EA Sports activities FC 24 first impressions: It’s like Fifa, however even higher

In reality, from our first few hours with the completed sport, FC 24’s largest sin is that it could be just a little too near its predecessor; anybody anticipating any game-changing enhancements will likely be disenchanted. However right here, the satan is in all the main points — the tweaks to the physics, the methods, and the animation that make for a good stronger sport of footie.

EA Sports activities has been pushing the brand new expertise behind the sport. Fifa 23 and its predecessors used motion-capture for animation, capturing video of gamers in a studio setting and analysing the way in which they run, deal with, go, and shoot.

FC Sports activities 24 replaces this with a brand new system — Hypermotion V — that makes use of video shot at a whole bunch of real-world matches by cameras positioned across the pitch. It augments this with AI-enhanced animation that analyses and replicates how particular person gamers transfer. On prime of this, there’s one other layer of motion-captured information at work, simulating how the gamers’ muscular tissues flex throughout every motion, and the way the material of their equipment flows and ripples as they play.

Usually, we’d say, “So what? Who cares?”, however right here the animation actually is incredible, making gamers look extra alive and — in lots of instances — particular person than in any soccer sport earlier than. I began out my play with a Champions League run, taking part in as SSC Napoli and inside a few matches, I may spot Matteo Politano or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia simply from their physique and the way in which they moved. Play with extra acquainted groups, say, Manchester Metropolis or Chelsea’s girls’s staff, and it’s clear who gamers are even earlier than you get to the post-goal replays. They don’t should be constructed like cover-star Erling Haaland to face out, although he positively does.

What’s extra, pitch interactions really feel extra bodily. Sliding tackles and tough interceptions may be actually brutal, and even makes an attempt to push a participant off the ball look extra convincing. It’s not that FC 24 has utterly eradicated the typically bizarre or unnatural-looking animations that cropped up in Fifa video games, however they’re definitely getting more durable to identify. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, the play seems easy and really near TV footage.

Again of the online

EA Sports activities has managed this with out disrupting the circulation of play — already a spotlight of Fifa 23. In reality, intuitive controls and sensible AI make it even simpler to arrange assaults or flip a defence right into a counter-attack, and there’s actual pleasure if you spot a possibility, make a fast go, and break for aim. It may well nonetheless be tough pulling off a aim from a cross or a long-distance go, however very satisfying if you make it. I’ve already had some excellent efforts with Lauren James and Sam Kerr at Chelsea, together with a few spectacularly acrobatic overhead kicks, hammered straight into the again of the online.

EA additionally deserves credit score for making the match-day ambiance so participating, with intro sequences following the groups into the stadium or specializing in the supporters, and funky half-time and post-match clips going behind the scenes or displaying interviews in progress. The sound additionally performs its half, with convincing stadium noise and crowd chants that, on PS5 with headphones, gave the impression to be coming from throughout the room. It’s additionally nice to have Man Mowbray and Sam Smith backing up the principle commentary staff of Derek Rae and Stewart Robson. Each add nice, incisive commentary which magically appears to use to the occasions and momentum of the match, and there appears to be much less repetition of the identical alternative phrases than within the Fifa video games of some years’ again.

There’s nonetheless lots to take a look at earlier than the total evaluation, together with the completely different sport modes and Final Crew. However are there any considerations at this stage? Nicely, the tackling could be just a little controversial, with rushing into gamers and hoping for the most effective more practical than extra energetic interceptions or sliding tackles. Aggressive strikes appear to finish in a purple card, each time. Additionally, the AI defence and goalkeeping on decrease issue ranges could be suspect, with defenders and keepers falling foul of sudden close-range assaults or pictures near the near-post time after time. On Newbie degree, barely competent gamers can handle double figures within the scoreline, and I hit Professional earlier than I began discovering matches comparatively difficult, which wasn’t my expertise of Fifa 23.

Nonetheless, if that makes the sport accessible to much less skilled gamers, I’m all for it, and it’s onerous to not love the way in which that FC 24 seems and performs. It’s not time for a last verdict but, however this looks like a fantastic begin to a brand new period of EA’s tackle the attractive sport.