For game lovers and football fans over the world, the new FIFA releases are always an eagerly anticipated part of the year. Each year some say it gets more difficult for producers to come up with something new and different to offer fans of the series, where others claim it should get easier to deliver ‘next gen’ concepts and ideas due to new technology advances of the PS4.
The first edition was released in 1993 and has been one of the bestselling series of a generation, whilst online gameplay has given the game great replay value in recent years, is there anything new to get excited about for FIFA 16, or has the crossbar been raised too high this time?
Things we hope to see moving forward
- Improved graphics. In this day and age there is no excuse to have bad graphics in a game. FIFA 15 does not live up to the standards of other releases on next gen consoles. Whilst the graphics are adequate, FIFA 16 needs to up the ante on this front. Seeing the players with better skins and smooth character models are two areas that need improving on, whereas the stadiums and other parts look good. By using the DX11 graphic API and tessellation, the developers will be able to smooth the character models with a more realistic look.
- Give the goalkeepers better AI. FIFA 15 saw vastly improved goalie graphics and animations but seemed to forget about improving their artificial intelligence. We all love to score but is it really as fun without a challenge, when long range shots zoom past the keeper into the back of the net it can sometimes feel like child’s play. Also, the one-on-one scenarios should prove a more difficult task to the attacker.
- Improved online gameplay. FIFA 15’s launch suffered with online gameplay issues. As a further insult to injury, the PS4 version had even more issues than the PC versions, there is no excusing that!! FIFA 16 needs to have reliable servers which are dedicated to stopping the online gameplay from lagging. Online multiplayer games are become more popular than ever so if FIFA 16 fails to capitalize on that fact, they may see their loyal fan base turn elsewhere.
Interesting fact- professional gaming tournaments are now held online and can be viewed on sites like twitch.tv. Soon we may even see an online betting service for these events, so EA might be ready to investigate this potential oportunity, not just to cash in but to stay relevant.
- Technical bugs. PC game fans miss out because most popular releases are usually on console ports. Console ports can suffer a lot of technical bugs and FIFA 15 was an example of this, FIFA 15 for PC suffered a glitch that made all of the players run to centre field. FIFA 16 is going to be a console port but let’s hope they pick up on the mistakes from the last game. Improved graphic card readers are a must to eliminate problems on future releases.
- Finding the right balance of game play. With FIFA 14 we had a focus on defensive gameplay which moved to attacking gameplay in FIFA 15, so what can we expect for FIFA 16? Game play needs to run smoothly and be as close to realism as possible, meaning less predictable gaming algorithms. Fans need to be given a game that offers an equal balance of offensive and defensive tactics.
The work involved
EA COO Peter Moore states that development for FIFA 16 began last August, telling that this happens in two phases. The first involves several hundred people working on the core game before it even begins the final planning.
He also noted that work and plans have begun for FIFA 17!
Our conclusion
FIFA 15 was one of the first releases on the PS4 and Xbox one, so things will surely improve for all future releases. We are simply breaking down the info we see before us and hope EA Sports are reading this. (lol) EA sports will run the risk of their fan base turning to Pro Evolution Soccer if they do not step their game up for FIFA 16.
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