EA Sports’ FIFA had become one of the most popular titles in eSports tournaments, both local and international levels. Not to mention the FIFA Online series, the traditional version of FIFA series had introduced multiplayer features for many years, from LAN to Online Season Mode, and now the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Mode. However, as time goes by, the gameplay of FIFA series had drastically improved and revised. So, did these updates affect your gameplay experience, whether you are casual gamer or a professional? Let’s find out.
Back to the days, there was nothing much about gameplay. It’s about which team you picked, and how strong were the players’ overall. There was always a perception for us that higher overall rating players will be stronger and better. Indeed, that was true. Picking a five stars team will surely beat any team lower than that, unless you changed your difficulties you couldn’t handle. For example, in FIFA 06, picking Serie A club AC Milan was a godly team, where their starting elevens’ ratings were at least 86 and above.
Technically, they were one of the teams you will definitely choose to play. Simple passing, sprinting and shooting will finish the job, and most likely 3 points guarantee if you controlled the game and no dribbling skills actually required. This was back then how FIFA games used to be. No sweat for anyone at all.
Come back to present, FIFA 17 had been drastically changed in terms of gameplay and features. If you are insisting using passing method, or known as Tiki-Taka tactics, you still can finish the job, but maybe not on the online featured modes, such as Season and FUT. Nowadays, there were advanced skills in the gameplay controls, not just relying on your keyboard “S & D” (X & Square for PlayStation, A &B for Xbox/PC Controller). Technics such as Double Tapping Shooting, Driven Pass, or even Skill Combos have been so important nowadays in FIFA 17, particularly playing online modes. It takes time to learn and master them all.
Timing is so crucial and not all in game players can do all skill moves. Learning player’s in game stats and knowledge are crucial, as these players often give you advantage to perform on certain moves, such as Cross Chop and Rabona Shot. For example, FC Barcelona and Brazilian forward Neymar, 92 rated overall, often been picked by players who love to use skill moves, due to his high dribbling stats (on his normal FUT card is 95) and has 5 stars on both Weak Foot and Skill Moves.
Some gamers often relying on speed, so picking players such as Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), who have ridiculous pace and sprint speed, to run pass slower pace defenders. However, FIFA 17 did made an update that pace no longer a factor to fully control the gameplay, whereby physically stronger players can defend against these players easily.
Besides that, before heading into the match, your tactics, whether using default, or customize your own match tactics also played a part in game. Therefore, FIFA nowadays were no longer just a simply “passing, sprinting and shooting”, it’s about how much you know about the game. Of course, simple method may still workable for some players, who may not too familiar how it worked.
From the traditional passing and shooting to now dribbling and skilling all the way into the 6 yards box, from simple and easy, choosing highest overall ratings method to complicated and knowledge and research required gameplay, the FIFA series definitely had improved in all aspects of gameplay and presentation, in order to give the best gameplay and realistic experience for the gamers around the world.
Regardless which style suits you the most, as long as it’s comfortable and enjoyable for your experience, that will no longer be an issue.