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Tag Archives: Fifa 16

Fifa 16

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Ben Whittaker in Game Reviews

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Tags

Accrington Stanley, Barclay's Premier League, EA Sports, FA Cup, Fifa, Fifa 15, Fifa 16, Fifa Ultimate Team, Football, Game Review, Gareth Bale, Manchester City, PES 2016, PlayStation, Playstation 4, Pro Evolution Soccer, The Etihad, Xbox 360, Xbox One

FIFA16

“Fifa 16” has been the subject of a lot of criticism since its release last month, with many reviewers citing a lack of meaningful improvements over the previous iteration as its main issue. I agree that this game will be extremely familiar to players of “Fifa 15”, and if you take a look at my review of that game you’ll see that I thought it was significantly flawed… however, I feel that this familiarity is more the result of consistent presentation than the same dodgy gameplay. I actually think that the changes EA have made to their core game this year have been very beneficial to the overall experience, and I am enjoying “Fifa 16” a lot as a result.

I do think that Konami is catching up – “PES 2016” is much more rounded than “PES” games we’ve seen in previous years – but that doesn’t mean that this game is ‘bad’. The two are distinct for me, and although comparisons are easily made, I think that “Fifa” and “PES” try to do completely different things with the same starting point. I like both, and I think they are almost on a level playing field, which is largely down to the fact that they have both improved on last year’s games.

Reviewers who have highlighted the fact that EA only make small changes to “Fifa” each year are correct, and if they don’t like the framework that EA has put in place I can see why this game would annoy them. However, it’s important to realise that EA aren’t going to make fundamental changes to a winning formula – they don’t want to change what isn’t broken, and I think that’s a sensible approach. EA tweak the game each year, adjusting little things in order to create what they hope will be a balanced and fun experience. They don’t need to win anyone over, that’s Konami’s problem, so what they do is alter whatever they feel is necessary to keep existing fans happy, depending on the feedback they have received from the previous game. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that; it’s just smart business.

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via origin.com

I think that EA would like to call “Fifa 16” a football simulator, as their alterations from previous years seem to focus largely on making the game more realistic as opposed to more enjoyable to play. I’m not sure that I like that approach, but I do believe that the changes that have been made to create a sense of authenticity are quite endearing. I like that I can run to a cameraman to celebrate after rifling in a thirty yard free-kick – it’s really cool! Seeing Bale make a love heart with his fingers in front of the camera is entertaining, and these kinds of features really capture the fact that football is incredibly theatrical and dramatic.

Nevertheless, I would like to see EA try to improve some of the game’s most glaring faults by the time “Fifa 17” rolls around. Let’s be honest, no matter how true-to-life “Fifa 16” tries to be, it will never be a football simulator. If it were then there’d have to be a lot of negative components introduced to the game; an option to backchat, a button for spitting while the ball is out of play, off-the-ball elbows – the list goes on. We can’t lie to ourselves and say that “Fifa 16” is completely realistic, no matter how many superficial additions EA puts into the game each year. What really matters is the gameplay.

The major positive change that I see in the gameplay this year is improved AI. This time around it’s harder not only to score, but also to retrieve and retain possession, which forces you to get better at the game and think about everything you’re doing. If you’re playing against the computer you will find that their preferred approach is to play out from the back – they keep the ball at all costs and often they prefer to pass around the back rather than push forward.

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via ea.com

This alteration reflects the way that the beautiful game is changing, with the emphasis on possession and passing football rather than kicking and rushing. You’ll have to set up your team in the right way and press as a team rather than running around aimlessly with one player, which makes the whole experience a lot less passive. Nevertheless, it can be quite frustrating when you’re playing with Manchester City against a team like Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup and yet they still pass rings around you. I’m not saying that that couldn’t happen, but I don’t think it would be Accrington Stanley’s preferred approach at The Etihad.

The new passing style of the computer can be quite ridiculous at times, with the opposition playing short passes across the defence no matter what the situation happens to be. If you’re winning 3-0 with 20 minutes left to play you will find that your opposition is still more than happy to keep the ball rather than press forward, which takes away from any sense of realism.

Another issue I have with “Fifa 16” this year is that shooting is inconsistent, with volleys being a big bugbear for me. They feel very underpowered compared to other shots, and the techniques used are often comical, which from my perspective is really frustrating. I want to be able to score great goals, because the players I’m controlling are capable of amazing things in real life, and volleys should be an opportunity to do just that. I want there to be a level of difficulty, but if I hit a volley with a lot of power I at least want that volley to fly off the player’s boot. In “Fifa 16” I don’t feel that taking a volley on from 25 yards is a smart thing to do, because if I miss I’ll probably have to wait for a while before I get the ball back, which stifles creativity and takes the opportunity for a memorable moment away from me as the player.

