FIFA 20 Review: A Yellow Card at Launch

[Steve_OS]

EA really stepped up their communication this year with a continuation of the Pitch Notes series....

Written By: Kevin Groves

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[Turbojugend]

Another fantastic and in-depth review. Thanks KG!

I too am disappointed with FIFA 20 so far. I'm sure I'll find things to get into (simple Tournament Mode seasons are where it's at right now, playing in the Bundesliga is fantastic this year), but FUT gets a huge "What I Don't Like" for the inexcusable omission of Single Player Seasons. Other than brand confusion with their new XP system, I cannot figure out for the life of me why EA would remove a such a simple-yet-entertaining mode.

This year it was PES that got the "wait for sale" sign for me for Konami's shoddy handling of the SPL stadiums in PES 2019. Next year I'm almost certain it will be FIFA that gets the same.

[flustercuck]

The defending makes the game almost unplayable. I can overlook all the other issues but if they don’t fix defending...well, I’ll have to play FIFA 19.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Chrisx]

Fantastic review.

I've tried the EA access trial but I've only used 1 hour. Keeping the other 9 to check on the game after the patching commences, as it's currently in a really bad shape if you're an offline player.

Defending AI and the most glaring CM bugs just have to be fixed, there is just no point playing otherwise.

I am very curious about this bit however:
"Furthermore, the AI teams will adjust their attacking/defensive mentality during career mode matches, which is fairly evident due to the increase in crowd noise and commentary hits".

How was this verified and how can I verify it? It was broken last year when they revamped the tactics system and it was one of the things that kinda ruined 19 for me. And commentators still dropped hints about it, but nothing really changed on the pitch.

As far as I know the most reliable way to verify this is to switch sides for a second, see what the current cpu selected tactics/mentality are, and then switch back, am I right? If so, I was under the impression it was not fixed but I've only tried to check once during my limited time with the game.

Cheers!

[KG]

Quote: Originally Posted by Turbojugend

Another fantastic and in-depth review. Thanks KG! I too am disappointed with FIFA 20 so far. I'm sure I'll find things to get into (simple Tournament Mode seasons are where it's at right now, playing in the Bundesliga is fantastic this year), but FUT gets a huge "What I Don't Like" for the inexcusable omission of Single Player Seasons. Other than brand confusion with their new XP system, I cannot figure out for the life of me why EA would remove a such a simple-yet-entertaining mode. This year it was PES that got the "wait for sale" sign for me for Konami's shoddy handling of the SPL stadiums in PES 2019. Next year I'm almost certain it will be FIFA that gets the same.

Thanks Bill. Yeah that's a weird omission (FUT Single Player Seasons) but I bet it had to do with how many people played the mode. That's usually why EA removes certain modes but then again they add all these different modes for Exhibition play like "Mystery Ball" so who knows.

Quote: Originally Posted by Chrisx

Fantastic review. I've tried the EA access trial but I've only used 1 hour. Keeping the other 9 to check on the game after the patching commences, as it's currently in a really bad shape if you're an offline player. Defending AI and the most glaring CM bugs just have to be fixed, there is just no point playing otherwise. I am very curious about this bit however: "Furthermore, the AI teams will adjust their attacking/defensive mentality during career mode matches, which is fairly evident due to the increase in crowd noise and commentary hits". How was this verified and how can I verify it? It was broken last year when they revamped the tactics system and it was one of the things that kinda ruined 19 for me. And commentators still dropped hints about it, but nothing really changed on the pitch. As far as I know the most reliable way to verify this is to switch sides for a second, see what the current cpu selected tactics/mentality are, and then switch back, am I right? If so, I was under the impression it was not fixed but I've only tried to check once during my limited time with the game. Cheers!

Hi Chris. Hope you didn't fall asleep during the lengthy review lol.

First match of the season as Chelsea vs United (first EPL Match, not Super Cup) it was 0-0 in the 70th minute or so and the crowd at Old Tratford starts getting really loud and Lee Dixon pipes in with something like "you can hear the supporters really pushing their team on" and all of a sudden United pins me back in my own half for a while as I go to a counter focused tactic. I'm sure it's a canned line that will be repetitive BUT I could actually feel the change and it didn't feel forced, yet rather organic which took me by surprise. I felt like I do watching a club just absorbing pressure trying to hold onto a precious lead/result.

So yeah, I didn't actually verify it by switching a 2nd controller over to their side but I felt it, and again later in the season when I eventually lost in the UCL quarters.

I wish FIFA would take a page from PES where you can see A/D levels go up or down BUT I don't want to be able to see the opponents advanced tactics.

Hope that helps.

[BearsNVA]

Great review.

I swear EA has a meeting every year and they say, "ok, which year are we using? We're marketing defense this year, so let's go with the coding for 2015; it was the year before strafe dribbling. Next year we can use the 2016 coding. We will market towards offensive game play. Oh yeah, add in the street soccer with player customization. We can put a few old looking models in there, so the CM crowd can have a creatable manager."

Obviously they don't do that, but I wonder every year. Issues resurface, disappear, etc etc. It makes you wonder if they simply recycle iterations, market heavy, put it out, and we're none the wiser.

I've tried going back on this site and the ea site, to see how they marketed the game each year. It be interesting to see, but I can't ever get the info. This isn't the first year they used the buzz words they used. It's just a matter of how many years ago they used it.

[1CK1S]

Welp! Looks like PES 2020 is my game of choice again this year.

[Qb]

Nice work, KG. I like including the video clips to illustrate your points. Sounds like EA is asking for video examples in their forums, so maybe this review will help in that regard. Also, that Willian FK scenario seems mighty familiar...