{"id":56691,"date":"2024-09-26T22:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T21:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xtremeservers.com\/blog\/ea-sports-fc-25-review\/"},"modified":"2024-09-26T22:08:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T21:08:00","slug":"ea-sports-fc-25-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xtremeservers.com\/blog\/ea-sports-fc-25-review\/","title":{"rendered":"EA Sports FC 25 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every year, I start FIFA\u2014sorry, EA Sports FC\u2014with the same overly optimistic questions: What has actually<\/em> changed this time around? Is it really new, or just the same old game with a fresh coat of paint? There\u2019s always a laundry list of flashy new marketing terms designed to grab attention: Hypermotion V, FC IQ, BallTouch, Rush, and so on (okay, one of those is made up). Yet, even with all the buzzwords, there\u2019s often a lingering feeling that these changes are merely surface-level, and this year is no different in that regard. A series of incremental improvements and adjustments do add to the fun through their novelty if nothing else, but they\u2019re hardly a sweeping revolution. While an exciting new mode like Rush can add an interesting twist, it\u2019s not enough to mask the fact that this is still very much a familiar experience, and for long-time fans like myself, the excitement is starting to wear pretty thin.<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s start with the new futsal-inspired mode, Rush, as it\u2019s the freshest thing about FC 25. Although it\u2019s technically a five-a-side mode, it\u2019s built with four outfield players in mind, with the goalkeeper controlled by the AI. It\u2019s available across all four core parts of FC 25\u2014Kick Off, Ultimate Team, Career, and Clubs\u2014making it perfect for people who don\u2019t always have a full squad but still want to jump into the action. For example, in Career Mode it\u2019s used in the introduction of youth tournaments, giving you a chance to test your wunderkinds in high-pressure scenarios throughout the season. It\u2019s a cool, fast-paced break from the standard matches and adds some much-needed variety to the often-repetitive nature of Career seasons. <\/p>\n

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Whether you\u2019re teaming up with friends or diving in solo, Rush brings a level of accessibility that\u2019s hard to resist. I found myself spending most of my time with it in Ultimate Team, using one of my stars alongside random teammates online. While there\u2019s no target beyond Rush points, and no league to climb, the mode still pulled me in emphatically. <\/p>\n

Rush uses unique rules that inject a welcome dose of chaos. Kick-offs are reimagined, with players racing toward the center of the pitch as the ball is launched into play\u2014reminiscent of Rocket League. Matches are fast-paced and concise, lasting just seven minutes followed by a short golden goal period if the scores are level at the end, with a tense, up-close penalty shootout afterward if still no one finds the net. The offside rule only applies in the final third, giving you more freedom in how you approach the goal. Red cards are replaced with blue cards, sending players to a one-minute sin bin for serious fouls\u2014though their time can be cut by 15 seconds for each goal the opposition scores while they’re sidelined. There are also restrictions on the players you can use at the time of writing (Max 79-rated, untradeable), with this expected to be shaken up every so often.<\/p>\n

The new Rush mode is a fast and often high-scoring spectacle.<\/section>\n

All these adjustments make the new mode a fast and often high-scoring spectacle, with players darting across the sleek (and sponsored) Nike Air Zoom Arena. The neon-gilded stadium, modeled after Nike\u2019s Mercurial football boots, looks fantastic and the energetic atmosphere elevates the entire experience. The commentator, Fernando Palomo, is exceptional. While his insistence on screaming \u201cGOAAAAAL!\u201d 10 to 15 times a game will probably grate by the end of the season, I still love that the excitement is palpable from the first whistle. “There’s the ball, go get it!” sets the tone for each match, and the hyperbolic passion for every opportunity keeps the energy alive. Plus, witnessing my tap-ins get hyped up and enshrined as a work of art never gets old.<\/p>\n

While Rush is best played at a relentless pace, if you’re willing to slow things down and focus on defending, you can find immense satisfaction in marking up and shutting down attacks. Ironically, defending in Rush feels more rewarding than in traditional 11v11 modes. The smaller pitch creates a sense of openness that encourages tactical play and, overall, the mode feels more relaxed and enjoyable. My biggest question when playing is always \u201cWill my teammates actually bother to defend?\u201d Playing defensively in Rush feels like choosing to be a Medic in Battlefield\u2014it\u2019s not glamorous, but it\u2019s honest work. And when it clicks, it can make all the difference. <\/p>\n

