EA Sports FC 24 review – ticket to the next era

Electronic Arts’ long-running soccer series said goodbye to the traditional FIFA title last year. Thus, this year is mainly marked by a new name, logo and branding for the entire series, which will now be called EA Esports FC. With the new product number 24, in addition to the new name, the brand received significant news?

• Platform: PS5 (review version), Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (Legacy Edition)
• Publication date: 09.29.2022
• Manufacturer: EA Canada and EA Romania (Electronic Arts)
• Genre: sport
• Czech localization: yes (subtitles)
• Multiplayer: Yes
• Download data: 45 GB (PS5)
• Price: 1899 CZK (PS store)

Traditionally rich content and excellent technical base

EA’s football games have long been at the forefront of the sports gaming genre in terms of graphics and overall technical aspects. Some time ago, this advantage became even stronger with the transition to the Frostbite engine. The results are detailed faces of individual players, countless elaborate stadiums with rowdy fans and state-of-the-art lighting. In addition to the graphics themselves, the developers have been improving the overall presentation for a long time, which includes various pre-match or scoring animations. This year, for example, there are several new animations added, during which you will briefly see the judge’s first-person view. Although this is just another small piece of the imaginary puzzle, it is important to emphasize that EA Sports FC 24 is simply a very beautiful game that, in addition to the technical complexity, offers a very good atmosphere that can captivate you. individual matches. Another new addition to this year’s edition is the new commentary team of Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith.

The Czech League is represented by only three teams: Pilsen, Slavia and Sparta.

We can consider the breadth of licensed content to be a traditional strength of EA’s football series. It is the unprecedented number of licensed players, clubs, leagues, national teams and stadiums that makes EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) an inadequate alternative for a small group of players. If you doubted whether the brand would be able to retain all the important licenses even after breaking with international football associations, then I can reassure you. All the world’s leading leagues, clubs and players are available. More than 19,000 players, 700 teams, 100 stadiums and more than 30 different leagues are available in numbers.

Therefore, it will be easier to point out what is missing in the game. In particular, it is worth noting several top teams in the Italian league, such as Roma and Atalanta Bergamo, which are represented only under fictitious names. Even this time, you will also have to indulge your appetite for the entire Czech league, which is represented by just three teams in the form of Pilsen, Slavia and Sparta. In the case of Slavia, in addition to the men’s team, a women’s team is now available. Some players may be surprised by the absence of some national teams led by Brazil or other countries such as Chile, Peru, Japan or South Korea. In total, you will find “only” 30 national teams in the current edition, which in itself indicates that many countries are simply missing. What is missing is the Champions League and other European and World Cup competitions. This year, in addition to updating existing content, the authors have focused on expanding the women’s football offering. In addition to the top leagues in America, England and France, you can now also play in the top women’s leagues in Germany and Spain.

In terms of game modes, there is no revolution.

In the game mode menu, the developers avoided experiments and relied on a proven set from previous parts. The traditional casual modes of Quick Strike, Tournament and Season are complemented by a Career mode, which is again split between player and coach careers. The Coaching Career has added several tactical options and expanded the ability to manage coaching staff and training plans. In the case of a player’s career, it’s worth looking at deeper involvement from your agent, who can provide an overview of your long-term goals, which, if achieved, will increase your chances of moving to your dream team.

The authors added a system of so-called game styles.

Without significant changes, Volta mode also returns, in which online street football matches await you. This game mode uses primitive looping in a small space, as well as extensive customization options for your character. However, Ultimate Team remains the main mode for most players and the publisher Electronic Arts itself, which brings considerable income to the company thanks to a well-thought-out system of microtransactions.

The most significant innovation in this mode is the full introduction of women’s football. The result is mixed teams and the presence of female players in individual packages. The developers have decided to give female footballers stats comparable to their male counterparts, a move that is sure to have both supporters and detractors. However, if the authors wanted to give female football players a truly full role in the game, they had no other choice, no matter how unrealistic the chosen path may seem due to the differences between men’s and women’s football. On the other hand, given the mode in which it is possible to include legendary football players in the team who are no longer alive, the question is whether possible efforts to obtain more reliable statistics will even make sense.

Footballers with special abilities

And how is the game in terms of gameplay? Don’t expect a big revolution here either. However, there are several pleasant new products and innovations that are worth paying attention to. First of all, the authors added a system of so-called game styles. This update adds special skills to select players that match their actual stats and skills. This could be, for example, a specific type of shot, a pass, a strike, a defensive intervention or the way a set piece is played out. In addition to the standard Playstyles, extremely powerful styles called Playstyles Plus are also available. Overall, this is definitely an interesting new addition that can influence the outcome of close matches. On the other hand, this is another arcade element that is so strong in some players that from the point of view of the defending player there is no answer to it. The playstyle system is available in all modes, including Ultimate Team and Career, so you can equip your player with these special abilities through upgrades.

The developers presented the next evolution of HyperMotion technology.

By focusing on the core of the gameplay, EA Sports FC 24 doesn’t stray from the direction set by older FIFA games. Prim plays fast-paced arcade gameplay that emphasizes offense rather than defense, where fast and technical players outperform stronger players. Thanks to these characteristics, a relatively large number of goals are logically scored. In short, typical FIFA of recent years. However, even in this direction, the developers tried to introduce some innovations. For example, I can praise the improvement of artificial intelligence, which can defend itself more effectively and attack more aggressively. As you play more modes against computer-controlled opponents, you should notice some changes in their behavior. In connection with the above-mentioned play styles, there has been a further evolution of HyperMotion technology, which takes care of the believable handling of individual player movements and animations and their associated physics. In this area, the series has made a big step forward in recent years, and the new part continues the momentum.

EA’s new football game won’t bring any revolution, despite the new name. The game firmly adheres to the structure, style and content that FIFA has long been successful with. EA Sports FC 24 has the best results in the audio-visual and licensing departments, aspects that other sports games would envy. As part of the gameplay, the developers have introduced the next evolution of their HyperMotion technology, which takes care of the physics and processing of the movements of individual football players. Overall, the series has not moved away from the arcade style in any way, and the implementation of the game style system has not changed anything. The game also builds on the solid foundation of previous titles in terms of content, with a traditional menu of game modes awaiting you. The most significant innovation in this direction is the deeper implementation of women’s football led by mixed teams in the Ultimate Team mode.