Soccer (or football, if you’re not from the US like me) hasn’t altered all that much over the past few decades. Even though the current game has better strategies, new rules, and a lot more money, the main objective is still to kick the ball into the goal more often than the opposition. How, then, does a series such as EA Sports FC get better every year when the sport it mimics doesn’t undergo significant changes? Quality-of-life updates are what I’m looking for, and FC 26 has many of them. Stickier dribbling, crisper passing, and more astute goalie placement are just a few of the minor tweaks that make this one of the greatest iterations of the beautiful game in recent years. Unfortunately, some of the most aggressive microtransactions that EA has ever launched have also undermined the goodwill that those changes generate. Therefore, even though FC 26 is making some improvements, it is mostly limited to the field.
The newly added gameplay presets are a fantastic illustration of this. Whether playing competitive games in Ultimate Team or attempting to defeat CPU opponents in Manager Mode to win the league, everyone used the same gameplay strategy in the past. EA has divided things into two presets this year: Authentic and Competitive. You may anticipate the fast-paced action and more intelligent AI teammates you may be accustomed to from earlier FC/FIFA games when you pick the Competitive preset. In the meantime, Authentic will seem more accurate to what you witness every weekend on the actual field. You must utilize your tactical acumen to get into scoring position because players are slower.
The fact that these two possibilities have no bearing on one another is the most significant aspect of this alteration. This implies that, unlike in earlier FC versions, EA can adjust Competitive mode as needed without affecting the balance of Authentic mode. There are several reasons why people visit FC 26’s varied modes: While players of Ultimate Team and Clubs seek fair and balanced online competition, Career Mode gamers want a game that simulates real life as much as possible. Giving us two completely different gameplay styles is a terrific way to serve both communities, as those two ideas have occasionally worked against each other in the past.
Perhaps the worst Season Pass in a sports game to date is this one.
Let’s talk about that Season Pass first, because it’s one of my main complaints, before moving on to some of the other good adjustments. We anticipated this since EA included a premium Season Pass to FC 25 near the conclusion of the last cycle, but it still hurts to see it launch on the first day. I would contend that this may be the worst Season Pass we’ve seen in a sports game to date, but you can choose to ignore it and continue using the free version or even accumulate enough in-game cash to purchase it without using real money.
The problem with FC 26’s Season Pass is that it offers more than just Ultimate Team awards, where users are regrettably already incentivized to pay money. In addition, you’re getting a ton of prizes for your manager, player, and club careers. The latter is when things start to get pretty weird because one of FC 26’s main attractions is the fact that Heroes and Icons may now be used in Manager Mode. Classic players like Julie Foudy, Toni Kroos, and Luis Figo can now be included in your Manager Mode saves for the first time. Instead, EA made the odd choice to lock many of these individuals behind the Season Pass, which should come as no surprise.
This is annoying for a number of reasons. The first is that playing Manager or Player Career Mode by itself is probably not going to get you enough experience points for them. If you want to finish enough of the pass to claim Career Mode rewards like Gianfranco Zola, Miroslav Klose, and Park Ji-Sung, you’ll need to open your wallet or dive into that lootbox opening simulator. However, EA may add more ways for non-Ultimate Team players to earn XP. This change is terrible, even for someone who mostly plays Ultimate Team.
Remember that this is just the first Season Pass. Desired stars like Ronaldinho, Toni Kroos, and Johan Cruyff will probably be hidden behind a paywall if FC 26 keeps locking Icons and Heroes behind passes in the future. This is a regrettable circumstance that clearly reflects EA’s attempt to extract even more revenue from its player base than is customary. The fact that Ultimate Team gamers are being taken advantage of is terrible enough, but now you can’t even enjoy your offline Career Mode without feeling pressured to buy something. Even for EA, forcing this Season Pass on everyone seems like too much.
Fun changes to their tried-and-true formulas are included in the majority of the modes.
