When looking at the world of soccer’s most recent video game endeavors, they have all had their remarkable faults, but have allowed game developers to easily pocket incredible amounts of money. Although, now the playing field has shifted, the numbers have changed, EA or Electronic Arts is losing its domination, and new games are entering the competition. So, what are the two games that sparked this shift, and which one is the best.
Back in 2022, on the 10th of May, FIFA announced that they would be terminating their licensing agreement with Electronic Arts making FIFA 23 the last ever FIFA video game. Now, two years have passed, and 2 new games, FC 24 and FC 25 have been released. So, what does the community think of these new games without FIFA, but, most of all, which one is the best.
To find this out, I decided to talk a player on the Freshman Boys Soccer team and a fellow soccer fan who has both of these games, ninth grader Fabian Quito
Q: Which do you prefer FC 24 or FC 25?
Quito: FC 24.
Q: Why is this the case?
Quito: As someone who doesn’t use ethernet, the EA games have always been glitchy. But, somehow the newer game (FC 25) has managed to be even more glitchy. Also, many famous players are not in the game anymore, such as Memphis Depay, Sergio Ramos, and Thiago Silva, but are still very much playing professional soccer.
Q: With this being said, is there anything you like about FC 25?
Quito: There is a secret mechanic in FC 25 which reduces the amount of touches a player takes and when sprinting, makes them go even faster.
After my interview with Quito, I realized that he put out some very good points. First of all, it is true that there are certain, famous players who aren’t in the game that should be. The ultimate goal of any EA sports game is to replicate real life soccer as much as possible. For example, all of the top 10 most watched soccer leagues are in FC 25, except the Brasilero Serie A. Yet, there is no specific reason mentioned by EA why the league isn’t in the game. Keeping in mind, this professional league is massive with amazing players such as Depay, Silva, and Estevao, who is on track to be one of the biggest names in world football with a contract from Nike when he was only ten years old.
Quito’s FC 25 comment is reasonable. As someone who uses this mechanic, I can definitely understand the appeal coming from him. Although, I question, why is this secret? The elaborate mechanics are what make the game so expansive and challenging for players. But, most of EA’s audience are people who don’t have time to learn and master these mechanics, so why are they keeping them a secret? Looking from my point of view, I feel this is actually limiting the gameplay enough so as to make an impact on sales.
When assessing three giants in the video game review industry, IGN, PCGamesN, and TheSixthAxis. Here is what the results conclude:
IGN: This group encapsulates all the faults of FC 25. One of the biggest points of improvement was the new game mode called Rush, which allows players to play 5 vs 5 with smaller fields, or what is known as Futsal or “Street Football.” They feel it gives the game an added sense of fast-paced, attacking gameplay. Although, that’s the only component that is fully complemented. IGN finds the menu screens laggy, not a good look, and the lack of defensive tactics are considered unresponsive. Overall, they feel EA played it too safe by being too similar to the previous game, FC 24.
PCGamesN: This group actually predominantly highlights the new bonuses about FC 25. They feel it has been “slowed down” in an aim for people to take a more tactical approach to the way they play. This involves a new feature called player roles, where a certain player in your Starting 11 is tasked to do a certain task for the team, such as, a freekick, corner, or penalty. Although, with these upsides, ultimately, it led to a reduced community spirit. The hype seen
Although, with these upsides, ultimately, it led to a reduced community spirit. The hype seen through leaks, trailers, and gameplays by the developers did not meet the expectations of the fans when the game did eventually arrive to the public.
TheSixthAxis: This group discusses why the Rush feature was a good advancement for the game itself. It labeled how it is a new element of football to the game, but not to the world. This 5 vs 5 game mode is a great way to keep fans interested and not stuck with normal football, and expands the community tremendously. Although, what is seen as a good addition, but requires maintenance, is FC IQ. FC IQ is everything added to the game to make it more tactical. Everything from the highlights, the data collected from basic maneuvers in the game, and the player roles is FC IQ. Overall, the group thinks this addition is great and gives players more control over their team than ever before, but, when adding this, they should have made it more impactful, making it have more potential.
So, in conclusion, this game has its pros and cons, but the overall emphasis of the game stays constant; the game is the same as the one last year.