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via origin.com

Moreover, in “Fifa 16” the player is constantly required to use extra inputs in order to execute their skills, rather than the game simply knowing what the player wants. To hit a powerful pass into the forward you don’t just have to hold the pass button for longer, instead you must press the RB button (on Xbox One) in addition to the pass button. For me this is a bit of a pain, because if the gameplay was tweaked properly then an extra input wouldn’t be necessary. In “PES 2016” everything is contextual; the type of pass that your player performs will depend on his positioning and the type of pass you’re trying to perform, rather than how hard you press a certain button. You might under-hit that pass and look silly, but the pass played will be what you wanted, and it will be your fault if you didn’t get it right – in “Fifa 16” this sadly isn’t always the case.

Furthermore, I feel that the bullet passes are an annoying new feature in “Fifa 16”, because the normal passes are now underpowered. Instead of the bullet passes being used for their intended purpose, you end up having to use them all the time because they’re simply more effective than using a standard pass.

Another new feature in “Fifa” this year is off-the-ball dribbling. This is a hard thing to analyse because against the computer it is completely useless; you can’t trick the computer because they know exactly what you’re going to do, which means that there’s no reason to use skill when dribbling. However, against another human player off-the-ball dribbling can be quite effective, and using it successfully is really satisfying. You can jink inside, perform a skill, and then turn the other way, setting up a shot opportunity – this looks great, and it makes every dribble more exciting. As someone who plays with others on this game almost always I really like this feature, but I can see how someone who only plays solo would find it a bit redundant.

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via origin.com

The addition of female teams is a great idea, and it’s something that should’ve been done a long time ago, but it isn’t really worth talking about in its current form. The game is slightly different when you play as women, because it’s a slower pace and animations differ, but right now there’s no compelling reason to play the game with a female team. The best thing about “Fifa” as a franchise is its abundance of entertaining modes, but the female teams aren’t available in any of them, so I don’t think that they are a meaningful addition to this year’s game. There’s a lack of teams, and there’s no way to use the ones that are there in fun ways, so for now their addition is a nice feature but doesn’t warrant a heap of praise.

Ultimate Team returns again, and as usual it’s very moreish. However, I don’t really see the Ultimate Team Draft as a fantastic new feature. I can see how it might be nice for people who don’t want to pay-to-play or put multiple hours in, because these people don’t get the chance to play with the very best players on Ultimate Team, but I think that if you really want to have a great Ultimate Team you should just play it more.

All in all, “Fifa 16” is a great game, and it’s much better than most people are saying. This year EA have taken criticisms of “Fifa 15” on board, balancing the game by making the AI more intelligent and altering gameplay features like crossing and defensive positioning in order to make it harder to score cheap goals. They’ve gone overboard in a couple of areas, as the new passing game often leads to frustration when the opposition is holding the ball in a situation that calls for the complete opposite, but that doesn’t ruin the experience for me. This is a fun and polished attempt at making a realistic football game, and for my money it’s the best “Fifa” in years.

8/10

PES 2016

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Ben Whittaker in Game Reviews

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Tags

Alavaro Morata, Arjen Robben, Become A Legend, EA Sports, Fernando Llorente, Fifa, Fifa 16, Fifa Ultimate Team, Football, Game Review, Halo, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Konami, Master League, My Club, Neymar, Online Gameplay, PES 2016, Pro Evolution Soccer

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via psu.com

“PES 2016” is a fun and responsive game, with great gameplay and realistic player techniques. Konami have finally managed to build something which resembles the quality that this series is known for, which as a fan makes me very happy, but I still feel that it has been slightly overrated by reviewers, and it is far from perfect.

If you made a list of all the things that “PES 2016” gets wrong – inconsistent commentary, a lack of licensing, ignored player transfers, over exuberant tackling, ridiculously underpowered penalties, completely broken online gameplay, and dodgy presentation – you’d feel very disgruntled. However, football games never achieve perfection, and despite the fact that there are multiple frustrating issues here, “PES 2016” is very enjoyable to play.

The gameplay has been made more intuitive and feels much more fluid, with the techniques that the players choose being largely contextual, and the input delay of the previous game being fixed. It makes you feel like a great player, even if you aren’t, and when you’re losing it’s still fun to play. There’s still a massive divide between saying that this game has improved, to saying that it is fantastic, but “PES 2016” is definitely a step in the right direction.

