Overall gameplay feels as tight as it has ever been and players feel marginally less attached to the ball, a trend that has continued over the last 3-4 years. Even elite players will easily lose possession if not careful with the ball and the feeling of the player and ball being its own separate entity is a much welcomed refinement. Players are no longer glued to the ball and even more to this point, EA Canada added “No touch dribbling” which lets you juke defenders out of their cleats if pulled off correctly.
Many of the new gameplay additions are minor but necessary for EA to move this FIFA franchise along. Seasoned veterans of the game will feel right at home while newcomers should not feel intimidated. One of the beauties of FIFA is that you do not need to be able to pull off every nuance of the game to find enjoyment and success.
PRESENTATION
On the presentation front, FIFA 16 feels somewhat unchanged from last year with a few exceptions. Menus received its usual theme change, with a bright blue fresh feel and a completely empty stadium of your favorite team serving as the backdrop. This is a nice touch and adds to the overall appeal but does not add much of substance. A few things that do add to the experience however are a built in media player on the splash screen, currently displaying a video of the “FIFA Trainer” which can easily be played while still on the home screen. Going back and forth between menus is also as snappy as I have ever seen in any EA Sports game and makes it a breeze to cycle through the numerous game modes FIFA 16 has to offer. The Bundesliga also received it’s full catalogue of stadiums and overlays now reflect those of a Bundesliga TV Broadcast. FIFA Ultimate Team menus are almost identical to last year, with an emphasis on teaching you how to play the mode. Oftentimes screen overlays, telling you what to do will be prompted on screens you have not visited previously. This is a nice touch to ease newcomers into the beast that is FUT.
When it comes to gameplay presentation, not much has changed from last years strong effort although some refinements are noticeable. Stadiums look very good, fan chants are accurate and fans can be seen holding their teams scarfs and singing in unison prior to matches.
Weather once again factors in the look and feel of the game with options on what season (Spring/Fall/Winter) as well as in what conditions to play in. Snow games look phenomenal and players’ attire looks fitting to the conditions at hand. The Barclays Premier League is once again one of the best and most accurately portrayed leagues in the game with an almost true to TV broadcast presentation. I also noticed some nice individualized touches in other leagues games however. Player handshakes before games look a bit robotic but that is a minor gripe in an otherwise stellar presentation package. Overall the game looks and feels clean and fresh but returning players will not be blown away by some sort of major revelations on the presentation side. Commentary once again lacks excitement and innovation and is largely unchanged from years past. This is definitely an area in which EA can use some improvements. Aside from the lackluster broadcast voices, the rest of the presentation has improved with added Bundesliga overlays in league matches to make it look and feel much like a TV broadcast. One thing I would like to see in the future is a true television pan into the stadium with pregame show much like that featured in EA Sports’ NHL series.
GAME MODES
FIFA 16 features a bevy of game modes including all the modes gamers of the franchise have come to expect as well as some additions. Match Day Live is back and looks cleaner and refined with real world articles on your favorite squads, Inform Players, Top Scorers and League Tables all visible on the splash screen.
The “Tournament” mode features a large amount of licensed Cups from all over the world to partake in as well as the ability to create your own custom tourney.
The “Career” mode lets you play as a manager of your favorite club or as a young phenom player just breaking onto the scene. If you go that route, you can play out your players career and then after you retire become a full time manager, which is a great touch, not available in any other sports game to date. Player development within the career mode gets a nice boost with individual player training.
