Ultimate Team isn’t the only showcase here of course, as the mode can be played either online or off, but the other options like custom tournaments, skill games, quick match, and more make their appearance. Looking to fix the wrongs of yesteryear, it hopes to reclaim the throne that it once felt like it owned.
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Watch MLS Homegrown stars Harry Shipp and Tommy Thompson go face-to-face to see who’s got the skills to match the hype. Not in a bad way, either, unless you’re someone who doesn’t particularly like faster paced soccer. The game’s producers boiled all that feedback down, let it stew for while, and ended up with three buckets of enhancements: More depth in existing game modes, balanced gameplay with new mechanics that offer more precise, fluid control on both offense and defense and deeper and more authentic presentation. Players don’t have as much weight to them as they do in Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, but they glide across the field with effortless grace and dance with the ball.
What isn’t in doubt is that EA’s game offers the superior package. Setting up for free kicks the ref instructs the players just as a match would be broadcast in the Premier League. If the new drilled pass seems to be a smart addition to your attacking arsenal, it’s a double-edged sword, since a regular pass will now trundle towards its intended target.
Shots are more dynamic and unpredictable, but it’s inordinately frustrating to patiently work an opening only for your striker to miss a presentable opportunity through random happenstance. Shooting can be a bit tough, too, because it can be difficult to judge how hard to press the button or exactly where to aim at times. But the game still faces a big challenge from PES. Open the complimentry packs you have to get started.
So when PES landed on my desk I was intrigued. Luckily, they make it easy by letting you switch any of the five to test their chemistry with surrounding players. The drafting takes about two minutes, and then players can use their newly drafted team for four online matches. The latter has been an annual addiction for many hardcore fans, and that will surely be the case again this year.
Another new key addition is the introduction of player training. I’m not talking about shitty footballers, either; these are good, high-rated players with rankings that top out at about 84/100.
There are also lots of improvements for when you don’t have the ball. My experience was smooth as butter, and not even a hint of lag presented itself. While it’s fantastic to see Women’s national football teams in the game, EA has phoned in the new additions. This year’s World Cup saw women’s football reach a much wider audience than it ever has before, and it’s heartening to see 12 worldwide women’s teams represented here for the first time.
There are some surprises in the top 20 goalkeepers in the game this year, but who is number one? That being said, female players are as equally as fun to play with as their male counterparts.
An official statement from GAME explains: “Join the dream team at your local GAME store and pick up your copy of the game as soon as it becomes available”.
They’re also both very good.
In fact the whole thing is actually very confusing. There’s also a lot of licensed music, although I can’t say that I recognized any of the artists.
The game delivers on the features you’ve grown accustomed to while subtly tweaking and enhancing the peripherals. Further fleshing out the world are additional mid-match discussions from Martin Tyler and Alan Smith, such as analysis of transfers made elsewhere in your league. They do a rather solid job, too, although there’s room for improvement.
Now trade players and items you no longer need for a chance of unlocking something better. Realistic ball physics and player ability to release from the ball make Federation Internationale de Football Association 16 fell all the more in tune with the real game, allowing players like Messi to master some truly awe inspiring tricks to fool defenders.
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The game will be playable in PlayStation 3 (PS3), PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 3, and personal computer (PC).
