All the talk last year was about the end of EA’s partnership with FIFA and how it would impact EA Sports FC 24. The truth is, the game actually excelled on most fronts and this helped ensure the new era began on a positive note. Now though, it’s time to find out if EA Sports FC 25 can build upon previous success to entice players back once more, or whether the developers are coasting and leaving the door open for a rival to swoop in.
Before you go seeking out a download of whatever Konami has to offer with eFootball this year, fear not, because EA Sports FC 25 is fresh and full of new ideas.
So, where should we begin? Well, let’s dive right into the gameplay and tactical side of EA Sports FC 25.
The implementation of HyperMotionV, the PlayStyles increasing player capabilities, as well as some of the passing and shooting tweaks remain in place with slight improvements, but there’s a new marquee feature that stands out. It’s the FC IQ system, looking to enhance the tactical and positional aspects during gameplay. The three key elements of this new system are Player Roles, Smart Tactics, and Team Tactics.
Smart Tactics wants to advise you mid-game about tactics you could employ and potential substitutions. It’s easy to engage with via the d-pad, but if you’re changing formation on the fly, you’ll probably have to pause things to put players where you want them anyway, and that defeats the object. Meanwhile, Team Tactics is simply about deciding the formation, the style of build-up play for the starting eleven, and the defensive approach.
The most important part of FC IQ are the Player Roles, dictating behaviour on the pitch like never before. You can tell players how you want them to act in their respective positions, for example the striker being a poacher that’s constantly making runs in behind, or a defender who steps out from the back to aggressively press and tackle the opposition. While that capability isn’t new per se, the effectiveness of players performing the actions requested is.
Every player can pull off a role to an acceptable standard, however others have better familiarity in certain roles. Bruno Fernandes is blessed in the CAM position with Advanced Playmaker++ and Half Winger+, meaning that he’s excellent at following the instructions at the former role and pretty reliable at the latter one. Given the amount of options, both in and out of possession, there’s real scope here to get the team playing the way you want or to emulate your favourite manager.
It all kind of feels like something you’d expect from a Football Manager, not EA Sports FC, but out on the pitch you will notice the difference it makes to the AI. Keeping to the Manchester Utd theme and watching Casemiro drop back into defence and Diogo Dalot shift into midfield as a Falseback when on the attack is quite fascinating. Granted, it’s harder to see such behaviour with everyone on basic familiarity, but the system works darn well with the roles players are accustomed to.
The gameplay on the whole is damn good too, with a focus seemingly on encouraging a patient and considered approach. The players, especially the bigger folk, have a weightier feel to them, producing movements that are more natural. Rushing passes and shots is an absolute no-no as the margin of error is much smaller than before. Hence, making pinpoint passes and scoring worldies, either on the turn or facing away from the target destination, is less likely, which is a good thing. There’s also a lot of additional freedom to lock-on to balls initially unintended for you, increasing the amount of interception possibilities.
I’m on the fence with the goalkeeper AI of EA Sports FC 25, which is very erratic for the most part. On the plus side, the animations are great and there are realistic moments like GKs spilling the ball for tap-in merchants to pounce on. In contrast though, they pull off incredible saves and then concede to the rubbish efforts my nan could stop, or parry the ball when it’s an easy gather. You might argue that’s actually what happens every week with André Onana, but such bizarre performances really aren’t as common in the real world.
Shifting the focus onto game modes, and whilst the majority of them remain from the previous instalment, there is a casualty here as Volta is no more. Considering the multitude of server issues it had, amongst other flaws, that’s probably for the best. In its place however, is a fresh concept that borrows a little from Volta as well as proper football to create a hybrid called Rush.
Rush is a 5v5 experience where four humans and a computer-controlled GK can play together against a team of the same ilk. The pitch is less than half the size of a regular one, with the offside ruling coming into effect for the final third only. Another difference to football as we know it is the blue card, given for serious fouls or picking up two yellows. This blue card sees the recipient sit out of the game for sixty seconds. Whoever scores the most goals during a seven minute match is the winner, with Golden Goal rules in place if it’s a draw at the end.
