FIFA 22 may just be signalling the end of an era. With FIFA, football’s world governing body, looking to take its official license across multiple games, and EA balking at FIFA’s license fee demands, there is a strong suggestion that EA’s next football game may not be called FIFA. The fact that EA has trademarked the name ‘EA Sports FC’ has only fuelled speculation further. So FIFA 22 may well be the last FIFA game from EA, a partnership that has spanned 30-plus games over almost three decades. So does the series go out with a bang or a whimper?
Much of EA’s pre-launch marketing for FIFA 22 has been around Hypermotion, a new animation system that uses motion capture and AI to deliver realistic and contextual player animations in a bid to bring a renewed sense of realism to the game. Unfortunately, this feature has been limited to the newer generation of game consoles, and has been left out of the PC version of the game. This is a bitter pill to swallow, especially since most modern gaming PCs are as powerful – if not more – than the platforms that Hypermotion does support.
Outside of this glaring omission, however, all other aspects of FIFA 22 appear to have made it over to the PC version. But without comparing it to the PS5 or Xbox Series X version of the game, it’s hard to know how much the lack of Hypermotion affects the overall experience. But even without it, FIFA 22’s gameplay remains rock solid, and fans will not be disappointed here. There are subtle but impactful upgrades to the overall gameplay, with passing feeling more responsive and the more considered game pace making for more fluid build up play. Player switching while defending has always been less that ideal in football games, and FIFA 22 adds a new mechanic this time that – while not perfect yet – is definitely a step in the right direction.
FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), the most popular mode in the FIFA series, returns without too many changes or new additions, but fans of the mode won’t mind that too much. EA has added a few updates to other modes, however, namely Career mode and Volta. Career mode now allows players to create a new club from scratch, complete with custom kits, emblems and a customizable stadium. The player career mode has also received a handful of tweaks, such as the ability to now join matches off the bench, the addition of a skill tree system for attributes, and an updated progression system. The manager career, however, is largely unchanged.
Volta, the series’ take on freestyle football and futsal, has received one big, welcome addition – Volta Arcade. This is a party mode of sorts, with a variety of fun mini-games to partake in, such as dodgeball and foot tennis. They’re built into the Volta career mode, and disappointingly, can only be played periodically during that campaign rather than whenever you feel like. We do hope EA adds these party modes as standalone options in future games, because they really are a blast to play.
Online, whether playing casually with friends, in FUT, or Pro Clubs, the experience is pretty flawless. FIFA 22 also looks better than football games ever have. From pre- and post-match cinematics to the sight of the world’s top players in full flow, FIFA 22 is a joy to behold. More players than ever before now have accurate likenesses, and most of the top leagues and teams are fully licensed here, complete with the latest kits from the ongoing season. You can also play through various tournament formats, including fully licensed UEFA club competitions like the Champions League.
Over 25 hours in and we still haven’t even scratched the surface of everything FIFA 22 has to offer. There is something for every kind of gamer in there, and it looks and plays better than it ever has. While most fans will pick up FIFA every year religiously, even those more discerning will find enough new and fresh in FIFA 22 to pick it up, and enjoy until next year’s game comes around – whatever that’s called.
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