Up For Some Footy, m8?
Is 'EA Sports FC 24' Still Good Soccer Without The 'FIFA' Name? Here's What The Reviews Say
"FIFA" games have been EA's bread and butter for years now, but the sports organization is no longer attached to the iconic video game franchise. Instead, we're getting the same iterative yearly release without the burden or cachet of the Fédération internationale de football association.
With more than 20 reviews counted, "FC 24" has an average score of 78/100 at OpenCritic. Compared to the 76/100 that the last "FIFA" game got, we're not looking at a drastic change here. Now, let's see what critics really think about EA's new soccer game.
Meet the new game, same as the old game
But for "EA Sports FC 24," the biggest change seems to be new advertising partners that it’s allowed to put in the game, now that the storied relationship with FIFA has been relegated for good.
Ultimately, smart tweaks on and off the field lead to a refreshed but not [revolutionized] EA Football game that remains fun to play but needs improving to really be great.
Reviewers ran into some nasty bugs
My only major gripe with the game so far has been encountering some fairly annoying bugs. I'm hopeful these will be addressed come launch, but there's been a few occasions where I've had to reset my game as it locked up within menus. The biggest culprit so far is when trying to fire a coach in Career Mode. The game completely locks up and you're forced into resetting the game (thankfully, autosave usually comes to the rescue).
There is genuinely so much to love about this game, and if EA can knock the bugs on the head, we will have a great season. A quick touch on the "FC 24" Web and Companion App too. It's clean and precise, another great UI change from EA.
The microtransactions aren't great, but could be worse
Ultimate Team's economy is better than some other sports games, with coins awarded regularly for completing objectives and match performances of your team. Coins can be built up relatively quickly, though if you're aiming for premium packs (7,500 for a premium gold pack and 15,000 for a premium gold player pack), they'll take a good while to save up for. The alternative is the transfer market. You won't get the best players cheap, but can build a decent team to compete without spending too many coins. You do not need to pay for the microstransactions, though players who want the very best players like Haaland will be tempted to pay to get him.
As always, you'll need to go into Ultimate Team knowing full well that it always feels inherently unfair because people who are willing to spend real money on microtransactions to get packs will have a much better squad in a shorter amount of time than someone who doesn't. The name of the game is still that quantity results in quality, and microtransactions pay for quantity. While it's aggravating that grinding or paying the big bucks are still your only two options for significant progress, improvements elsewhere help deliver one of the best Ultimate Team experiences to date, even if you don't pay.
TL;DR
While it doesn't stray too far from its predecessor, new additions improve the overall gameplay.
However, given that this is set to kick off the next chapter in the series' history, the lack of truly substantial changes on the pitch to match the slick new look keeps "EA FC 24" from achieving Icon status.
"EA Sports FC 24" launches on September 29 for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC.
Not feelin' this soccer game? Maybe you'd prefer some multiplayer heisting with "Payday 3."
[Image: EA Sports]
