FIFA 16 Review (PlayStation 4)

FIFA 16 is a game about balance in all its incarnations, a football game that understands the importance of spectacle and the impact that superstars can have, but also asks gamers to carefully move the ball around in order to unlock stubborn defenses and deliver a goal at a crucial moment.

EA Sports delivered a complete game last year, and this means that, with this new installment, they had no revolutionary features to offer and instead focused on improving all the core mechanics as much as possible.

FIFA 16 is not as flashy as its predecessor was and invites gamers to find the strength of their team and to develop a style of play around that, making sure that they adapt to the formation and players that the opposition fields.

I like the extra patience required and the way one single mistake can have a big negative impact, but there are certainly some fans who might be put off by the fact that power and pace no longer dominate the pitch.

Story

FIFA 16 includes a wide variety of teams and leagues, all of them with extensive licensing, which means players can certainly find a team to love and will be able to play with the biggest superstars, using kits, and on stadiums that are based on their real-world counterparts.

The game delivers a range of modes, from Career to Seasons to Skill Games, Match Day Live, Pro Clubs and Ultimate Team.

For gamers who want to focus on a real-world team to create a long-term narrative, Career is the best choice, now enhanced with a range of pre-season tournaments that offer new opportunities for team tweaking.

FIFA 16 teachable moment

I appreciate the new options opened up by the training schedule, which gives gamers an option to pick five players in order to try and improve their skills and their performance, but EA Sports has not delivered any fundamental new feature for the mode.

I would like to see FIFA add a higher number of tactical options, but most gamers will be satisfied with the way the game encourages players to deal with some of the management elements associated with a club while also making it clear that actually playing the matches is where the fun is.

Gameplay

FIFA 16 shifts the focus of the series from the attackers to the midfielders, making it harder than in previous installments to score goals, but offering a more realistic take on the real-world sport.

Defensive action is easier both for the player and for the Artificial Intelligence, with players who are more able to intercept passes and to move with strikers in order to make sure that they never get the space they need to become dangerous.

For the first few matches, this felt like a limitation, and I missed the ease with which I managed to get past opposing defenders in FIFA 15, but after a while, it becomes clear that the engine was tweaked to push the player to be smarter and to rely less on speed and on player strength to get a breakthrough.

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Because it's easier to defend, midfield players need to work harder to find openings, a task made even more complicated by the fact that the through passes that gamers have long relied upon are limited in their effectiveness.

FIFA 16 encourages players to think fast and to act methodically, probing the defense of the opposition to find an opening and then moving fast to exploit it and get into a position where they can become threatening.

“The passing with purpose mechanic is designed to give players a tool to break stalemates, delivering a sharper and more powerful pass that can bypass defenders, but it is harder for the recipient to control it easily, especially if his skill is limited.”

Unfortunately, FIFA 16 has also made crosses relatively ineffective, and the referees tend to make some questionable decisions when it comes to fouls, something that will probably be addressed in future updates.

Winning in the new title is a matter of avoiding mistakes when on the defensive, then working through midfield to disrupt the opposition, and eventually finalizing with a goal when chances appear.

For the first time in the series, gamers can also select women's national teams, which deliver a different take on football.

The pace is slower, and the players are less physical, which is reflected in their animations and interactions, and this makes the matches more tactical and also more influenced by mistakes and by random interactions.

Passing and movement are more important, and playing the tournament built around women's team offers a welcome change of pace.

FIFA 16 also introduces a new Trainer that can can deliver different levels of advice during the matches, making it relatively easy for players to upgrade the quality of their play and to understand how they can deal with difficult situations.

Graphics and audio

FIFA 16 looks great and clearly uses the power of the new generation of PC and console hardware to bring the look of both players and stadiums as close to the real world as possible.

The major superstars are easily recognizable on the pitch and move like their counterparts, and even the long-neglected crowds have personality.

The interface is mostly unchanged and makes it easy to navigate through the modes and to quickly deal with tactics and squad selection.

There are some small weird movements for the women players included in FIFA 16, who have different animations and ways to interact with each other and the ball, but that's to be expected, given that this is the first year when they are featured.

The soundtrack of the football sim continues to be a mix of established hits and engaging new releases, and the commentary has been improved, with more moments when the actual performance of the player team is acknowledged, and other major developments from the world of the sport are discussed.

The crowd chants and reactions, especially in the Premier League, are the standouts, making it a real joy to play the big matches in an atmosphere that all but forces gamers to put in a great performance.

Multiplayer

I find that the best way to enjoy FIFA 16 against another human is by choosing the kick-off options so that both of those involved can choose their favorite teams before launching into a best-of-five or -seven game series.

The banter, the thrash-talking, the rivalry that develops, the way that the two engaged gamers come to relate to each other both on and off the pitch enhance the mechanics of the game and make each goal scored feel like the most important thing in the world.

A lot of gamers want to have more long-term progression and they will head straight for the Seasons mode or for Ultimate Team, which still has the same core mechanics and is a good way to occupy a lot of time while mixing team building with tense matches.

The new Draft mode is an interesting compromise between depth and time requirements because it asks the player to put together a team and then offers tournaments that can be completed relatively quickly.

The biggest problem is that the fee linked to the experience is a little high and might keep gamers away from it.

It's an interesting addition to FIFA 16 but nothing groundbreaking, and it will be interesting to see whether Ultimate Team will continue to gain new fans or will mainly appeal to those who are already in love with it.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion