The release of FIFA 23 marks the end of an era, with this title being the last in an official sponsorship alongside FIFA. Similar to previous instalments, this one also comes with its flaws, although this doesn’t take away from EA’s attempt to get some things right.
This game sets the tone for EA Sports FC’s vision going forward, with some changes to gameplay. To those who have played the previous games, the changes to movement do feel more clunky. Although the game is still skewed in favour of players with high pace stats, FIFA 23 does attempt to create balance, by making ball control and physicality more important in comparison to previous entries. This puts more emphasis on passing and quick bursts of pace rather than spamming skill moves and providing long balls to the quickest player on the pitch.
These changes give some incentive towards a more varied approach to gameplay, but quick strikers remain undoubtedly reliable when it comes to impacting the score line. Goalkeepers now feel a bit more responsive thanks to a handful of new acrobatic animations, but the power-shot provides more than just an answer. Although difficult to execute, when performed correctly, these shots not only tear through the net like a rocket but also are joyfully immersive as the screen zooms in before these monumental shots are released.
In regard to Ultimate Team, the two biggest changes this year have been the new chemistry system and the addition of ‘Moments’. At first glance, the new chemistry system can seem complicated and rightly so, because for years now it has been pretty much the same.
The new system does allow for a more varied approach towards building exciting new squads. Moving on, the ‘Moments’ game mode is a fresh new addition to Ultimate Team where players can now play different scenarios within games. However, the number of players that engage with ‘Moments’ will ultimately boil down to the quality of rewards that it offers throughout the year.
Kick-off now features women’s club football for the first time ever and is perhaps the most exciting new addition for casual gaming with friends. As far as other game modes are concerned, the changes remain quite small but can still be appreciated by players that do indulge in them.
Additions to career mode include, fresh new cutscenes, the ability to take control of real managers and the introduction of a much-needed tension gauge for transfer negotiation scenarios. Players can also now play with friends cross-platform across multiple game modes, such as Pro Clubs and Volta. However for some , cross-platform being limited to only being available on the same generation of consoles may prove to be an annoyance.
Overall, FIFA 23 offers an exciting, memorable, and immersive experience as the series’ last game under its name. However, at its core, it is a game much like its previous entries and for that reason, it fundamentally suffers from many of the same gameplay problems that FIFA has faced for many years.
3/5 stars
Image credit: EA
