Image Source - EA
A long-time fan of the FIFA series-now rebranded to EA Sports FC-who can't help but find himself holding onto hope that something monumental will come this time, year in, year out? Well, with all the pomp and hoopla surrounding this year's EA Sports FC 25 and its promises for new modes and greater gameplay features, I was nothing if not high on expectation this time around. End. Of course, the introduction of the Rush mode and some other small additions made things a bit interesting, but to old players, much of it is still similar territory but with a few new bells and whistles.
Rush Mode: A Breath of Fresh Air
Let's start with Rush, the newest and arguably most exciting addition to FC 25. This five-a-side mode takes inspiration from futsal and resizes traditional football into more frantic and short matches. The goalie still has AI control, of course, but now it is four-bloodied outfielders battling it out in tight spaces.
One of the things that immediately leapt out at me was how much fun you can have playing Rush, especially in Ultimate Team. It's an option allowing you to dive right in without the hassle and headache of forming a whole squad. The high-speed matches last just seven minutes, and if the teams are tied after that, it is followed by a short golden goal period or an up-close penalty shoot-out. The kick-offs at Rush remind me of Rocket League, where both sides are racing forward to a ball at the centre of the pitch—adding a bit of frantic energy to every match.
It is simple, yet refreshing. The offside within the final third of the pitch does not exist, and instead of serious fouls, blue cards are issued, sending the player to the sin bin for one minute. This is a tad cacophonous but, oh well, chaotic it is part of the charm; the only drawback so far seems to be the limitation on players' ratings; 79 currently limits this, and that is something likely to be addressed in future updates.
What's pretty interesting here is how Rush turns the most entertaining part of Ultimate Team this year. Other game features that will be retained include Career Mode and Clubs, and a dash of fun that was needed to the bundle went in with Rush. The futuristic stadium by Nike Air Zoom Arena looks fantastic with neon accents and an even more energetic atmosphere. Commentator Fernando Palomo: bumps the excitement level for every goal-but those times may bring it quite enthusiastic as a tad too exuberant
⭐️ Top 10 Ways to improve in FC 25 ⭐️
Top 8️⃣ - Set Pieces 🎯
SCORE EVERY CORNER IN EA FC 25 🔥
✅ Go to assignments and make sure your best headers of the ball are assigned near post, target player and back post
✅ Choose a left footed player to take the right sided corner… pic.twitter.com/ZaJGpk9jHg— FUT RANKS • FC 25 (@FUT_Ranks) October 3, 2024
Game: Fluid, Still Familiar
All of this is well and good, but the heart of EA Sports FC 25 plays it reasonably cautious. Now, EA's new Hypermotion V and FC IQ bring some tweaks to the gameplay, but nothing exactly revolutionary in the world. FC IQ does away with the old system of work rates and replaces it instead with a system where a player's movement is dictated by their "roles" and "focus."
On paper, this is a huge upgrade, but in practice it doesn't change the game dramatically within the rhythm. While attackers seem smarter in their runs, generally speaking, the player depth in this game still feels shallower than Football Manager's offerings.
Passing feels discernibly quicker this year, while the long ball across the pitch now feels pleasingly snappy. The shooting weight is also nicely present, particularly as weather factors begin to come into the picture. Wet conditions bring an element of unpredictability to the physics of the ball-an organic feel in every sense of the word that is more dynamic under certain circumstances.
Defending continues to be a weak point, much like it has been for the past few years. Pay forwards still evade the very best of defenders, and in other words, when someone beats your defensive line, it's game over. The FC IQ tactical options should offer players extra defensive control. Yet somehow, it just does not quite translate to any noticeable improvements on the pitch. Whether you are all-in for a little aggressive pressing or you're playing a low block, defence feels frustratingly slack and unsatisfying in this category.
