The long-running soccer series from Electronic Arts said goodbye to the traditional FIFA title last year. This year is therefore mainly marked by a new name, logo and identity of the entire series, which will now bear the name EA Esports FC. With the new piece with the number 24, did the brand receive significant news in addition to the new name?
Platform: PS5 (Reviewed Version), Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (Legacy Edition)
Date of publication: 29. 9. 2022
Manufacturer: EA Canada a EA Romania (Electronic Arts)
Genre: sport
Czech localization: yes (subtitles)
Multiplayer: again
Data to download: 45 GB (PS5)
Cena: 1899 CZK (PS Store)
Traditionally full of content and an excellent technical basis
Football games from EA have long been ranked at the top of the sports game genre in terms of graphics and overall technical aspects. This advantage became even stronger some time ago with the switch to the Frostbite engine. The result is detailed faces of individual players, countless elaborate stadiums with noisy fans or modern lighting. In addition to the graphics themselves, the developers have been improving the overall presentation for a long time, which includes various pre-match or goal animations. This year, for example, several new animations have been added, during which you briefly see the view from the referee’s side from the first person. Although this is only another small piece in the imaginary puzzle, it is important to emphasize that EA Sports FC 24 is simply a very good-looking title that, in addition to the sophisticated technical side, offers a very good atmosphere that can draw you into individual matches. Another innovation of this year’s episode in this direction is represented by a new commentary team consisting of Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith.
The Czech league is represented by only three teams in the form of Pilsen, Slavia and Sparta.
We can consider the breadth of licensed content to be a traditional strength of EA’s football series. It is precisely the unrivaled number of licensed players, clubs, leagues, national teams and stadiums that make EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) no adequate alternative for a small group of players. If you were in doubt as to whether the brand would be able to keep all important licenses even after breaking up with the international football associations, then I can reassure you. All the world’s leading leagues, clubs and players are available. Over 19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums and more than 30 different leagues are available in the language of numbers.
Therefore, it will be easier to point out what is missing in the game. In particular, several leading teams from the Italian league, such as AS Rome and Atalanta Bergamo, which are only represented under fictitious names, are worth noting. Even this time, you also have to indulge your appetite for the complete Czech league, which is represented by only three teams in the form of Pilsen, Slavia and Sparta. In the case of Slavia, a women’s team is now available in addition to the men’s team. Some players may be unpleasantly surprised by the absence of some national teams led by Brazil or other countries such as Chile, Peru, Japan or South Korea. In total, you will find “only” 30 national teams in the current edition, which in itself indicates that many countries are simply missing. What is not missing is the Champions League and other European and world cup competitions. For this year, in addition to updating the existing content, the authors focused on expanding the offer of women’s football. In addition to the top American, English and French leagues, you can now also play the top women’s leagues in Germany and Spain.
From the point of view of game modes, there is no revolution
In the menu of game modes, the developers avoided experiments and bet on a tried-and-tested lineup from previous installments. The traditional modes for occasional players in the form of quick kick, tournament and season are complemented by a career mode, which is again divided between the career of a player and a coach. In the coaching career, several tactical variants have been added and the options for managing the coaching staff and training plans have been expanded. In the case of a player’s career, it is worth paying attention to the deeper involvement of your agent, who can compile an overview of your long-term goals, the fulfillment of which will increase the chances of a transfer to your dream team.
The authors added a system of so-called game styles.
The Volta mode also returns without significant modifications, in which online street football matches await you. In this game mode, prim loops play in a small space and extensive adjustments in terms of personalizing your own character. However, Ultimate Team remains the core mode for most players and the publisher Electronic Arts itself, which generates considerable income for the company thanks to an elaborate system of microtransactions.
The most significant innovation in this regime is the full implementation of women’s football. The result is mixed teams and the presence of female footballers in individual packages. The developers have decided to give female soccer players comparable stats to their male counterparts, a move that is sure to have its supporters and detractors. However, if the authors wanted to give female footballers a truly full-fledged role in the game, they had no other choice, however unrealistic the chosen path may seem due to the differences between men’s and women’s football. On the other hand, with the mode in which you can include legendary football players who are no longer alive, the question is whether the possible effort for more reliable statistics would make sense at all.
Soccer players with special abilities
And how is the game in terms of gameplay? Don’t expect a big revolution here either. However, there have been several pleasant novelties and innovations that are worth paying attention to. First of all, the authors added a system of so-called game styles. This update adds special skills to selected players that correspond to their real-world characteristics and skills. It can be, for example, a specific type of shot, pass, handle, defensive intervention or the way to play a standard situation. In addition to the standard playstyles, there are also extremely powerful styles available, which are referred to as Playstyles Plus. All in all, this is definitely an interesting novelty that has the potential to influence the outcome in close matches. On the other hand, this is another arcade element that is so strong in some footballers that there is no answer to it from the point of view of the defending player. The play style system is available across all modes including Ultimate Team and career, so you can equip your own player with these special abilities through upgrades.
The developers brought the next evolution of HyperMotion technology.
Focusing on the very core of gameplay, EA Sports FC 24 doesn’t deviate from the direction set by older FIFA games. Prim plays fast-paced arcade gameplay that dominates offense instead of defense, with fast and technical players over stronger ones. Due to these characteristics, a relatively large number of goals are logically scored. In short, a typical “FIFA” of recent years. Even in this direction, however, the developers tried for some innovation. For example, I can praise the improvement of the artificial intelligence, which can defend more effectively and attack more aggressively. If you play more modes against computer-controlled opponents, you should feel some changes in their behavior. In connection with the aforementioned game styles, there has been a further evolution of HyperMotion technology, which takes care of the believable processing of movement and animation of individual players and the related physics. In this area, the series has taken a big step forward in recent years, and the new installment continues the established path.
EA’s new football installment does not bring any revolution despite the new name. The game sticks firmly to the structure, style and content offering that FIFA has long celebrated success with. EA Sports FC 24 scores above all in the field of audiovisual and licensing, which are aspects that other sports titles can envy. As part of the gameplay, the developers brought another evolution of their HyperMotion technology, which takes care of the physics and processing of the movement of individual football players. Overall, the series has not deviated from the arcade style in any way, and the implementation of a system of game styles has not changed anything. The game also builds on the solid foundation from the previous installments in terms of content, where a traditional menu of game modes awaits you. The most significant innovation in this direction is the deeper implementation of women’s football led by mixed teams in the Ultimate Team mode
Review
EA Sports FC 24
We like
Excellent audiovisual site and presentation Rich range of licenses Improved player movement and artificial intelligence New animations Deeper implementation of women’s football Match atmosphere
It bothers us
Continued emphasis on fast-paced arcade gameplay Minimal substantive changes in terms of game modes and content Ultimate Team progression continues to be problematic without paid packs Some career-led modes are visibly on the wayside
2023-09-27 12:00:26
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