As the highest selling sports game in the world annually found at or near the top of the list among all video games, fans expect the "FIFA" series to deliver in every facet possible. For the most part, publisher EA Sports has been able to meet those high expectations by continually improving on core areas of the games while introducing new features that further enhance the value of the products. The latest release, "FIFA 18," is no different.
Story modes are now becoming a staple of sports video games, and while they didn't originate in the "FIFA" series, its first take on the narrative-driven experience last year was lauded for a grounded and realistic approach in its plot and character portrayals.
Now with the second season of The Journey in "FIFA 18," a number of notable enhancements have been made while thankfully managing to retain what made the first attempt a successful one.
Main character Alex Hunter returns for what acts as a sequel and he's now recognized as one of the top young talents in the sport. As a result, he's more in-demand and has interactions with some of the biggest names in the sport. The story also opens up the possibility of a club transfer and that plays a big role in Hunter's story, because things don't work out as they had originally been planned.
Customization of Hunter is offered this year with the ability to unlock and assign different hairstyles, tattoos, kits and accessories. While that might not completely appease those hoping to play through the story as their own created character, it does bring a welcome sense of individual personality to the role.
Some of the story developments are not completely realistic and it's necessary that some liberties are taken for the mode to be both compelling to watch and engaging to play through. In the end, The Journey carries with it some real emotion in its story beats which are made stronger by the score and various performances.
Gameplay has generally been considered decent-to-good in "FIFA" but hampered by some flaws which would too often create frustrating moments. The sport inherently is about capitalizing on rare opportunities and preventing such from being done by the opponent, but issues would tend to materialize at inopportune times or were magnified by the tactics of those playing competitively online.
One area that immediately stood out as having been improved with "FIFA 18" is the anticipation from the AI controlled players. In regular matches you have to rely on them on your own team because you can only control one at at time and they would show a troubling passiveness in playing passing lanes, pursuing a loose ball or taking advantage of attacking opportunities.
Those AI players are now far more aggressive in closing out passing lanes and intercepting passes. The downside to that is possession can be lost more often as the opposing side will do the same but it's a trade-off worth making. The players also now show some creativity away from the ball and recognize how to utilize space better when mounting an attack.
Clubs and players appear to be more versatile than ever before both in their tactics and their talent. It feels like playing against distinctly different teams now with their own strategies, strengths and weaknesses, rather than just a collection of players. Those players also stand out to a greater degree based on their personal ratings and abilities.
Where "FIFA 18" trips up however, is with the goalkeeping. Goalies are incredibly inconsistent and react to shots poorly, even those from distance, and their ratings don't seem to factor in as much as they should to their anticipated rate of making a save. Match scores are generally on the high side because of the poor goalkeeping. There has already been one patch to the game produced with the intention of improving the goalies so publisher EA Sports recognizes this problem and it'll be something to monitor further in the weeks ahead.
In terms of depth and value, "FIFA" is rivaled only by the "NBA 2K" series. In addition to The Journey story mode in "FIFA 18," there is the career mode (playable from a management role or as a single player), online Pro Clubs, online seasons and the ultra-popular Ultimate Team mode. "FIFA" also does a good job of helping new or inexperienced players learn how to play the game and improve through on-screen assists and the Skill Games (of which there are 15 new ones this year).
Pro Clubs involves playing games with up to 22 different people connected in, all controlling their own individual character. The mode takes that character and allows for them to be upgraded over time and customized by obtaining "Traits" which are selected from a skill tree. There are clubs that can be formed or players can jump into matches with random teammates. Pro Clubs is a very satisfying way to play particularly when involved with friends, but it can also be utilized well to get accustomed to the game for those intimidated by the prospect of going 1v1 against potentially experienced players online.
The career mode in "FIFA" has stagnated some in recent years, but one addition has now delivered some new life to it. Transfers are a big focus this year, whether featured in The Journey's storyline or here with "Interactive Transfer Negotiations" in the career mode. There are now scenes (with text based interactions rather than voiced) that offer the same visual quality of those in The Journey and involve managers, players and others that are working on a potential deal.
The negotiation scenes are effective at adding some tension to what otherwise had been left to adjustments on a menu screen. The presentation then follows up on those events in the career hub with news clips featuring the individuals in question, while during matches both on-screen graphics and the commentary team will make reference to any transfers that have been completed.
While "FIFA 18" may not excel in every area and has some issues on the pitch, the game offers great value and something for everyone. The story mode is excellent, career mode is improved, the online suite of features is especially strong and everything surrounding the pitch such as the visuals, presentation and atmosphere work to enhance the moments that make the sport so exciting. "FIFA 18" would make for a great entry point to the series for those thinking of picking it up for the first time but also should prove satisfying to those passionate fans who purchase the games annually.
"FIFA 18" was reviewed on Xbox One and is also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A download code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre .