FIFA 15 Demo Gameplay Impressions

[The Visualizer]

Played 5 games of the demo on my preferred difficulty level "world class" and came away very impressed with all the improvements. Some notable things:

-corner kick tactics are awesome. I know you have been able to create them for years in the training ground but it's nice to have your players have a purpose on corners now without needing to spend an afternoon creating stuff. They work really well.

-presentation improvements are nice. I particularly like my defenders giving dap to the keeper after incredible saves and the back and forth after strong fouls. The highlight packages are pretty slick.

-keeper improvements are a mixed bag so far. They save a lot of shots that were money in past FIFAs but let short side goals in almost everytime. I've seen weird behavior when they come off their line sometimes where they get completely caught out. It also seems way easier to make saves on PKs now as a human controlled player due to an drastic increase in lateral agility which I don't like.

-passing and dribbling are a lot more responsive where FIFA14 I had problems with passes not happening responsively from time to time

-AI got a nice overhaul in all phases. Lots of good attacking runs are made with needing with use of LB/L1. Defenders are slick with different ways of being physical and crafty to regain possession and don't get pulled our of formation as easily. Some legacy problems have been fixed like them showing too much of the ball when playing out of the back where you could easily win the ball back in previous years even on higher difficulties. I need to play some more to see if the friendly AI is still passive on 50/50 air balls which I've hated for years.

Looks and plays a good bit better than FIFA14 on PS4 IMO

[Zac]

I just canceled my pre order. Decided I want digital for this one. No plans on ever selling or trading it. No need for a disc lads. And just completed the PSN pre order. All set. 11 days. I. Am. Ready.

[FoBs2007]

Played a few matches. Saw ZERO long distance attempts from the CPU. ZILCH! The CPU still dribbles in perfect circles around my defenders only to attempt to dribble the ball to the corner flag, stand there for awhile, and then proceed to try and walk the ball into the net.

I just don't see how many people can say this is EA's best product. It feels slightly different than '14 (which I hated), and looks a little better. I think I saw one foul committed by the CPU, and it wasn't even their foul. Sturridge ran DIRECTLY into the keeper, who was making a save, and Hart was carded. What?? That was a blatant foul by Sturridge.

You can only see CPU players dribbling around in circles for so many years before getting sick of it. Play a game of FIFA and count how many turns each player does with the ball, and then watch a game in real life. The majority of players in real life don't move very far when they get the ball (or even dribble), yet in FIFA everyone can maneuver like Messi.

Oh well, guess I'm in the minority.

[BL8001]

Quote: Originally Posted by FoBs2007

Played a few matches. Saw ZERO long distance attempts from the CPU. ZILCH! The CPU still dribbles in perfect circles around my defenders only to attempt to dribble the ball to the corner flag, stand there for awhile, and then proceed to try and walk the ball into the net. You can only see CPU players dribbling around in circles for so many years before getting sick of it. Play a game of FIFA and count how many turns each player does with the ball, and then watch a game in real life. The majority of players in real life don't move very far when they get the ball (or even dribble), yet in FIFA everyone can maneuver like Messi. Oh well, guess I'm in the minority.

I agree. I still think it's much better than 14, but I do agree with you.

In 14 they would only shoot from 6m out and only if everything was absolutely perfect. In 15 they will shoot from at least 18m out and the situation only has to be 85% perfect. My problem with it is that the close to perfect shooting situations for the CPU happen because your defenders back away from the ball.

As for the dribbling there isn't much that can be done. This is a legacy FIFA issue. The CPU will always be able to do those flippy flappy start stop moves. It gets worse on the higher levels because then the CPU starts anticipating your defensive tackle move before you do it and flick the ball away from you nonchalantly. It's just never going to go away.

It just works one of two ways. You get mad at this stuff and hate on FIFA or you get mad at this stuff and realize its the only way EA can make the AI competitive.

It does suck, but it's just the way it is. I don't think they will ever be able to fix that unless they scrap the entire dribbling mechanic and rebuild it for USER and CPU.

[Pappy Knuckles]

I love this demo! I stepped up to World Class the past few games and I really like how it plays on this difficulty a lot. In my last match against Borussia Dortmund they committed 3 individual fouls in the first half alone (2 yellow, 1 red). That type of thing was pretty rare in Fifa 14.

To the guy who says that the computer dribbles all around you, how are you defending them? When I first started playing the demo I felt that way as well, but once I jockeyed more and timed my tackles better, it didn't seem quite as bad as it did at first. I was in a habit of making a beeline to the soccer ball and pretty much trying to run into whoever had the ball based on old habits in soccer games. That doesn't quite work in in Fifa 15.

[emelki1968]

I am sorry but I might received another Demo in my PS4. The first game I played I beat Chelsea 5-0 and I made a goal with Pedro ( F.C.Barcelona) running 3/4 of the whole field without anybody try to stop me. Is there a problem with the defense AI. It is just ridiculous. I don't know if the Demo sliders are crazy, but if I don't see a change his is the year of skipping FIFA. I love how the grass is degrading, but the light ing and the way players move are not impressive at all.
The other thing that I don't understand is, NBA 2K can get the feeling that your are playing with a particular player, because it reacts like him, but FIFA still can't give you that feeling with Bale, Iniesta o Ronaldo?

[emelki1968]

Sorry for my English problems, between the autocorrect of the iPad and that it is not my first language, my comment looked like a Enigma message from the Nazis. I apologize

[BL8001]

Quote: Originally Posted by emelki1968

Sorry for my English problems, between the autocorrect of the iPad and that it is not my first language, my comment looked like a Enigma message from the Nazis. I apologize

Cheers, no worries.

Agreed, the players, stars in particular, need to be more distinctive and noticeable that you are controlling a superior player on the pitch.

I want the CPU to do the same thing. Please CPU push your attack through your best players...

The main part of the problem is RS (right stick) dribbling.

#1 I rarely if ever see the CPU do skill moves. So messi for example has 5 star skill. But when the CPU controls him it might as well be 1 star because he won't do any of the moves.

#2 the skill stick itself. we go one more year without the regular players getting new moves. Why is there no dedicated RS down = pull back/drag back? And why does RS up not equal the little scoop move all players can do that would get the ball above a boot/toe poke? RS UP UP UP is not cutting it. That is a 3 star move and more of a direct lift.

#3 at least the CPU doesn't do that stop the ball and go again move they did 99% of the time last year. I hated that with a passion. But they still do these delicate little moves that are just enough to avoid a challenge or get space for a shot. That is their bread and butter move. While they have the subtle lane change type moves we are stuck with a body feint that doesn't do much and a ball roll that is stuck in some animation of going sideways crab walk style.

#4 because the stick moves are canned animations you have to do the move at a set distance from the defender that always seems to be evolving

The RS I want to work like this. If I am dribbling to the left goal and approach a defender and want to scoop it to the right with the outside of my right boot then catch the ball with the inside of my right boot and sweep it across and exit left then if 12 o clock is up on the RS I would push 10 o clock then push 7 o clock and exit using the left stick.

The canned animations assigned to the stick are stale. I would even like it to just be contextual. If I push it to the right do a push away move if I push it left do a pull it back move. Or just have an option of Simple Dribble where you hold the R stick a direction and some appropriate dribble happens.

Basically, the majority of fifa players I know and from a lot of things I have read online over the years, it seems most good fifa players don't even bother with skill moves.