The Ultimate FIFA 16 Wishlist
Submitted on: 06/02/2015 by
Kevin Groves
With the European season winding down, FIFA fans will still be going strong with FIFA 15. It's time to look at ahead by doing what we do best: compiling the ultimate FIFA 16 Wishlist.
Online Manager Mode - The ability to play online in a season mode with the transfer windows and cups/tournaments would be a huge addition to the FIFA franchise. Implementation would be difficult, but games such as Madden and NBA 2K have managed to figure it out.
Real Managers - College Hoops 2K8's Coaching Carousel was way ahead of it's time. Nearly 10 years later, the feature is long overdue in FIFA where managerial styles are distinct and carried from club-to-club. Be A Pro would become more interesting if the manager that brought you to the club was sacked. Will you retain your spot in the starting eleven? One may never know.
Stats Database - Manager mode junkies like myself have grown tiresome of keeping offline spreadsheets in order to track stats such as appearances, goals, assists, clean sheets, etc. FIFA needs to embrace the importance of club and country milestones. Manchester United fans would love to hear about Wayne Rooney -- or your Be A ro -- chasing Sir Bobby Charlton's 39-year-old club record for goals.
Preseason Friendlies/Tournaments - The ability to choose your preseason schedule is a feature that needs to come back. It would be a joy to take your club on a preseason tour of the States in order to bolster your fanbase. Preseason tournaments like the Emirates Cup are also a real measuring stick before the season starts. How your club fares in these tournaments can often influence summer transfer market decisions. Also, unlimited substitutions is a necessity in all preseason friendlies.
Individuality (Player & Team AI) - Over the years FIFA has suffered from a generic feeling whether that be the lack of unique individuality and/or the lack of distinct team styles. While FIFA 15 took a step in the right direction with much needed enhancements to Team Tactics the end product wasn't as good as advertised. An abundance of licenses are often rendered moot when the only thing that differentiates clubs are their kits.
Practice Mode - A playable practice mode within the season would be a great way to give your inner Rafa Benitez a go. Not only could you try out new formations and lineups, but you could prepare for your upcoming game by having your second side imitate the oppositions formations and tactics
Enhanced Presentation - Yes, the EPL's Sky Sports package introduced in FIFA 15 was a huge step up in the presentation arena but what about the other leagues? Or the stale nonadaptive commentary? One can only hear so much World Cup 14 talk. Little things like live cup draws, a trophy room with some of your greatest moments playing in the background (ala NCAA Football 08), and commentary that reflects recent achievements would go a long way. The return of the Creation Center would also be a welcome (re)addition.
Youth Players - If there's one thing done to the Youth Academy for FIFA 16, the ability to edit your youngsters has to be atop the list. Young players frequently learn new positions as they make a push for first-team football. Seeing your scouted left back with an 80+ finishing rating is disheartening. The youth name database also is in dire need of expansion as names are often recycled. Youth-side games (Under-21 for example) are an increasingly popular wish, especially with their excellent representation in games like MLB The Show. Instead of the infamous May 1st development upgrade, a youth season coinciding with senior side's should be available and partially responsible for development.
Targeted Player Development - Player development in FIFA 15 is far too random and could use a splash of specialized training. Nothing is more infuriating than seeing your young starting keeper increase meaningless stats while his goalkeeping attributes remain stagnant. Combining targeted development with results from the aforementioned Youth games would be the best of both worlds.
Longer Career mode - While it's rare for someone to play more than 15 years of a Manager Mode there are many out there who like to sim and use the mode as a de facto Coach Mode. For them and those who can stick it out, 15 years isn't nearly enough time. Seeing academy kids break through and establish themselves as well as missing out on potentially shattering club records in Be A Pro are just two areas we're potentially missing out on.
Awards - A season's Best XI and Player of the Year, as well as European awards like the Ballon d'Or, need to be incorporated moving forward. An added bonus would be to give the user a chance to vote in the league awards.
Defender AI - There are three main culprits that infuriate FIFA 15 players: the infamous jogging bug, terrible pursuit/closing-down angles, and the passiveness that our CPU teammate defenders have when closing down a 50-50 ball. These have been discussed at length and to a certain extent slider tweaks help to hide the the jogging bug but it would be nice to be able to count on your CPU defenders for more than taking up space while seeing them take a proper angle before engaging in a tackle.
Wages - Make wages mean something to your Be A Pro and Manager Mode careers. As it stands now, it's useless because there isn't a place to spend the virtual currency.
Winter Gear Bug - This bug has existed for over four years now. It's time that we're allowed to edit appearances without the risk of losing their winter gear.
Release Clauses and Loans - Release clauses are a great way for middle-of-the-pack clubs to generate a lot cash for pending transfers. Seeing your young prospect take the leap from "Exciting Prospect" to "Has Potential To Be Special" should be a warning sign that bigger clubs could come in and scoop them up. Setting a release clause to maximize profit while warding off potential low-balling clubs would add another dimension to the transfer market and avoid your board selling the player to a lower bidder.As it relates to loans, bigger clubs do not sit back and wait for loan offers in real life. They actively pursue clubs where they feel their youth players will grow, whether it be through playing time or at a club that employs a similar style.
Team Chemistry/Form - While it's important to have players play true to their ratings ignoring chemistry and recent form needs to play its part. Player form is currently in the game so the next logical step is to apply it to teams. Take Newcastle this year. They have talented players but experienced a run of form that nearly saw them relegated. Perhaps morale could drop as you put one past Tim Krul opening up the floodgates for many more.
Passing - Manual passers are tired of the full-on assisted players that litter FUT and online. Fully assisted players are tired of hearing manual players gripe that "playing on manual is the only true way to play the game." Somewhere, a happy balance needs to be achieved. Whether that be dedicated manual servers or an overhaul to the passing system.
It would be unrealistic to expect all, or even half of these changes to be implemented in FIFA 16, but they don't call it a wishlist for nothing. Now that we've discussed at length what changes we'd like to see brought about in please take some time to let us know what else you'd love to see in next year's release.