Sunday, October 13, 2019

FIFA 20 Review





                                

The much-anticipated FIFA 20 was finally released by EA Sports on September 27.  This year’s title was developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and is the 27th installment in the FIFA series, making it one of the longest running game series’ in history. 

Although FIFA games enjoy financial success from year to year, their community of hard-core players is notoriously hard to please.  This puts the pressure on EA to deliver a game that not only improves upon the problems in the previous year’s version, but to also find a way to make the game feel fresh.

EA’s fresh approach to FIFA 20 is the addition of a new game mode called VOLTA Football which focuses on street football rather than the traditional professional-style pitch matches.  In VOLTA we have the option to play 3 on 3, 4 on 4, or 5 on 5 in a warehouse atmosphere or parking lot. This game mode places emphasis on skill and independent play rather than tactical or team play.  Moreover, players have the option to customize their player by gender, clothing, shoes, hats and tattoos.  It adds a level to the gameplay that feels cool and stylish and works as a great option for players who like to practice skill moves and play loose.  For a look at VOLTA, click here.

However, with regard to Ultimate Team, the game’s most popular mode, the problems that existed in last year’s release still remain.  Online play in Division Rivals is still dogged by delays during peak times and the AI defending that was so overpowering in FIFA 19 remains as intrusive as ever.  This frustrates players to no end. 

Despite the issues with online play and user complaints, FIFA 20 will once again be a success for EA Sports.  The community it has built has grown so large that players will always be willing to take the good with the bad, hoping for a perfect fix next year.
For a gameplay sample, click here.

★★★★✩