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The annual football game updates are a key moment in the gaming calendar, with every single player asking each year: Am I Fifa or PES?
For some years now, Fifa has held sway over Pro Evolution Soccer when it comes to not only the licences (whether it be leagues, player names, or real kits – this is an old argument) but also the gameplay.
The Fifa physics engine, having gone through a barren spell in the early 2000s when PES was regarded as the obvious choice, came back strong post-2010.
So what about 2016? What does Fifa have to offer the masses, whose heads are being turned for the first time in years? The answer is very little.
One of the most interesting things about this version of Fifa is how forgettable it is as a playing experience, and indeed so are the players within it.
The franchise has, in recent times, done a wonderful job of taking the way players move with the ball (the rapid, short steps of Lionel Messi, the swaggering hips of Eden Hazard) and dropping that likeness into the game.
This year, however, there is a strange uniform to a lot of the players. Yes, the likenesses, thanks to the additional facial scanning, are stunning – and visually Fifa remains unrivalled – but there are issues elsewhere.
Firstly, despite the releasing of player stats receiving such a fanfare from the developers as well as on social media, every player feels oddly similar.
Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale don’t have the blistering pace that sends them beyond defenders, and the diminutive Theo Walcott can out-muscle Vincent Kompany. You feel that no matter who you control, everything is a 50/50 – and that just isn’t, and shouldn’t, be the case.
The world’s best don’t stand out, and every player feels the same on and off the ball.
One reason for this could be the re-design that defending has received. Players at the back have become a lot more pro-active, stepping out to intercept passes and swarm all over static forwards.
Goals feel harder to score, and much more emphasis is placed on the need to pick the right pass, and not force a move. However, the defences are almost too organised, and you might find yourself involved in more 0-0 draws than previously.
This sounds like a positive when offering a challenge, but when it’s nothing but lateral passes between two central midfielders it can get tedious.
That said, the chances are you’ll hit a stray pass on more than one occasion, while the pass direction controls seem more sensitive.
But weight of pass has also become more crucial – with a quick tap of the pass button no longer enough. Anything remotely under hit will be picked off – while the new quick pass is often over hit, and can’t be controlled. Sometimes you can’t help but feel damned if you do, or damned if you don’t.
On the other side of this coin, the goals you score now tend to be the result of better passing moves, or a moment of incision from a runner.
A darting run from Pedro we picked out with a driven through ball by Fabregas, beyond the full back, led to a particularly satisfying goal. When these moments do come they’re immensely enjoyable, but they’re rare.
The most talked about update in Fifa 16 is the inclusion of women’s teams for the first time. Twelve national sides are included in the game – including the Lionesses – and they offer a level of freshness to the game.
The chance to control players you haven’t before, against opposition you’re not quite ready for, is a fresh thrill, and that makes for some good encounters. Watch out for the French national team by the way, who are extremely good defensively and quick on the break.
However, it is a little worrying that this serves as arguably the biggest headline about the game, rather than a reboot of the physics engine, or how the game itself plays.
Go online to the new Ultimate Team Draft, and there is some new joy to be had. This is a very smart introduction to the game, adding a cut-back version of the hugely popular Ultimate Team for those who can’t commit the same playing hours.
Essentially FUT Draft enables players to pick from the world’s best from the get-go, aiming to find the best chemistry in order to create a winning force. For each position you choose from a handful of players, and as a mode it is wonderfully addictive.
2016 appears to be the first time in some years that Fifa may have to settle for the runners-up spot in the football sim stakes. But it was heavy competition from Konami’s PES that forced EA to up their game last time, and no longer just tweak the very edges of their visually brilliant platform.
Fifa 16 is still a good game, and offers plenty of enjoyment, but it has enough issues to bother you too.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. PES has closed the gap this year, and as a result this feels like the beginning of another phase of close battles between the two football game franchises. And that, for gamers, means a golden age of play.
