We are finally there, even if our review of FIFA 20. We took the right time to reflect, think and thoroughly test the work, but only because we wanted to be sure to give a very precise judgment on some things that, inevitably, only come out in the long run. Here we are, therefore, at the much desired and tiring analysis of the game that, as never before this year, it has dragged a lot of criticism with it like never before. The result will certainly not satisfy all palates, especially those more competent as regards the tactical side of the ball, but this time from the content side the experience offered by EA it absolutely must not overshadow.
Let's get the ball going
Away with the tooth, away with the pain. Precisely for this reason we want to start with the part that convinced us least of all the production, the one that should then be the cornerstone of a football simulation experience: we are talking about the gameplay. This year FIFA he wanted to meet anyone who complained of a game that was too frenetic and poorly thought out, now the construction of the maneuver will be much slower and more thoughtful, giving you the opportunity to baste passages and combine precise movements.
What has just been said, however, hides a small flaw, namely that the defenders do not react with the right timing to the insertions of the attackers. This creates a huge advantage for anyone in possession of the sphere: learning to defend and intercept will be a prerogative for anyone who wants to engage in the competitive side of the title. Imagine what has just been said in the classic matches of the FUT mode, where the rhythms are always more frenetic than in an offline match. For technically good and fast players it will take little to overtake you with an exchange and arrive alone in front of the goalkeeper.
We also have heavy criticism to the extreme defender, given that a glich has returned by arrogance that makes almost always goal the conclusions at the near post in 1vs1. This error was present in the game in the past, and was rightly removed the following year. Now that it has come back, we hope that the developers will work on its fix as soon as possible. Otherwise the physics of the ball is really realistic, you will have the feeling of having the most total control of the ball and its bounces but, even in this case, we have a heavy counterpart. If on the one hand indeed escaping the ball and chain from the defenders will be a blast, on the other hand the contrasts still seemed to us quite imprecise and very casual, which absolutely do not reward the player or who, on the contrary, in some cases punishes in an all too evident way. Even in situations of rebounds and rebounds (things that happen more often than you think) the defenders don't seem to react with the right timing, always arriving late and giving rise to unpleasant and comical situations.
The game will still tend to occupy the central lines, forcing you to develop the action on the side lanes in such a way as to open the opponent's defense and find gaps for the winning pocket. The result is that, even depending on the module used, users will all play the same way or a little differently. As it is natural that the climatic conditions and the pitch will affect the game, you will have to be able to adapt to different situations. The major retouching the development house has reserved for set pieces, now much easier to carry out. Here pay close attention, as the situation is quite complicated, but once you understand you will realize how easy it is. A viewfinder. In the run-up phase you can choose the style of your kick before it is even taken, aim and press circle to kick. With the double tap (the second made with the right timing) it will be possible to make perfect free kicks. Having a specialist in your team can be more than decisive.
New and old content
Before we go far enough with FUT it is right to quickly talk to you about two modes: the career, and the newborn Volta. Let's start with the first since its novelties are relatively few and interesting. The market seemed more alive to us, the teams apart from the one controlled by us make excellent purchases, it will be easy to see a "small" become "big" and vice versa. You can physically take part in the conferences, answer three questions that, depending on our way of asking ourselves, will have repercussions on the morale of both the rose and the individual. Our players will be able to write messages to which you will not have to respond, but this will also affect their mood. For the rest we find the same modality, nothing more, nothing less.
Volta instead it celebrates the return of FIFA Street and, even if that's not exactly the case, if EA would consider maintaining this will we may find ourselves facing another global FUT-style phenomenon. In Volta you can both play amateur with the most famous teams, and in a story mode that, even if it does not shine for originality, breaks the ice on the various mechanics to be metabolized. There will also be different modes of the game itself, from 3vs3 to 5vs5, all modifiable and customizable with the classic tactics. Volta is also equipped with an online championship but which, unfortunately, leaves a lot of the time it finds. As you defeat opponents you can recruit a member of his team, but in a short time you will already find yourself with a well-defined and above all strong team. You can play without goalkeeper, without outside, with barriers or without until you choose the size of the doors. Everything you are looking for in street football can be found in this mode. Last note, when you play Volta say goodbye to assisted controls, from passing to shooting everything is set fixed on manual.
We have therefore arrived at the much desired FUT, a modality that most of all manages to channel the attention of the public of FIFA. The basic structure remains the classic one, with attached Division Rivals and so on, up to the FUT Champions. All of these small challenges have proven to be the backbone of production, offering users a great variety of end goals. The introduction of battle pass-style features is unprecedented, which at the end of the season (lasting about two months) will give exclusive rewards, such as special packages, credits and so on. To access these rewards you will need to complete missions, which can range from playing a certain number of games, to scoring goals or much more. The purpose of the development house is to give greater variety to the accumulation of credits, so as not to be overly cloying and repetitive. The squad management system has also been renewed, now much more fluid and intuitive, and we are sure it will save you an avalanche of time. You can therefore change the various aspects of your club without ever changing screens, a simple addition that we particularly appreciated.
But now the problems come, if all the defects of the gameplay that we mentioned at the beginning we bring them back to FUT we begin to see the weakness of the production. Overly fast players will always and constantly have an advantage over the defender, this ploy can be exploited by a real user, who will inevitably have a big advantage when in the construction phase. The result becomes quite chaotic, the matches end with many goals and untrue results. Why do we say this? FIFA 20, especially if taken in its online component, continues to suffer from too marked randomness, too often preventing the strongest player from taking home the result with the right clarity. Let's explain better: the 3 points are often brought home even without playing well, but it will be enough to take advantage of the errors that the title itself allows. We don't think it's right, on this side the developers will still have to work a very long time.
In conclusion we can say with certainty that FIFA 20 is far from perfect football simulation game, but it finds its strength in the large number of modalities proposed within the experience. Football fans will surely find something that will satisfy their palates, at least until next year. The most positive note remains Volta, which turned out to be a more than perfect way to revamp the franchise. Self EA Sports will continue to focus on us, we are sure that a good slice of players will devote themselves to it with consistency and lots of fun. This new chapter of FIFA therefore passes our test, but not as we expected, indeed, we perceived a slight laziness in fixing all the small details that complete the gameplay, resulting in the end satisfying, but not completely. We hope that next year the product will take the field with more grit and bite, as the contents this year have saved the boat, but it is clearly seen that the whole product has no precise direction and that it could sink at any moment. .
