As we're about to take a look at the brand new FIFA 20, it's only right that we take a look back at some of the frustrations of the previous title first, FIFA 19.
There were a lot of issues. There was real randomness in the gameplay, inconsistent shooting, first time finesse shots and the back post headers being ridiculously overpowered, the defensive AI were crazy good, the fastest players in the game had no pace and, the kick-off boost. That is just to name a few.
But, despite this, FIFA 19 was hugely popular and attracted an incredible amount of players, including a massive esports scene too, with the pinnacle event, the FIFA eWorld Cup, offering their biggest prize pool to-date.
In FIFA 20, fans and professional gamers were looking for a real step change in terms of gameplay.
Did they manage it?
Here's our FIFA 20 review.
FIFA 20 - Review
FIFA 20 gameplay
FIFA 20 is a lot different to FIFA 19, and harder to master, which is a good thing. Hear me out.
Firstly, the pace of the game is a lot slower, which places more emphasis on possession. This makes the game feel sluggish at times, especially when you are trying to build some momentum and pace to your attack. But, if you are a player who prefers to dominate, it will benefit your playing style in FIFA 20.
All fine apart from when you are not in possession, it can feel like an age before you get the ball back.
That brings us on to the defending, which has been completely overhauled in FIFA 20, and it's bloody hard.
No longer can gamers simply hold the contain button to stop their opponent, there is much more emphasis on manual defending, in terms of where you place your defenders and when you tackle.
The new tackling system is very enjoyable when you time it right, but it's fairly easy to get embarrassed by the attacker if you get it wrong.
If you are close to an attacker, but just holding contain, nothing will happen. It is up to you to get closer, close down the opponent and put in a good tackle, otherwise your defenders will largely just stand by and watch while your opponents fill their boots and score.
If you're facing a particularly fast attacking player, it's extremely difficult to keep up with them and tackle them at the right time, it takes real skill and practice.
However, the AI does get a lot more involved in the centre of the pitch, actively looking to cut out and intercept passes, making it harder to play through the middle.
This is also true for chipped through balls, which are almost impossible thanks to the AI's ability to read and gobble them up.
Ground through balls are a lot more attractive though, particularly when a winger makes a run in-behind a full-back, creating more attacking options.
When in possession of the ball, you do feel more in control of what you're player does, due to the more fluid control physics and ability to turn in almost any direction. This means that when you lose the ball, either by playing a poor pass or dribbling in the wrong area of the pitch, it feels more like *your* fault rather than the game being at fault.
Again, this adds another element of difficulty that wasn't there in FIFA 19. Yet another element of joy once you master it.
You may also find yourself using the lofted passes, a new thing for FIFA 20, when double pressing A or Y, it attempts the pass but adds a bit of height to it, which is great when you are surrounded by defenders.
We can also gladly report that pace is a thing again, hallelujah!
If you possess a genuinely quick player it's immediately obvious. You can use their pace to beat a defender and, this time, they won't be able to catch up. This was one of the biggest bugbears in FIFA 19, but it's been changed this year.
Similarly, if you possess a genuinely slow player, it's also very evident.
For example, we used Toni Kroos as a DM in our team and he was consistently getting beaten for pace and unable to get back in to position, particularly when trying to defend a counter-attack.
In terms of attacking play, the shooting feels a lot more consistent than in FIFA 19, giving you more confidence in shooting positions and in one-on-one situations.
Timed finishing is also harder to pull off, but again this is a good thing, as it distinguishes between those that put the time in to master the game, and those who don't.
The new strafe dribbling in FIFA 20 is hard to master at first, but if you practice enough it can be a real weapon in terms of unlocking defences and beating opponents in midfield.
Skill moves in general are now much harder to chain together, the more you chain, the more likelihood that your player will lose the ball.
There is also the new set up touch move, where your player can knock the ball to the side, giving you an advantage in terms of finishing. But, this is really difficult to do in practice due to the intelligent AI, so you have to use it in the right areas.
EA SPORTS have also made massive changes to free-kicks and penalties, adding in an aiming circle, which increases in size when you add more power, adding more risk.
They've also added timed finishing into set pieces, which will be beneficial for more serious players, which add a skill gap to these situations.
Again, the new set pieces are quite hard to master, especially the way that you can use the right stick to add top spin, curl or instigate a knuckleball type shot, but when you get it right the results are very rewarding.
