By their very design, annual sports games have mostly been against the idea of drastic changes to their formula. They would rather go the route of incremental changes to what has already been established. This results in titles looking like a little more than roster changes over jury-rigged systems riddled with bugs. However, FC EA Sports FC 25 goes a bit further than most as it implements some substantial refinements to its various modes, with special attention given to Career Mode.
EA Sports FC 25 is the sophomore title of EA’s re-launched football simulator series. This year’s entry expands on the systems already established last year, giving players more flexibility and control over the teams they manage and the feats they can accomplish in Career Mode. The game may look and feel like last year’s FC 24, but that is expected from titles with little more than a year in development.
The biggest change from my point of view is the removal of Volta, an alternative game mode that served as a fast-paced, stylish alternative to professional football. This year, it is replaced with a 5 vs 5 experience called Rush. The mode is a more specialized version of the regular 11 vs 11 matches we are used to. Since there are fewer manned positions, all participants are expected to play both defense and offense at a moment’s notice. Matches usually go the distance since the losing side is afforded more chances of catching up. I don’t think I’ve had many matches with runaway scores. The thrill of close games is what I gravitated towards when I was autopiloting Career Mode and wanted a change of pace.
I don’t really mind Volta’s absence this year. As nice as it was to play street football, the mode was too detached from the main game. At least in Rush, you utilize the team rosters from each club. Also, Rush plays a part in youth development as a sort of minigame you can take part in during training.
I mentioned earlier that Career Mode got more than a few changes this year, and yes, they did well here as well. Players now have more options when it comes to starting their careers. From the get-go, you not only play as your custom player but also as iconic players throughout football history. Who wouldn’t want to play as David Beckham or Zinedine Zidane during his prime? From there, you are a few loading screens away from reliving historical matches and possibly answering some of the biggest ‘What ifs’ still lingering in fans’ minds.
Women’s career mode was also recently added to this entry. And while I don’t know much about the league itself, I am glad that the option has been added at the very least.
The second addition worth mentioning is the expanded options players get when managing their football clubs. Players are now able to make it so that certain players have certain roles while out on the pitch. For instance, a striker can be taught to be strictly a front-line striker and will wait for the ball to be passed to the front instead of being a busybody and getting way out of position. A greater emphasis has also been placed on youth development where you can develop their latent talent to their full potential before going pro. Much like past iterations of this feature in previous titles, this seemingly insignificant change to the formula will keep players busy until the next game inevitably releases.
On the Ultimate Team side, the biggest change is the removal of contracts. In short, players no longer have to worry about whose contract is close to expiring and what they need to do to retain the best talents. I’m guessing this is a response to everyone’s want and need to return to the action fairly quickly.
The most I can criticize the game at this point, other than the Ultimate Edition not giving that much more value, is the lack of visual enhancements. Look, I get that it’s asking too much to drastically change the look of a franchise in less than a year but the developments could add more than just hairstyles. It’s still basically the same crowds cheering and the same camera cuts when someone scores a goal. I don’t see that much distinction to last year’s game. But if your biggest criticism is the lack of visual changes, you’re better off buying an FC game every 3 years or so you have that big leap in graphics you keep looking for.
On the bright side, (literally.) I’ve noticed that pitches are generally brighter and more vibrant looking. But at the same time, the hiked-up brightness has also invertedly made the players look less realistic. I kind of preferred last year where there was more natural lighting.
Another complaint I have is that the menus look too similar to the ones used in FC 24. It’s one thing to expect a whole new look every year, but I don’t think changing up menu icons and stuff is too much to ask for.
My experience has been going rather well so far. I have, however, encountered a few technical issues that should not have happened on a game that’s already well-established. I’ve had a couple of infinite loading glitches happen while waiting for post-match results. Thankfully, the game saved my progress so I didn’t lose much. But I dislike it when I am forced to restart an application over technical glitches. I hope this issue will be fixed shortly.
EA Sports FC 25 shows that the franchise is indeed moving in the right direction. We’re in the Honeymoon phase where it still retains that feeling of “new-ness”. But as far as annual franchises go, the sophomore title has more positives than negatives. It still won’t win over the onlookers due to how closely it looks to the previous game, but anyone who has played last year’s entry will appreciate the changes if only to shake up the way the series is played. I still recommend this entry for new and returning EA Sports FC players.
