Sports FC for over 20 years (this was a devastating revelation), but it feels like, through the mix of inconsistent and unsatisfying gameplay , the increasing push for more content – as well as more expensive Ultimate Team packs and the ossification of all other game modes at the expense of Ultimate Team, anger within the community is turning to apathy – especially reportedly from FIFA and 2K Games competition is coming.
EA Sports FC 25 hopes to address this by modernizing fundamental parts of its gameplay, adding more social and casual spaces to re-emphasize fun over constant grinding, and updating the long-lacking mode by creating a more well-rounded experience question.
The first update, which EA calls FC IQ, is a complete revamp of the underlying tactical system that controls player behavior on the pitch and is designed to take EA Sports FC 25 to new levels of realistic tactical flexibility.
While the backend has obviously improved, the tactical interface in EA Sports games has been the same for a long time. I remember when I was a kid telling the forwards to “stay behind” and setting the DM to “stay behind when attacking”.
With football fans generally becoming more familiar with the in-depth analysis of the xG era, FIFA and later EA Sports FC 24 gave you the ability to simulate Liverpool’s high press, Guardiola-esque 5-5 possession splits or whatever. Tottenham Tools.
After setting their position, players can now choose from one of more than 50 new roles, including “false defender” (a defender who moves into midfield when in possession, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold) or “half winger” (a center forward ) midfielders roam the wings and utilize their crossing ability, much like Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne).
Gone are the blurry high, medium, and low work rates, and you can now set a player “focus” to attack, roam, or defend on the new campaign map, where you can see how they will perform against their position and players Role. Players also have different proficiency levels in each role, with a “+” if they know what they’re doing and a “++” if they’re world-class at that job. EA says it’s more about the best players excelling in their roles rather than unfamiliar players underperforming when out of position on the pitch, but it’s all about giving players greater personality, And make their performance even better.
You can also independently plan your tactics with or without the ball, which is a truly impressive evolution. Whether this new tactical focus can break the old reliance on shrinking targets, abusing tempo, and exploiting overpowered mechanics is a tricky question, but EA says there will be more viable tactical styles than ever before, and not every Individuals are able to replicate the same ultra-defensive meta-tactics as the pros.
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The style of play has also been redesigned, with goalkeepers being the biggest beneficiaries. They have new special abilities like “Footsteps” (which is basically an enhanced “save with your feet” trait) and the incredibly exciting “Reflectors” (which allows the goalkeeper to push the ball away when making a save) farther to prevent rebounds)).
Another reveal update is called Rush, a new five-player game type that will replace VOLTA and will be integrated into all key game modes rather than standalone game modes. It’s a fast-paced, shorter game with smaller courts and new rules. Offside starts in the team’s defensive zone rather than from the mid-line, while persistent or serious fouls will be punished with a “blue card” rather than an outright red card.
I used to love the concept of VOLTA, but there’s no doubt that after playing a few novelty games, it became an afterthought. This time around, EA is positioning Rush as a less competitive social space than the other modes, but still contributes to your overall season progress, so you don’t feel like you’re losing valuable time that could be better spent In other places. Each Rush match will still count towards things like the ultimate team goal or your progress in the Pro Club, but hopefully the matches won’t be too focused.
In Ultimate Team, you can play Rush with four friends (plus an AI goalkeeper), or enter the matchmaking system and form a team with similar players. You each bring a player from the UT collection, and EA says it’s the perfect place to showcase the awesome players you just packed in, or to wipe off the sweat from Rivals and Champs.
Then, in Pro Club, Rush is basically just a condensed version of the full-scale gameplay, where you earn Rush points to unlock rewards. The best implementation, however, is definitely in career mode, where you can now compete in Rush tournaments with your youth squad at specific points throughout the season.
You can play with youth players’ current abilities to gauge their suitability for the first team, or get a glimpse of their full potential when they play against rival teams from other teams – like how Youssoufa Moukoko played at youth level A young man who has scored a billion goals.
More ways to interact with your youth squad have long been high on career mode fans’ dream feature lists, as well as a way to get the most out of your youth squad players (when the realities of life mean you’re not always as likely to Entering career mode (save as you want)) is a very tempting prospect that could inject some life into the beleaguered game mode.
These tournaments will also obviously give your best young players a huge boost so they can pop up in a more practical overall style (basically like Lamin Yamar) – create your own in career mode Another aspect of the storyline that has felt lacking in the past.
From the Rush games I’ve played, the size of the pitch feels better than VOLTA, and the goalkeepers are less dominant since the targets are larger. Goalkeeper movement has also obviously been nerfed, meaning they can only take one more step instead of running all the way to close angles to ridiculous degrees, which is a huge win for every game mode.
But this means Rush has a true arcade feel, where you can run mazes, activate the Hollywood Pass, and pull off silky action in a relaxed, relaxing environment. However, I have some doubts about its staying power in game modes outside of career. As evidenced by the fact that Ultimate Team Friendly matches are just as (if not more) sweaty than basic Rivals, the EA Sports FC community has grown stronger over the years of intense competition and is uncompromising in the face of toxic grid warfare. Will everyone actually behave? should More casual?
EA has made some progress and started to tone down this overly competitive feel in different game modes, starting with separating friendly matchmaking from rival ELO so that there would be more casual players and fewer people actively playing Smurfs. motivation.
Weekly rewards were then adjusted to a points-based system, with three points for a win and one point for a draw, reducing the incentive for a win-at-all-costs mentality and the level of frustration of standing still after a match. You can now also be demoted from rival leagues so you’re no longer stuck in a league with frustrating efforts. All of these changes are taking place in Ultimate Team and Pro Club.
Finally, Ultimate Team will now also have duplicate storage spaces for multiple players you get from the pack. My biggest gripe with FC 24 is that once you log in, it feels like you’re actually getting nothing for your time investment, getting your rewards, leaving behind Edin Dzeko, Mats Hummels and Borja Ing Gracias and then Chris Smalling (if you’re lucky) before you wonder why you’re even starting to grind again.
My other biggest complaint has also been overhauled. EA’s system is called “Cranium,” and players without real head scans have seen a massive upgrade in their likeness – it feels like it’s been dormant for a long, long time.
I think a lot of the changes EA is making in FC 25 are very positive, especially considering how FC IQ, Rush, and Cranium are finally bringing meaningful changes to the career mode, but the question is always how these things will be implemented throughout The playfulness that comes through during the season. Ultimate Team in particular will be hit by any weakness, so while the FC IQ tactic looks interesting, it will be even more interesting to see how the meta plays out.
EA Sports FC 25 will be released on September 27th.