The fact that the majority of the modes offer entertaining tweaks on their tried-and-true concepts this year only serves to exacerbate the situation. For instance, you can participate in particular tasks and win new club jerseys using the new Manager Live Hub. You’ll be tasked with reenacting iconic moments like Jamal Musiala’s double with Bayern Munich or leading a mid-tier team like SK Rapid or Strasbourg to European glory. These sound like the next step toward a history mode similar to the Negro Leagues option in MLB The Show. While the traditional Career Mode is still available, Manager Live offers you a changing set of tasks that will put your abilities to the test in entertaining ways both on and off the field.
There are a few minor but significant modifications even in Ultimate Team. Everything feels thoughtfully designed to provide the enhancements that fans have been requesting for years, from the return of tournaments to the option to customize the Evolutions’ cosmetics. I haven’t encountered many server problems thus far, and EA has been actively striving to improve the stability of its online play. It has never seemed unplayable, although, don’t get me wrong, you will still experience slowdown during busy periods.
That’s still true if you want to work the Transfer Market to make Coins, but average players are going to be stuck firmly in the rearview mirror until they open their checkbook. B
Elsewhere, Clubs have probably seen the least changes, though the Archetype system is a nifty new form of progression. I’m not much of a Clubs player, but, to my untrained eye, the ability to pick a famous player from soccer’s past to emulate makes it a little easier to stick to a role and provides a better way to gauge forward momentum.. While a meta will surely settle over the mode in the coming weeks, it’s a change that has piqued my interest enough to make me wish I had a group of 10 friends to play with consistently.
Clubs have likely had the least amount of change overall, despite the Archetype system being a clever new progression method. Although I don’t play for many clubs, it seems to my inexperienced eye that being able to choose a well-known soccer player from history to model oneself after makes it a little simpler to follow a role and offers a better means to measure forward progress. Even though a meta will undoubtedly get used to the mode in the upcoming weeks, this modification has caught my attention enough to make me wish I had ten buddies with whom I could play regularly.
Fortunately, the gameplay on the pitch may be the best of the current console generation. The division between Authentic and Competitive is partially to blame, but FC 26 is simply more responsive than ever in general. This can show itself in dozens of ways, but left-stick dribbling is the most obvious. As you dribble down the field, you may make tiny modifications since the ball feels sticky to your feet. You may locate lines to break through the defense and set up passes more easily with the additional control.
Fortunately, the gameplay on the pitch may be the best of the current console generation. The division between Authentic and Competitive is partially to blame, but FC 26 is simply more responsive than ever in general. This can show itself in dozens of ways, but left-stick dribbling is the most obvious. As you dribble down the field, you may make tiny modifications since the ball feels sticky to your feet. You may locate lines to break through the defense and set up passes more easily with the additional control.
To counteract that, EA has given goalkeepers an AI boost. Although your shot-stopper isn’t flawless, their location is far more astute. Don’t get me wrong, there will still be occasional strange bounces; that’s just part of soccer. However, FC 26 goalkeepers are far less annoying. They are more adept at punching and pushing the ball out of danger in addition to setting up more effectively to block shooting angles. To give your defense a moment to gather itself, they will fire a shot wide rather than straight into the path of an attacker. FC 26 is far more attacking than the original edition of the game, especially when played online, but this year’s goalies will at least be honest with you.
Verdict
The gameplay on the field in EA Sports FC 26 is the greatest it has been in a long time. Goalkeepers can truly play their position, passing is accurate, and dribbling is responsive and sticky. However, a greater emphasis on revenue is more distracting than ever, even with the excellent enhancements made both mid-match and across its numerous modes. Even the Career Mode players are now vulnerable to the Season Pass problems, which have been a problem for Ultimate Team gamers for years. There is a far better soccer game here if you can get past the microtransaction craziness. However, FC 26 is also EA at its most profit-driven point yet, so it’s difficult to avoid worrying about where things will go from here.
