The most beautiful football game in the world with the most realistic graphics ever has arrived. But can EA FC25, dubbed the 'new FIFA', do more than that? We looked at him.
Electronic Arts launched one of the most celebrated and celebrated series in video game history more than three decades ago, when it sent FIFA International Soccer to stores in December 1993. It changed everything we thought about soccer matches. It was such a hit that a new episode arrived every year after that, and we thought it would stay that way forever.
But the two sides didn't exactly think so: they fought over money, and the legendary series ended in 2022. But in name only, because it is. Electronic Arts He continued the legacy, building on the foundations already in place.
This is how the FC series was born, which of course half the world still calls FIFA, and whose latest episode, “New FIFA”, i.e. FC25, was released a few days ago.
The timing is no coincidence, as the current episode has always been one of the stars of the year-end big-money holiday period, which has also produced money for wealth creators like the frenzied financial press. But what does the new series offer this year?
She has never been so beautiful
From the first moment, FIFA was a very strong spectacle, and they did not slow down this year either. They have improved the graphics, the smoothness of the animations, the movements, the crowd, and last but not least, the bodies and faces of the football players. The end result is surprisingly realistic.
One tends to forget that one is not watching a television match, but a video game. The illusion is close to perfect, especially in replays and transitions.
When virtual player Dominik Szoboszlai walked out into the crowd after his goal and jumped onto the billboards, it looked as if it had all happened in reality.
The fact that the developers have finally focused on the reactions of the audience, who live with the game, adds to this.
They jump when goals are scored, the whistle comes when there are fouls, the cheering starts when there are big situations, and they haven't even forgotten the flags and curtains. The sounds are also well chosen, which adds to the mood as well.
Control and Gaming Experience: There is room for improvement
FIFA episodes have always featured arcade style gameplay, and that remains the case with FC25. In other words, things often happen on the field that have nothing to do with reality, i.e. real football. Changing direction, kicking, passing movements and actions sometimes go against even the simplest laws of physics.
The new segment has moved somewhat in a more “simulated” direction. But unfortunately, it is still very far from Pro Evolution Soccer, which can be considered a benchmark in the field, and which was implemented a few years ago due to serious errors in the capital works of the development company. There's no doubt that FC25 is no fun, you can play very fun matches in it, with huge revives, huge solos, and world-destroying bombs.
But it would be better if it was closer to reality, not only in terms of visuals, but also in terms of gameplay.
Electronic Arts probably feels the same way, because they focus a lot on making the strategic and tactical behavior of machine-controlled players similar to the real thing.
It is said that the help of artificial intelligence has been used for this purpose, and the fact is that the game's characters appear to be two orders of magnitude smarter than before. Control is the usual, all buttons and joysticks of the console can and should be used. We can pass, dribble and shoot in a variety of ways, so we can't complain about the variety either.
Differences and faces
A fair number of real club teams are included in the program, but this time there are also a lot of absentees, which can be attributed to several legal loopholes. Especially in the Italian League, there are many gaps, as the two star teams, Milan and Roma, must be abandoned.
They are listed under different names, but their player base is the same. EA owns the rights to FIFPro for this purpose.
Unfortunately, Hungarian club teams were completely neglected in the program, but the national team was included. Here the names and faces also more or less match.
This time, in addition to friendly matches, you can also participate in cups and tournaments. There is also a way for the player to build his own team from scratch, where he can use his managerial and coaching tendencies. Naturally, the possibility of online battles cannot be ruled out either, which has always been a big strength of the series.
Is it worth it?
The FC25 is not cheap entertainment, they charge HUF 26-29,000 for it. However, it is true that for this amount you get the most beautiful and modern football game currently with the most realistic club teams and with serious back-end support.
I'm not saying it's flawless, but it's a lot of fun. If you like software of this style, you can't go wrong with this. Sure, this will take up a merciless amount of your free time, but that's the kind of work it is.
We tried out Electronic Arts' FC25 on an Xbox Series
