Why You Can Trust CNET FIFA 16 review: Pitch perfect
FIFA 16 continues its solid track record by improving on an already winning formula and introducing Women's International Teams for the very first time.
Out of all the games EA Sports produces, FIFA has stood as the reliable constant. Where the other series' have gone through their own spots of turbulence, year after year FIFA hasn't skipped a beat, even if the game has adopted the policy of "if it's not broken, don't fix it."
FIFA 16
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
With FIFA 16, EA Canada takes a considerable chance with implementing new ideas and features in the game, tweaking and refining gameplay across the pitch.
EA says it translated and read every FIFA 15 review in an effort to get feedback on what improvements users wanted in FIFA 16. The game's producers boiled all that feedback down, let it stew for while, and ended up with three buckets of enhancements: More depth in existing game modes, balanced gameplay with new mechanics that offer more precise, fluid control on both offense and defense and deeper and more authentic presentation.
At the top level -- and the biggest change in at least one of our households (David's) -- is the addition of the Women's National teams and World Cup-like tournament mode. From David: "For the first time my two daughters (age 6 and 11) took an interest in playing the game and insisted they get to play it first before their brothers (age 6 and 9), who are young FIFA junkies."
The girls were a little disappointed they couldn't select Women's teams and play them in an offline exhibition mode (you can play online friendly matches) or against a male team. They also wanted to be able to mix the players up, making a co-ed Ultimate Team, so to speak.
But they were certainly impressed by how closely the virtual women resembled their real-life counterparts and EA's done a particularly good job with the players' hair as pony tails bob up and down quite realistically, as does the fabric on players' jerseys (this applies to both men and women).
"How do they do that, Daddy?" the girls asked.
"A lot of lines of really good code from great programmers," I said.
That went over their heads a bit, so I just said, "Magic."
More casual FIFA players are less apt to notice some of the refinements on the field, but they are noticeable, as is the overall presentation of the game, from the fans in the stands to the new weather conditions (haze, fog, variable rain and snow flurries) and commentary.
Like NHL 16, FIFA 16 has received the option for an adaptive onscreen trainer to help teach and improve player's tactics as the progress through the game. FIFA's controls (perhaps the more advanced maneuvers) have always remained somewhat of a mystery to some, which is why the game's trainer is such a welcome addition.
Not only is the trainer perfect for newcomers to the game, it can really expand a veterans skill set as well. No matter what level of player you consider yourself, odds are the trainer can help you improve.
Last year, we complained about defenders not being as agile as they could be in their movements and also not acting as a more cohesive unit to track attacking runs. Apparently EA has taken that feedback to heart and both the defensive AI and players' agility, particularly their side-to-side movements, is much more lifelike. The game now includes much overdue tackling controls for new mechanics, with the ability to fake a tackle as well. Defending players don't have to commit to a tackle as much as they used to.
Players not immediately involved in a sequence used to stand idly by in previous years' games, which for the most part, has been addressed this time around. We've also noticed that intended receivers of passes don't simply wait for the ball to get to them anymore. There's much more of an effort to take the pass.
On offense, notably in the midfield, players are better at looking for and making runs into open space. This lets you feed them with the new "ping-driven" ground passing mechanic that bullets the ball to a player low and hard. In general, gameplay appears more fluid overall and as always, you can make the game as hard or as easy as you like and play with basic or advanced controls.
We really loved the new no-touch dribbling in the game, which causes the player to dance around the ball, faking a potential move. There has also been considerable tweaking done to crossing game play, with a handful of new completion animations peppered in for good measure, too.
To really take advantage of the new controls on offense and defense does require some practice. Thankfully, the all-new onscreen training system is a welcome edition if you hope to take your game to the next level and consistently beat teams at the "professional" level or higher.
There have been some changes off the pitch as well, with a more in depth career mode that now includes pre-season tournaments and player training, so you take the tact of say, a Southampton, and develop your young players, then sell them off for millions on the transfer market to big spenders like Manchester United and City.
We've always appreciated a good, in-depth career mode (you can also chose to "create your own player" and work your way up from the minor leagues), but with so many people focused on playing Ultimate Team, the career mode hasn't received as much attention in recent years, so it's good to see EA's finally put some work into enhancing it.
Speaking of FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team), the developers have come up with mini, side-challenge mode called FUT Draft that has you draft and build a squad from a five-player draw. You then challenge opponents in a series of up to four matches to win booty to support your FIFA Ultimate Team club.
While you'll still encounter some moments where players you aren't controlling make questionable decisions (on a 3-on-2, for instance, we saw Man United's Juan Mata running side by side with the man with the ball -- Memphis Depay -- instead making a run to the right into open space), FIFA 16 plays like a more polished game with even more realism and depth than last year's version. And for young soccer players and fans who've always wanted to play as their favorite female players, that in itself makes this year's installment worth buying.
