FIFA 20 - Review

I feel that I preface all sports related reviews with the same statement, but those who know me, know I am not a sports guy, and when it comes to sports games, I tend to leave them be for a few years, as the minor updates are generally lost on me, so with a nice gap, it was time for another shot at goal in FIFA 20.

Perhaps the biggest addition to the series is Volta, a much smaller 5v5 team-based mode, that takes on concrete and asphalt, designed to bring the sport of soccer to more players. If you are as old as me, then there is a chance you recall the FIFA Street series of games, which is what this mode is, more or less, so while not as inspired as the marketing would have you believe, it is a worthy addition to the package. The Volta mode actually offers up three modes, a story-based mode, similar to The Journey that I have seen in previous games, an offside mode, perfect for those quick matches and online, if you want to test your skills against real people. Volta is a strong addition to the series, but I can’t understand why they added it on here, the game could have been a strong solo release, maybe at a reduced price and yes, while I understand there is more value in including it, on its own it could have been more fleshed out.

Now Volta, whilst a strong inclusion, does have some issues, the ball tends to behave a little erratically a lot, this could be due to a rougher surface that concrete provides over grass, but I doubt it. If this was the only issue, then you could make that case, but there were times when players would make moves, that I don’t think would be possible, given their starting positions or their position to the ball. If these were the only issues, then the game would not be so bad, but the main mode, the one that people are used to, also has similar problems, which is a shame, a lot of which can be placed at the feet of the AI controlled players. There were times when I would see a member of my team, running alongside an opposing player, who had the ball and they would do nothing, forcing me to take over and steal the ball, or in my case, attempt it. In another instance I saw the ball roll through the leg of a player who dived to stop it from going into the goal, not a great thing when it was my keeper that failed to defend.

Of course, bugs aside, there is still a lot more to see in the game, from the career mode, that seems very similar to the last time I played it, but it is bogged down by cheap production assets. This does not apply to the game, more on that in a bit, but the stuff between the matches is where it falls apart, the game has many cutscenes that are derived of audio, leaving you with a silent movie, without anything of interest to watch. All they needed to do was throw up some tv graphics and make it look like a long shot into the room and it would have been infinitely better, however they did not. If you are a fan of the sport and want to play as real life players, such as Messi or Ronaldo, then you can do that here, with their likeness captured, as EA Sports are known to do, the problem is that the smaller teams, the lesser known teams, have had their faces done from photos, with very little detail to them. Now kudos to the team for making them look as good as they do, but it is like taking a PlayStation 2 level of graphics and throwing it against a PlayStation 4, there is a clear difference in the detail.

One area where the detail was not skipped over, is the tv style presentation, something that they have done well for a number of years, in fact one of the things I like to do, is simply setup a match, leave the controller off both teams and let them fight it out. Being able to just have a match play out in the background is something I likely won’t ever tire off and this year, there is a lot more to enjoy with thanks to the commentators. Sadly, there is not a lot of variety in what they are saying, but as long as you don’t play a few dozen matches back to back, you should not hear them repeat themselves too much. The on-screen graphics also match what we have come to know from the tv and again, help sell that immersion and they really do a wonderful job with it. Perhaps the biggest downside is the post-match interviews, if you take part in them, as they seem to have a narrow range of questions that they like to ask and the players only have a set range of answers they like to give, leaving the whole thing feeling like it is stuck on repeat.

Speaking of that, Ultimate Team is back, the card game that makes no sense to me, though perhaps I am not the target audience for it, however what it offers is a bit of a mess and given the history of EA and microtransactions, is saying something. As you progress through the season, you will unlock rewards, usually in the form of cosmetics or coins, but occasionally you will score a pack, though it will likely not give you much. It seems that’s in order to really acquire the good stuff, you need to devote a lot of time to the grind, which is the opposite to what a game should do, sinking time in, should be rewarding, not the other way around. Those players who want the best, will spend time grinding away for the next card or item they need, but for those who want to consider it as a fun side option, there are better things to do.

FIFA 20 feels like it is a building year, they added Volta, which has the potential to be an amazing mode on its, own, they lost the Journey, which is a big plus, but everything else seems to be more of the same. While the menus and presentation have received a new coat of paint, there seems to be a large number of bugs that have somehow made it into the final game, which is a shame.

Review code provided by EA