EA Sports activities FC 24 hands-on preview: No FIFA, no downside

EA Sports activities knew it was making a giant play when it rejected soccer’s governing physique FIFA’s calls for for massively costly new phrases to hold on calling its video games by that ever-familiar identify.

Now the sequence is continuous below a brand new guise – EA Sports activities FC, with its first iteration being FC 24. Unveiled final week, we have had the possibility to play the sport on PlayStation 5 forward of launch to see the way it’s shaping up.

Plus ça change

Whereas it is not brazenly pooh-poohing its former accomplice, there isn’t any doubt that EA is making a giant deal of the rebrand it is given the sequence previously often called FIFA – this can be a large transition that strikes its hottest sports activities sport to an all-new model, and it is a second of threat.

That is to not say that the adjustments made to FC 24 are literally all that seismic in comparison with FIFA 23, although, and it may be truthful to border the change as extra of a advertising one than a gameplay one.

Nonetheless, a brand new 12 months brings some new options as all the time, and the highlight this time is on a number of completely different areas. First up is an improve to the HyperMotion animation system that lets EA scan actions from recorded footage as a substitute of laborious movement seize.

EA Sports activities

Because of this theoretically a star participant like cowl athlete Erling Haaland may rating a ridiculous purpose one week, and the FC 24 crew may get that transfer animated and accessible to gamers in a matter of weeks (though whether or not this can occur in apply is one other query).

The system has apparently been within the pipeline for round 5 years and will unlock much more potential animations over time.

Additionally thrilling are adjustments to how gamers’ our bodies and garments are modelled – the previous specifically sees a serious improve to accuracy to depart gamers with distinctive physiologies trying far nearer to their precise selves.

EA Sports activities confirmed us Wolves’ stocky sprinter Adama Traore as the right instance of a participant who’s by no means regarded fairly proper till now, whereas the beforehand too-skinny famous person Vinicius Junior additionally now seems appropriately extra muscled.

EA Sports activities

Boasts in regards to the material rework that is taken place are barely extra doubtful – the demo I performed nonetheless had the nice outdated weirdly flapping shirts and shorts, regardless of a supposedly main behind-the-scenes improve.

Triangles are my favorite form

The EA Sports activities FC rebrand is focusing rather a lot on triangles this 12 months, with the brand new emblem a jutting triangular one – virtually as a direct riposte to the roundness of the old-school EA Sports activities emblem. Nevertheless, all of it hangs on how vital they’re to soccer.

Passing it across the opposition has lengthy boiled all the way down to discovering triangles to move by means of, and whereas that is not one thing that has introduced a complete change of fashion to the gameplay in FC 24, there’s nonetheless been some tactical evolution.

Tactical kinds can now have a better affect in your crew and you may choose a philosophy to develop in profession modes from a listing of greats, like Tiki-taka and Gegenpressing (not forgetting the basic Park the Bus).

How gamers can develop into these programs is not one thing we have been capable of assess, although – our demo was restricted to only the Kick-Off mode and two groups, Manchester Metropolis and PSG.

Nonetheless, taking part in a bunch of video games between these two star-studded sides was sufficient to place one main fear to relaxation. There’s completely no loss in authenticity or branding because of FIFA’s departure.

EA Sports activities

Likenesses, golf equipment, stadia and merchandise are all current and proper, and EA Sports activities FC has signed much more offers to maintain the likes of the Premier League, WSL, Champions League and extra in its roster for years to come back.

Gameplay could be very acquainted to outdated arms from FIFA 23, with a slower tempo than some older entries provided, leaving explosive gamers like Mbappe nonetheless simply as scary once they hit their stride.

New precision by means of balls are pleasant once they come off, and an expanded roster of talent strikes implies that top-level gamers will actually be capable of showboat with tricksters like Neymar and Vinicius.

It is onerous to know an unlimited quantity greater than this from the video games I used to be capable of play – whereas main adjustments are coming to the likes of Final Crew, Professional Golf equipment (now simply Golf equipment) and Profession modes, these will all must be examined at a later date, or at launch.

A brand new shine

FC 24 does not convey a complete visible overhaul once you’re in a match, nevertheless it has a lot cleaner menus and layouts that ought to make navigating to the mode you need and laying out your crew so simple as it has been in ages.

Which may not sound like a really thrilling prospect, however since large Final Crew gamers spend half their time fiddling round in menus, the adjustments which have been made may make a giant distinction over time.

EA Sports activities

In-game, the sound design has additionally taken a step up as an entire, with extra trackable sound because the digicam shifts round angles within the stadium.

The final couple of years already introduced welcome adjustments to lighting that made for extra dramatic matches, and new broadcast-mimicking touches solely improve the premium presentation.

You’ll be able to see pundits milling round, gamers warming up and chatting within the dressing rooms when you make adjustments at half-time or earlier than a sport, and crunch matches will once more be accompanied by tifos, flamethrowers and extra to actually amp up the ambiance.

First impressions

It’s extremely early days for EA Sports activities FC 24 – whereas there are solely a few months till its launch on 29 September, this sequence’ gameplay is so finely tuned that huge changes may nonetheless be made fairly trivially.

With out entry to flagship modes like Final Crew and Profession, I am unable to actually say rather more than that FC 24 performs prefer it’s misplaced virtually nothing by abandoning FIFA’s identify, and that is a really reassuring marker to hit at this stage.