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via 3djuegos.com

Negative aspects of “PES 2016”, such as the way that players lunge into slide tackles, are ameliorated by the fact that the game does its best to accommodate them. The tackling animations are far too deliberate to allow players to quickly steal possession, but this doesn’t ruin the gameplay because poor tackles aren’t punished as harshly as they have been in previous years, and to combat the issue you just have to defend with a more measured approach. This helps the balancing of the game, because “PES 2016” is clearly focused on passing and creativity, and this is easier to centre your gameplay style around when the opposition isn’t lunging into tackles.

The gameplay tweaks that Konami have made this year aren’t as revolutionary or all-encompassing as many would have you believe, but they do focus on the right things. The techniques that players use for both passing and shooting are fantastic – never before has the joy of making a good pass been realised in such a triumphant way. Matches progress naturally and the game always seems to know which technique the player wants to use. This is great because you feel respected as a gamer – “PES 2016” lets you perform the actions that you want to perform, providing that you can power the pass correctly and direct it. Usually sports games only allow certain types of actions depending on the situation, with many passes being simply off limits because the requisite techniques aren’t in the game – such problems don’t arise here, which makes “PES 2016” feel a lot more responsive and gives each match its own distinct feel.

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via muropaketti.com

Sometimes shooting can feel too easy, which means that you score a lot of spectacular goals without really earning them, but I don’t think that this should be something that’s criticised excessively. If you cut inside with Robben and release a curled shot it will invariably find the corner, or at least test even the best of ‘keepers, but in all fairness that would probably also be the case in real life. It isn’t a bad thing that players are able to pull off their skills in a consistent way, because they are able to do that in the real world. This just means that you have to work harder at the defensive side of your game to stop the best players finding space.

The aerial battle in “PES 2016” feels so much better than it has ever done before, which allows players to feel distinct and have their own personalities. Depending on your style of play Fernando Llorente could be the best player in your team, because he backs into his marker so well and holds up the ball amazingly, bringing others into play. However, if you don’t like playing the long ball he will probably be the last player you want on the pitch. This means that your team selections and the substitutions you make genuinely have an impact on both your style of play and how the game feels, which in turn makes it feel that bit more realistic.

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via pes-patch.com

Despite these significant improvements, there are still plenty of aspects to “PES 2016” which let the overall experience down. Just as in previous years, the online side of the game is completely broken and almost unplayable. If you think back to last year and the way that “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” was crucified for its online issues, you have to wonder why nobody is bringing up the same problem with “PES 2016”. It might seem like a bit of a non-starter to compare “PES” with “The Master Chief Collection”, but both have great offline play but broken online play and both are competitive games at their core. Online play would be a huge part of “PES 2016” if it actually worked – the only reason that no one brings up the issue is that “PES” never works online, so we’ve come to accept it. I don’t think that this issue is trivial, particularly given the fact that “Fifa 16” works extremely well during online play.

Nevertheless, other modes in “PES 2016” have been improved significantly, particularly in terms of their presentation. They still don’t have the polish that “Fifa 16” does, but they look a lot better. Master League is a much better mode this year, not only because the layout of the menus is less jarring, but also as a result of additions which have been made, such as the scout and team morale. The latter works like team chemistry does on Ultimate Team, which is a nice feature because you now have to think about what a certain player will mean to the balance of your team should you sign him, which likens playing Master League to managing a real team.

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via en.softonic.com

Become a Legend is as fun as ever – as always I love building my player and progressing to a higher level; however, the same issues that appeared in last year’s game rear their ugly heads again. Teammates still pass in front of you no matter what kind of run you’re making, the defenders on your team back off as though the floor around the opposition was made out of hot coals, and all in all the AI on “PES 2016” lacks the intelligence you see in “Fifa 16”. Become a Legend is a great mode, but when your teammates are clueless it loses some of its entertainment value.

My Club is there, but for my money it’s still a cheap Ultimate Team knock-off. I don’t see why you’d want to play this mode when the online gameplay is in its current state, so personally I tend to ignore it. I did give it a chance for the purpose of this review, but I don’t see myself playing on it again this year.

Overall, “PES 2016” offers a fun and much-improved single-player experience, with wonderful new techniques and an improved Master League; it makes you think of “PES 2015” in a completely different way. Nevertheless, competitive gameplay is frustrating and online gameplay is absolutely broken, meaning that although “PES 2016” takes a solid step forward, it isn’t quite the game that it promises to be.

7.5/10

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