Review

Are some games review proof? The FIFA series is a strong case in point. Regardless of what I say in this text, this will be one of the biggest selling games of the year. After all, there are casual gamers out there who won't even entertain the idea of playing another game. Ever. So EA can happily bring a new edition out every September, with up to date teams and a few refinements, safe in the knowledge that it will sell consistently until next year's game.

Only it's not really refinements that EA are making anymore. FIFA got about as good as it was ever going to get about four years ago and since then the developers have been adding and taking away the same features every other year. So FIFA 15 plays a lot like FIFA 13, matches are now played at the speed of a Chelsea counter attack and, for me at least, this makes for a much more satisfying experience. Its now got to a point where its better to buy FIFA every other year as opposed to annually if you want to maintain the consistency.

One thing I do like is the way that the game keeps up with events in real-life so the stats of a player in form will increase accordingly. Transfers are also up to date so you won't have to spend half an hour moving around players to ensure accuracy. Although, playing a Premier League season as Manchester United I didn't have use of Falcao or Blind even well into the season.

As you'd expect, the presentation is second-to-none and someone not in the know could easily mistake it for a real match being shown on Sky. Player animation is utterly superb, especially the much lauded new goalkeepers but it still lacks the subtle touches that mark out individual players the way PES does. The match commentary did repeat quite a lot during the six hours I played it but overall it's of the high standard you'd expect.

Ultimately, FIFA 15 is still FIFA and if you haven't liked it before, it won't win you over. Personally, I've found football games have got less and less interesting, the more realistic they've become. This is why I would still rather play FIFA Street as that feels much more like a console game. Also, considering no other members of UKGN are interested in playing it and I'm not interested in playing against strangers, there's no point in buying it as a single player game. I also have no interest in Ultimate Team.

About the Review

Platform

Microsoft Xbox One

Developer

E.A. Canada

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Released

26th September 2014