In terms of META's, first time passes are much harder to do, as are first time finesse shots and I did not see a single back-post header scored in the time I played it.
Overall, FIFA 20's gameplay is harder to master than previous editions and takes a lot of practice, but it makes it all the more rewarding when you do.
This is also good news for esports players, who will be able to show off their superior skill and feel the rewards of hours of practice time, with less randomness in the gameplay.
FIFA 20 is harder to play, but that makes for a better gaming experience overall.
FIFA 20 - VOLTA Football
When EA SPORTS first announced VOLTA Football happy memories of FIFA Street came flooding back. Sadly, there is no return of the glory years.
You can get six or seven hours of action at most out of the game mode, giving it a much shorter shelf life than the Journey on previous editions.
The gameplay doesn't feel exciting or new. In fact, it actually feels like a normal FIFA game, just with a few more tricks and, obviously, played on a much smaller pitch.
It's fun at the start because it's a brand new mode, but that initial excitement wears off too quickly.
The rewards aren't much to write home about, either. The ability to purchase clothing, hairstyles and tattoos for your player is as exciting as it gets.
It's an interesting experiment and, hey, fans may end up loving it. But there seems to be a general feeling that EA either bring FIFA Street back or don't - anything between doesn't seem to work.
FIFA 20 - Ultimate Team
FUT is the most popular game mode in FIFA right now, with the addictive Weekend League, transfer market, SBC's and much more, it has gamers hooked.
This year, EA SPORTS have added a few minor adjustments that make it better than ever.
There is a redesigned Squad Screen in FUT 20, that allows you to access your squad, club, transfer market and customisation options quickly from one location, which is a welcome addition.
There have also been improvements to Squad Battles, including the removal of the daily match cap, allowing you to climb the Squad Battle Leaderboards on your terms.
EA SPORTS have also added the FUT Friendles hub, which gives players the options for Couch Play (Up to four friends can take on each other or the AI), Play A Friend (Challenge a friend and their Ultimate Team online in standard or House Rules) and Play Online (Take on a random member of the wider FUT community online variety of match types including House Rules).
Within FUT Friendlies, there are brand new rules for FUT 20, including Mystery Ball, King Of The Hill, Max Chemistry and Swaps, which adds more fun to the FUT mode for casual gamers.
But, the most significant improvement in FUT 20 is in the Season Objectives, with gamers now getting certain rewards just for playing the game, something that will be well recieved.
But, there is still a cloud hanging over Ultimate Team as a mode, with EA SPORTS still persisting with loot boxes, which allow gamers to spend their own money to buy packs that could improve their Ultimate Team squad, but the probability of 'packing' a Messi or Ronaldo is incredibly low.
In fact, if you buy a Premium Gold Pack, the most expensive pack available (unless there's promo packs), it costs 7,500 in-game coins, or 150 FIFA points (250 FIFA points costs £1.99).
The probability of 'packing' a gold 84+ player in a Premium Gold Pack is just 4.7%, it doesn't even show the probability for anything higher than that, like an in-form for example.
Serious issues remain.
FIFA 20 - Other changes
There have been improvements made to a number of different game modes in FIFA 20, including Career Mode and Pro Clubs.
When I say improvements, what I really mean is tweaks, because unless you are an avid player of either of these modes, the changes introduced in FIFA 20 won't suddenly make you want to play these modes if you don't already.
But, in fairness, there are some nice tweaks.
In career mode, the added customisation options, dynamic player potential and the addition of press conferences do add to the experience, but this is a mode that needs a complete overhaul, not just additions here or there.
In Pro Clubs, the added customisation will be a welcome addition to the game mode, but it's pretty much the same as in FIFA 19.
It's a shame because this game mode in particular has bags of potential, but never seems to get the attention it deserves.
FIFA 20 - Overall Score
There are still some gameplay issues with FIFA 20, with the sluggish pace of the game and weird flow of matches, but make no mistake, it's a big step up from what we saw in FIFA 19.
The FUT game mode is as addictive as ever, with superb new features and new interfaces, but the use of loot boxes is a big question mark, particularly in the long-term.
Overall, it's not the greatest FIFA game ever made, but it's definitely an improvement on the previous edition, which shows that they're at least going in the right direction.
FIFA 20 Overall Score: 8.5/10