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Right now, Rush stands out as the most innovative part of the Ultimate Team experience as well, especially in a year without major overhauls. While there are minor tweaks\u2014like the ability to stash up to 100 untradeable duplicates for squad-building challenges, and a more relaxed FUT Rivals friendlies mode decoupled from hardcore matchmaking\u2014the addition of Rush feels the most significant. Despite its simplicity, Rush is the mode I keep coming back to after a long day. It\u2019s pure fun, and ultimately, that\u2019s what matters most.<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of long-term objectives, I couldn\u2019t stop playing. It\u2019s compelling in all the right ways, and probably the best thing EA has added to the series in years. It’s a seriously good time, and I hope it continues to get new content and attention to keep it fresh and thriving. <\/p>\n

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly<\/h2>\n

Graphically, EA Sports FC is once again a hot pot of good and bad, shining on the pitch while appearing neglected off it. During matches, the presentation is particularly sharp\u2014especially in Premier League games, where the new scoreboards, broadcast-style overlays, and team-specific on-screen graphics packages really stand out. A nice surprise is the option to re-enable team walkouts in the pre-match build-up after the feature was suddenly removed in FC 24.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the user interface is a different story. What\u2019s most infuriating is how the menus feel like they were designed for a touchscreen\u2014soft edges, clunky to navigate, and far from intuitive with a controller. Worse, they seem to provide less information than ever before. Despite the ever-increasing bloat of the menu items directly in front of you, key information is buried behind layers of tabs that disappear if you scroll too far, leaving you hunting for crucial options. <\/p>\n

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For a game that actively encourages you to slow down, tweak tactics, and customise player roles, the new menu system that plagues every game mode feels like it\u2019s chugging two steps behind my inputs, making what should be an enjoyable experience feel like a chore. This was especially notable in menu-heavy modes like Career which, while it has had several cool additions, is now aggravating to try and navigate through.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the new \u2018Cranium\u2019 system, which aims to make players without facial scans appear more natural alongside top-tier talent from the likes of the Premier League, La Liga, and beyond. It\u2019s nice to see a greater range of \u201cgeneric\u201d faces now, and even unscanned players look a little like their real-life counterparts. Likewise, it\u2019s neat that there\u2019s a greater level of customization in the personal player or manager models as well. However, the results are inconsistent: Under ideal conditions and lighting, some players look significantly better than in previous entries, but these conditions are rare, and more often than not everyone in FC 25 looks like they\u2019ve been pulled from a waxy, uncanny valley hell.<\/p>\n

Speaking of jank, expect some of the typical weirdness in FC 25.<\/section>\n

Speaking of the jank, expect some of the typical weirdness in FC 25. Commentary is still often disconnected from the action on the pitch, Ultimate Team still likes to freeze on me at every opportunity, and cutscenes still glitch out in the most bizarre ways. For those of us who\u2019ve been around the FIFA\/FC block, these graphical quirks are nothing new, but that doesn\u2019t make them any less annoying.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it\u2019s a similar story across many annual sports titles. In Madden, bizarre animation bugs still see players warping or phasing through each other, while NBA 2K has its own share of uncanny character models and awkward animations. It feels like these issues are simply glossed over with each new installment. In fact, they\u2019re becoming increasingly indefensible as the same problems resurface year after year.<\/p>\n

Tweaks That Matter (And Many That Don\u2019t)<\/h2>\n

When it comes to the actual, on-field action, FC 25 delivers some fun, if incremental, improvements\u2014just like clockwork. One of the standout new features is FC IQ, which effectively replaces the old system of work rates, where players movement was dictated by set verbal descriptions of their effort in attack and defense. Instead, player movement is now determined by their \u201crole\u201d and the \u201cfocus\u201d assigned to them within that role. Each position offers a choice of three to five roles. For example, a central attacking midfielder (CAM) can be assigned roles like shadow striker, playmaker, and others, altering how forward-thinking you want them to be throughout a game.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new level of automation that goes hand-in-hand with this change and actually feels significant. For example, attackers are a bit more useful while on the break, and no longer having to constantly trigger players\u2019 runs in behind or down the wing with manual button presses is great. Players will make smarter runs based on their roles, too. However, the level of control still pales in comparison to the more tactical-heavy sims found in Football Manager, and the initial impressiveness of the change wears off fast. It\u2019s certainly an improvement, but the desired depth isn\u2019t quite there yet. The implementation of new player roles in Ultimate Team, evolving based on real-life performances, is also a neat touch\u2014for example, Bellingham playing deeper one week could see him re-emerge as a playmaker. <\/p>\n