There’s something strangely addictive about Rush, and the fact you can play it via Clubs using your Virtual Pro, or through Ultimate Team with your favourite players, is handy. It’s a mode that thrives on communication and, with a few exceptions, the social element is a definite factor in the overall enjoyment. Perhaps the lack of set outfield positions helps conjure up the laid back atmosphere and free-flowing gameplay that keeps you coming back for more.
The Rush idea also infiltrates the Manager Career offering as part of a focused effort on the youth side of the game. You can actually control the youngsters for 5vs5 tournaments and help grow them into the stars of tomorrow. It’s a nice touch, but it’s also the only noteworthy change that’s exclusive to the career as a manager.
There are a couple of criticisms of Rush too, the first is in regards to the limitations in Ultimate Team as to a pool of recommended players to choose from, instead of just allowing you to select anyone who fits the requirements. Another minor irritation is the commentary from Fernando Palomo, because it’s just over-the-top and cringeworthy in every aspect. It’s like something I’d expect to hear for esports matches, where they desperately try to add false excitement.
Elsewhere and, after a successful integration into Ultimate Team last year, the women’s leagues now feature in both Manager and Player Career. This means you can get involved in the likes of the Barclays Women’s Super League, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga. It’s another step in the right direction, without a doubt, although the match schedule in reality doesn’t translate well in that the seasons are sparse and there’s a lot of simulated time.
The Player Career in general is underwhelming, despite the introduction of origin stories. Whether you’re making a return following a serious injury, you come from a family that’s steeped in football history, or have grafted hard despite a poor background, the knock-on effects aren’t very interesting. It merely shapes the personality traits, associated PlayStyles, and some attributes at the beginning.
On the other hand, the new Clubs features are rather intriguing. The Cranium technology enables you to sculpt the face of a Virtual Pro with immense detail to recreate your own mug as best you can. You can also mess around and produce proper weird looking characters, which many already have done. It adds a bit more character to everyone’s avatar, along with the raft of customisable accessories available to bring style to the pitch.
Another cool thing is the club budget, where increasing your fanbase through winning performances can lead to greater earnings. The money is then spent on coaches and facilities to improve certain attributes and PlayStyles for every member of your club. Being able to buy and sell these upgrades on a whim means it’s possible to try different ones to find out what suits everyone the most. Other tweaks have been made, including the dressing room presentation of teammates and the chance of relegation, to make Clubs a better all-round experience.
And then there’s the cash cow of EA Sports FC – Ultimate Team – which essentially just benefits from the Rush aspect and FC IQ. The core of Ultimate Team and creating the team of your dreams worked well last year, so it’s no surprise there’s not a major overhaul. Minor improvements see a special storage system in place for duplicates so you can save them for Squad Building Challenges, better matchmaking for Live Friendlies, and those pesky contracts becoming obsolete.
On the technical front, there are a few bugs while navigating the masses of menus throughout EA Sports FC 25. On a fair few occasions, the game struggles to load tabs and even freezes up like it can’t cope with all the interconnected sections. Bizarrely, the gameplay suffers from far less issues, with the odd visual glitch being the only noticeable things.
Ultimately then, EA Sports FC 25 delivers a more considered and tactical approach to gameplay, which creates an excellent and unpredictable offering. From the new Rush ideas and FC IQ, to the women’s career modes and little upgrades to other areas, it’s another step in the right direction. Not every feature makes a good impact however, and, along with technical issues, proves that it could get better still.
Despite having no serious competition on the market, EA Sports FC 25 continues to show progress and innovation to provide a cracking football game to satisfy the masses.
EA FC 25: A New Era of Football Gaming Authenticity Begins – https://www.thexboxhub.com/ea-fc-25-a-new-era-of-football-gaming-authenticity-begins/
Buy EA Sports FC 25 – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ea-sports-fc-25-standard-edition-xbox-one-xbox-series-xs/9MVK78MGD737/0010
