FIFA 20 is finally here. EA teased us many times with new features to ultimately convince us yet again to muster up the cash to buy yet another FIFA. Tall trees catch much wind. EA had a fair share of backlash over the last entries in the FIFA series. With PES gaining more and more ground, FIFA 20 has to be top to keep the balance in their favor.
A different feel
FIFA 20 introduces a few gameplay tweaks to give the game a fresh feeling. The AI of your fellow attacking players has been improved to make way for more natural feeling one-on-ones. This puts the emphasis back on playing a passing game instead of using just crazy skills to dribble past defenders. Speaking of defending, FIFA 20 finally addressed the silly defending that sometimes occurred in previous installations. Smarter placement by non-controlled players makes for a more natural feel to the game.
Movement improvement
A more natural feel to the game might also be attributed to the new ball physics and player movement physics. The ball moves in a more natural feel than ever before. The added ability to use swerve-shots and knuckleballs makes for a nice addition to the tools available for set pieces. Although I like the new options with set pieces, the new system used to execute them hasn’t quite convinced me. The more risk-reward time-based way free kicks, corner kicks, and penalties are to be taken, took me a while to get it under my belt. Maybe I just need more practice but I still prefer the previous system.
Immersive ultimate team
Ultimate Team is back with some much-needed tweaks. Previous entries focused heavily on online play which is fine if you’re into showing off your skills. The problem I had was that I was never that good at FIFA to even have a chance at some online success. I’m much more a casual player who enjoys the occasional brawl amongst friends but has no interest in becoming the next esports legend. With weekly challenges and squad building challenges, Ultimate Team feels much more immersive for a player like me. The experience earned by completing these challenges makes you eligible for new packs of players, making the pay-to-win principle a bit less prominent.
Unchanged modes
Nice to see the champions league license is still within FIFA 20. Speaking of licenses, it seems like almost all thinkable licenses are present. The Juventus one looks like the only major one missing. The likeliness of the top teams matches the real thing quite close but nothing much has changed for most smaller teams/leagues. Having the perfect likeliness of the keeper for Scunthorpe United might not matter that much to most but EA could definitely improve this part of their game a bit after holding that license for so long. The career mode is again the biggest letdown. EA hasn’t changed a thing about it which means my favorite offline mode feels stale as ever. The hashtag #FixCareerMode has put EA to work and future updates promise improvements.
Volta instead of the Journey
The biggest and most teased addition in FIFA 20 has to be the introduction of Volta. Volta brings the game of soccer back to the street with small teams battling it out on smaller venues. Let me start by saying, Volta is not FIFA street. The over the top ridiculous moves of FIFA street aren’t to be found in Volta. The skill moves of most players are exaggerated a bit but nothing overly fancy to be honest. The story-mode aspect of the Journey from the previous three FIFA installments has been incorporated in Volta. You are part of a street team that strives to be the best. The story feels lame which made me skip most dialog after a while. The gameplay, on the other hand, breaks FIFA out of the rut it was getting in as of lately.
Conclusion
FIFA 20 hasn’t really improved enough to justify buying the new version as opposed to sticking to FIFA 19. The tweaks and small additions are for the most part well done but in the end, don’t add much excitement to the game. The nice change of pace in the Volta mode might be the sole reason to buy this version of FIFA.
