The arrival of a new chapter of FIFA it is an autumn ritual like the first photos of falling leaves, eating chestnuts or changing cabinets. On the other hand now the game, like that of football, is something more than the lines of its code, it is a phenomenon of custom inside that of video games, in which footballers complain if they receive too low votes and on which Electronic Arts bases a fair share of its revenues. Every year we wonder about the small changes that make big differences, about the monetization mechanics and the improvements to the game and this time too it will be so, but perhaps for some components the swan song may have arrived, or at least a clear downsizing.
Let’s start with the positive notes, which are quite a lot, especially when you go out on the pitch. With FIFA you always have the feeling of watching a football match with the rhythms of a basketball, with very rapid reversals in front of you and a series of passes that move at insane speed before reaching the conclusion. The next gen version, the one for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, this year takes advantage of two great innovations: Hypermotion technology, which allows for even more natural movements and machine learning, to show strategies consistent with real ones.
The end result is that in FIFA 22 for now, except for patches and future changes, the pace of play is decidedly more staid, with great emphasis on the ball, the teams move more carefully, without leaving chasms and if you want you can close counter-attacks or score two against one by asking your teammates computer-controlled to move according to our wishes (after some training, of course).
Of course, the fastest players are still the masters but one finally gets the impression that the defense can somehow oppose the excessive power of the attack, thanks also to the new animations that, in addition to making the action even more truthful, generate many more rebounds and advances during the tackles. In short, you no longer have the feeling that the ball is glued to the attacker’s feet.
The new animations also allow a series of additional movements, including a small snap that if done at the right time allows you to skilfully overcome the overly shy or particularly slow defenders. The goalkeepers have also been revised, both in their movements and in their skills, they are now much more precise in low exits and seem responsive even on long shots, this of course until the more experienced players find the position from which to shoot that guarantees goals per shot. Safe. In short, the rhythms will not be those of PES, rather eFootball, but the general feeling is that, for now, the inevitable period of adjustment will give more reflective and decidedly more physical games.
As for the game modes, Volta’s street football is back, the ways in which it is possible to play the role of a young promise or a coach are back, as well as the mode that allows 22 people to control as many players. Absolute novelty is the possibility of creating a completely new team to bring it to the Olympus of football: we can consider it a wink to those who have been orphaned, for the moment, of the Master League. The ability to choose the type of team to create and its objectives, as well as the starting championship, allows you to customize your experience in detail and, consequently, the level of difficulty of the match. Through a series of parameters we can adjust the skill of the squad generated from scratch, but also the expectations of the management and the club’s long-term goals.
Obviously the fulcrum of everything remains the discussed and questionable FUT mode, that, to understand where you buy packages of random players by winning games or, more often, spending real money. Electronic Arts has made FUT less aggressive: you always want to open your wallet, but this time it is done with greater awareness, even if perhaps it is still not enough.
It is very nice, in fact, that we are allowed to peek into a package before buying it, a little less than, if we decide to pass and not buy, we can only do it again after 24 hours. On the other hand, we can positively point out the fact that EA seems to have implemented the model Fortnite; therefore even if you are defeated you can accumulate points that in some way allow you to unlock packages, loan players and so on. Obviously winning a lot, and therefore having the right players to do it, remains important and consequently spending money, but there is some progress. However, the impression is that slowly but surely the ties of the law are tightening around these forms of monetization and, who knows, maybe next year this business model will need to be drastically revised.
FIFA 22 is undoubtedly a good debut as far as the next gen is concerned. The DNA is always that of a spectacular and televised experience, but for now the more sly pace of play and the physicality of the players will lead many to completely review their approach to the game. FUT remains the center of the whole experience, whether we like it or not, but if you want to have fun in your own league without even watching the game online you can do it and you will probably still enjoy the new Electronic Arts football experience to the fullest.
- Release date October 1, 2021
- Developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania
- Distributed by Electronic Arts
- Sports genre
- Piattaforma PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox series X
- PEGI 3
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