FIFA 18 is back with a bang and gamers all over the world are expecting big things from the game. If the trailer is anything to go by, the game is going to be full of surprises and cutting edge graphics. The game marks the second year of the Frostbite engine and the engine’s success in FIFA 17 ensures that this year too, the performance will exceed expectations.
While FIFA 17 was a breakthrough in many ways, it was far from perfect. A stark contrast from previous years, this game took some time getting used to and laid more emphasis on competition rather than enjoyment. Features such as dribbling especially suffered and gamers were often left frustrated with the slow transition in player control. With the game’s scheduled release on 29.09.2017, FIFA 18 is all ready and raring to go. And on first viewing, the game seems pretty impressive. Here are the 5 features that have improved in FIFA 18:
#1 Ball control
As mentioned before, dribbling in FIFA 17 seemed sluggish and it’s possible that EA didn’t quite pay enough attention to detail in order to master the art of ball control. As game developers will tell you, movement on the ball is one of the hardest things to successfully capture while developing a game. Having said that, FIFA 18 offers a revamped version of dribbling with lesser emphasis on complicated controls and more on just simple, old-fashioned, left analog stick toggle. This is a refreshing change and something I personally look forward to as lesser complication makes the game easier to play and subsequently more enjoyable.
#2 Return of‘The Journey’ story mode
The first season of ‘The Journey’ raked up over 14 million plays all over the world and going by those numbers it’s fair to say that the addition was a pretty successful one. The career of Alex Hunter takes plenty of twists and turns and his talent shines through raising speculation over his future by the end of the season. Get ready to see a transfer for the young man to one of Europe’s big clubs and if the trailer is anything to go by, he’s set for big things in world football.
Season 2 will see Hunter and Ronaldo feature alongside each other in some capacity as FIFA and EA aim to cash in on the cover star’s world popularity. This Season will also see Hunter face the wrath of football fanatics and test his mental fortitude like no other. Expect a rollercoaster ride in take two of this story mode.
#3 Stadium setting
The atmosphere in stadiums coupled with roaring crowds is the bread and butter of football all over the world. FIFA 18 has refined this in a big way by bringing a unique touch to even the lesser known yet significant stadiums around the world. The Stubhub Center in Los Angeles for example is beautifully portrayed with the right amount of sunlight and realistic crowd murmur. Similarly, the imposing stadiums of South America have the classic gigantic flags and musical instruments matched with features highlighting the tropical climate of the region. It makes for a realistic scene and it should be fun to play in these stadiums.
#4 In-game changes
It can be really annoying when your friend randomly stops the game midway to make a substitution and can even disrupt the flow of the game when an injury forces a player off the pitch. EA has smartly included the live substitutions feature in this game to minimize the need to stop the game unnecessarily by instead simply allowing substitutions while the match continues on the pitch. When an injury forces a change, the option to bring in a replacement is available immediately and can even be automatically administered. It makes play a lot easier in my opinion.
#5 Player characteristics
EA Sports and FIFA have put a lot of emphasis on graphics in their recent simulation and the same can be seen again with FIFA 18. Remarkable use of technology has seen almost identical faces of real football players and their virtual counterparts. FIFA 17 was good in this regard no doubt, but the latest edition in the series has seen incredible work in animation, making the game realistic to a whole new level. Gameplay producers had spoken to media on the need for attention to detail by saying that they aimed to have two TVs next to each other, one with a real football match and the other with FIFA being played on it. The difference should not be visible between the two.
It sure seems like they’ll live up to their promise this time if the player faces are an indication of what’s in store.