Image Source - EA
Visually: A Mixed Bag
Graphically, EA Sports FC 25 knocks the ball out of the park on the pitch, but not so much off it. From what I saw in Premier League matches, the presentation is top-notch. Broadcast-style overlays, new scoreboards, and stadium atmospheres are brilliant, detailed, and with this game, you're there. Off the pitch, the user interface is clunky and counterintuitive. It feels like it was made for a touchscreen, with its soft edges and slow responses to controller inputs. Navigating through menus-feel free to call me one of the naysayers-if you want to get into your teen's inner circle in Career Mode, navigating through menus is kind of an endurance test.
New in the Cranium system is designed to make non-scanned player faces appear more realistic. While some players look better when lit the right way, most of them still fall into the uncanny valley, looking like they are made of wax, sort of unnatural. A nice idea that isn't quite executed.
Final Team: Small Changes, Big Fun
Ultimate Team hasn't had a full on refurb, but a few tweaks are worth mentioning. You may now store up to 100 non-tradeable duplicates in a Squad Building Challenge, while FUT Rivals has been made a more friendly mode for all those who don't take themselves seriously and are less intimidating. But the star here remains Rush, with which I caught myself again and again. It is dead simple, fast, and pure fun—everything Ultimate Team had lacked so far in the last few years.
Image Source - EA
Career Mode: A Handful of Steps Forward, Still Familiarly Old
For the depth-lovers such as ourselves in Career Mode, there are a handful of meaningful improvements to be found here in FC 25. For instance, you can set board expectations to lenient, providing you with much more flexibility on your own terms in how you manage your club. Similarly, customising training plans and match tactics feels a little more detailed now, especially as you develop your youth players.
Still, it is crippled by that clunky menu system. Quick and intuitive actions such as searching for players or setting tactics are bogged down by a cumbersome interface.
Some other nice touches exist, including dynamic weather effects that impact gameplay and the presence of Fabrizio Romano's famous "Here We Go" catchphrase in transfer news. It's a fun, if a bit of gimmicky, addition. Being able to manage men's as well as women's teams within one career mode is another neat feature that adds a bit more variety.
Verdict: Fun, but playing it safe
EA Sports FC 25 is a seriously fun football simulator, but for veterans, it is impossible not to overlook the feeling of déjà vu. Rush mode is certainly a fantastic addition, bringing a level of excitement to the game that was hitherto unimaginable, but outside of that, much of FC 25 feels like the same old experience with a little tweaking. It still looks pretty fabulous on the pitch, graphically speaking, but coming off it, the clunky menus and problematically defensive mechanics weigh down the experience.
For first-timers, of course, there is much to appreciate. Gameplay is silky-smooth, visuals sharp and polished, and new modes genuinely fun. Veterans of the franchise have a slightly different tale to tell, as EA Sports FC 25 plays it far too safe, though still undeniably enjoyable, and utterly, completely not revolutionary.
Personal Verdict:
Taking a perspective, I am a damn, fan of football and following this game since my childhood, Not all fans can become the player they want, but we can same feel the game by playing the FIFA series, now FC. We still remember our good old days, like FIFA 08 and 09. They are the post-played and muckraked ones, remember we used to play in LAN, this game? Now things have changed all we're playing the dark game of money, every year launching the same with the least upgrades, plenty of emails of complaints were raised by the FIFA Esports players but, seems like EA is not in the mood to give attention. Every year purchasing the same game for 5000 bucks? What are the points for paying if you are not getting the main cream?
After the hazardous FC24, they have launched FC 25 with What? Seems like the game hit pockets more than the hearts of the fans because the Game requires Ray tracing and fortunately everybody doesn’t have that without that the game counts as equal to FIFA (Now FC) 19 now FC. After paying 5000 bucks we have to pay separately for the skins, What’s that point? They are earning billions in a year, and they could easily game this game FREE TO PLAY, but they have gone for a price policy, leaving the fan's emotions aside.
They knocked their competitions down by buying all the rights of the teams and FIFA. The lawyers have played well there. But now things are different, they have competitions like UFL, the first free-to-play football game. It might be a great competition to the FC franchise, making them force-making, what the actual gamers want.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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