FIFA 18 is officially released worldwide on Friday (today) and while we'll probably be moaning about it in about three months, at present, having been bashing the game for a couple of weeks now, it does feel like the most complete and enjoyable game in the series.
Here we break down some of the key components of the game.
Gameplay:
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The game's tend to improve year on year in terms of gameplay and this year, the action feels much more fluid and fluent - ultimately meaning the game flows better. The introduction of the 'Real Player Motion' and 'Player Personality' features is something EA Sports Senior Gameplay Producer Sam Rivera says the team at EA are hailing as "game-changing", with it capturing the way the leading players move and play and all adding to the realism of the game.
The players are more responsive to your commands and mannerisms of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, the game's cover star, Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, to name a few are near-identical to what you see in real life.
A much-changed dribbling system, whereby there's more creativity and there's more to it than wiggling the analog sticks about and hoping your player beats opponents, really adds to the enjoyment of the game, as does the improved crossing, which brings about more variety and options in getting the ball into the box for your striker to get on the end of it.
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A final point in gameplay that I'm a big fan of, and it ties in with the fluidity of the game, is the dynamic quick-subs that you can make without needing to pause the game. Suggestions on the bottom right-hand side of the screen come up at various points and a click of the button sees your make your desired change. Be careful though, as sometimes you'll go skip watching replays and Ilkay Gundogan will come on at left-back without you meaning to.
Atmosphere and experience:
As important as the mechanics and fundamentals are, I'm a sucker for the little things in the game that your average FIFA player wouldn't really pay attention to. And so the real-life individual chants for clubs, the impeccable graphics for players and stadiums, many of which are new this year, the 360 camera angles, debris coming onto the pitch, as well as the all-new 3D crowds that are a far-cry from the days where the same person was multiplied 30,000 times in the stadium, all bring a freshness to the game.
Additionally, the ability to celebrate goals with supporters is incredibly exciting. Try and not go overboard when Mike Dean's knocking about, though.
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The Journey:
Last year's 'The Journey' mode chronicling the footballing ventures of 17-year old rookie Alex Hunter was the addition that the FIFA Franchise had needed but as enjoyable as it was, it did become a tad predictable. However, this year, in 'The Journey: Hunter Returns', which follows on from Hunter's heroics in the FA Cup final and subsequent England call-up, I believe there's more possibilities and freedom for players.
The narrative to begin with this year, without spoiling too much, is that Alex is told that he gets an offer from the mighty Real Madrid yet his agent Michael had been duped and the proposal was not legitimate. He heads to LA Galaxy in the MLS and looks to get his career back on track from there.
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A lot of the same characters from last year, such as Catherine Hunter, Jim Hunter, Harold Walker, Gareth Walker, Danny Williams and more, all introduced, but this year sees involvement from household names Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry, Gyasi Zardes, Dele Alli, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Muller and NBA basketballer James Harden to name a few.
Playable characters, the option to play multiplayer offline with your friends, being able to customise Alex Hunter and how he looks on and off the pitch, your decisions having a greater impact on the story than ever before and chapter-based objectives all create a compelling mode that has gone up another gear from last year. I'm only three chapters in and I can't get enough of the soap opera-like drama served up.
Career Mode:
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For me, Career Mode is the bread and butter of the game and I'm well onboard with the new features that take the mode to in FIFA 18. The realistic and interactive transfer negotiations, which entails approaching a club at the player, meeting with the manager and discussing details, then going through formalities with the player and his agent, has quite rightly going down well with FIFA enthusiasts.
If I'm being nitpicky, it would have been even better if the players and managers weren't just speaking through subtitles, but that's something for EA to bear in mind for next year. Moreover, releases clauses, signing on fees, performance-related bonus and re-sale clauses bring us closer to the real-life goings on in football.
And following on from that, you can feast your eyes on dynamic news clips that range from your latest acquisition being unveiled in a press conference, joining his new teammates, or even being presented with a monthly award.
Ultimate Team:
Ultimate Team is more of the same really - it's been the most popular element of the game for a number of years now and there was no need to change with the winning formula too much. Still, we have the additions of the star-studded 'Fut Icons, spearheaded by 'the original Ronaldo' in his return to the game, now applicable to both Xbox and PlayStation.
Every 'Icon' comes with three different versions; one from the beginning of the career, a card for when they were in the prime years and a final card as the player was nearing the end. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on them, you can roll back the years with the likes of Ronaldinho, Pele, David Beckham, David Maradona, Thierry Henry and more.
The other little tweaks EA have made is giving players the opportunity to compete for daily and weekly objectives and score rewards for completing those tasks, which can range from purchasing a new goalkeeper to scoring with a Brazilian player on UT. 'Squad Battles', where you tussle it out against other squads from the Ultimate Team community, is also a great way to get rewards, while the new 'Champions Channel' is your go-to platform if you want to study the best players and try and improve your skills.
Have you been enjoying FIFA 18 so far? Let us know your thoughts.
Featured Image Credit: EA SportsTopics: FIFA 18