On Thursday, September 28, the new instalment of FIFA officially launched across the world. I had the pleasure of getting the early, early access on September 20, and this is what I think.

Gameplay:

After the first few days of early access, EA made a patch to the game. Why? Pace up the middle was irrelevant. For my first 10 games or so in the game, I don’t think I saw one breakaway as defenders (particularly centre backs) would catch up to any player that went past them. This was the complete opposite of last year’s instalment when it first came out, when defending was virtually impossible.

So EA fixed it, and while pace is not as important as previous installments of the game, it’s still one of the most important stats. The most important stat, however, is passing. Since FIFA players are now given more ability to change tactics than ever before – from build-up tactics, to defensive depth and width, to pressing style – you are likely to have little time on the ball. This results in games often looking more like ping pong than soccer, as it is very hard to maintain possession unless you have players with good passing stats, especially in the midfield.

All in all, it’s the most engaging FIFA that there’s ever been in terms of gameplay, whether you’re competitive or just looking for a fun sports game to play with your friends.

New features:

It is quite clear that EA cares more about Ultimate Team than any other game mode, and it’s better than ever. The new addition of division rivals allows you to play competitive games throughout the week. After your first five games, you will be placed in a division and face off against other players in the same division. Every week, you will be ranked in this division and be given rewards as a result of where you placed (obviously, the better you did the better the rewards). This makes for some competitive gameplay as soon as you start ultimate team rather than having to advance from division 10 like you use to have to. Weekend league has also been slightly altered, as it is now 30 games rather than 40, which was way too many in my opinion.

While Ultimate Team is great, other game modes like Career Mode and Virtual Pro have essentially been forgotten. It makes sense for EA to do this, as Ultimate Team is what makes them so much money, but if you play these other game modes, you’ll be disappointed. I wasn’t able to find any significant differences in Career Mode and Virtual Pro from FIFA 18.

It also offers a ton of other game modes in the kickoff menu, such as one in which you lose a player every time you score. Games modes like this make FIFA more entertaining for people who don’t want to play online. Even my girlfriend started playing, and she hates FIFA.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

While I am disappointed in what’s happened to Career Mode, FIFA is still FIFA. Ultimate Team is fantastic, and the new kickoff menu adds an arcade-like feel to the game. It’s lived up to the hype.