FIFA Soccer

FIFA by EA is the series that requires a yearly update, and the fans are always eager to get a new one simply because it’s new. Hardly is this one a revolution, but a decent upgrade over the last year’s installment. 

The Soccer COVID-19 Impacts the Least

What should you expect from the new FIFA game in the time of change? Well, not much. The developers did not put it all on new consoles but kept in mind that last gen ones are still in use. So there’s no revolution: soccer rules are the same, the rosters are updated according to the current state of affairs, and the changes are easy to count.

The AI has changed the most. The developers ultimately decided to put dynamic fast-paced gameplay over realism. No wonder goalkeepers and backs are now less powerful, while attacking midfielders and strikers have much more chances to score. And they do. The player, in turn, can now do more tricks with a player who does not hold the ball at the moment (they call it Creative Runs). There is also some innovation with agile dribbling that you will surely appreciate if you have a player with high dribbling ability.

Other modes do not show much improvement over FIFA 2020. The most updated one is Career, with new features (like upgraded transfer system or a possibility to enter a match as it goes). It’s deeper now, with more options and a more customizable gameplay, but it means you spend more time as a manager than as a trainer or a player. Ultimate Team, on the contrary, is simplified seriously, though it has new features like co-operative mode.

Volta, the street football mode many players adore, has not undergone much change either, except for long-awaited and logical multiplayer mode. It’s the most informal part of FIFA 2021, and you may find it the most playable as well. Especially given how different street fields can be.

But do you see how much the looks improved on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series? Changes seem insignificant: better lighting, more realistic players as well as the audience… But taken together, they make the game more immersive. Wait for more of visual perfectness in the next installment. So far, it’s just a regular and a bit undecided installment in a series that has to go on eacx year.

The Score 

Well, the revolution is probably postponed to the next year when the nextgen consoles finally establish their domination. So far, the game is made with PS4 and Xbox One in view, so the developers restrict themselves. On the other hand, there’s little to relearn: tricks and feints, rules and combos mostly remain the same. Still, if you like FIFA games for yearly updates, you’ll buy it and enjoy it. But casual players better wait until (if?) FIFA 2022 puts it on a new level.