So another season and another cut paste of FIFA, or as we now call it EAFC. This years guise, EAFC 26, is likely to give us the same old story. I will come to this point later. EA is pushing new tweaks in it’s advertising, but we see the same rhetoric every year.

Every season the Ultimate Team option starts off really well. You build your team from scratch, slowly acquire players, and then go from there. Creative football is encouraged at this stage. Staying in the lower divisions offers matches against opposition willing to play proper football. The game gets silly after a couple of months where unrealistic higher rated players come into play as speed becomes crucial. This benefits the higher rated players in your team as they can easily position themselves on the pitch where a goal is certain. All well and good if these weren’t actual bugs in the gameplay. You can’t prevent the player from scoring in these positions. Also, the defenders’ AI doesn’t improve to stop repetitive moves either. In fighting games, repetitive moves (often termed as ‘skanks’) are prevented, where the opposing AI learns how to prevent these.

As mentioned, gameplay is better in the lower divisions, but the game prevents relegation. When you are in a higher division, you have to stay there.

So here are some areas that will need improvement for EAFC 26:

• Invisible barriers hinder defenders from effectively tackling attackers.
• Ricochets often favor attackers, leading to easy scoring opportunities.
• Collisions result in the attacking player losing balance without affecting defenders.
• Player stats become unrealistic over time, exemplified by players like Harry Maguire and Antoine Griezmann performing unrealistically well.
• Defenders’ AI issues are prevalent.
• As mentioned, players gravitate towards high-probability scoring positions where it is almost impossible to stop them scoring, as the game prevents defender movement. This can be said for through-ball passes as well.
• On frequent occasions defenders intercept the ball but inadvertently pass it back to attackers.
• The cut-back mechanic from the by-line requires enhancement, as controlling defenders is a struggle to prevent it.
• Instances where a player wins possession but oddly moves away from the ball.

My advice is to buy the game when it is cheaper and stay in the lower divisions.

Keen to know other experiences that need improvement…

#EAFC #WSL #Brclayspremierleague