Fifa 15 maybe not the revolutionary product but still have a significant upgrade

FIFA 15 can play a great game of football. The players and pitch look better than ever. The progressive degradation of turf, coupled with the licensed stadia and improved matchday presentation makes this the most immersive FIFA yet. Possession tackles improve defence while more intricate passing aids attacks. But despite taking many steps forward, as ever it takes some back too.

If this is your first Fifa game on the new gen consoles then you will be blown away by all the little details that together contribute to an overall experience not too dissimilar to watching football on live television. If you owned Fifa 14 on Xbox One or PS4, Fifa 15 is still a significant upgrade, though maybe not the revolutionary product that it was built up to be. Change is good but there’s no logic to the way FIFA 15 plays compared to its predecessor. It’s neither better nor worse, just completely different. And you get the horrible feeling next year is going to take the opposite approach once again, simply because nobody can think of any substantial improvements or new ideas to justify another ￡60 purchase.

The lack of meaningful advancement isn’t just limited to the gameplay, as the interface and single-player modes are so similar to FIFA 14 we almost expected EA to describe this as a ‘Legacy Edition’. They haven’t even bothered to copy across new ideas introduced in their last gen-only World Cup game, despite things like making training drills part of the career mode being such obviously good ideas. Compounding the footing issues, players also seem to have added weight in FIFA 15. Changing direction at speed feels more like riding a bicycle than sprinting in $250 precision-molded boots, with every turn taking players wider and farther than is necessary or realistic. It’s not hugely off the mark, but in a series that’s prided itself on getting all the minute details right, it’s a notable issue. Got to get this around, or over, the human wall. Got to get this around, or over, the human wall.



Fans don’t look as good as they do in NHL 15, but they sound better. The FIFA team recorded actual game audio and has incorporated real fan reactions, whistles and team-specific chants into the game. Fans for Manchester United, for example, don’t sound the same as, say, Barcelona fans. Drama is really ramped up this year. Players react to calls they don’t like and tough tackles they don’t appreciate just like they do every Saturday.

Ten years ago, Fifa and Pro Evolution Soccer's rivalry hit the dizzy heights among gaming's greatest. During the last console cycle, however, Konami and PES lost their way, leaving Fifa to overtake and far exceed the quality and success of its adversary. With little rivalry in terms of sales, Fifa flourished where once PES and its near-perfect gameplay was the more popular title. Back then, the allure of licensed players, clubs and stadia simply wasn't enough in the face of PES's exceptional gameplay. Eventually Fifa worked its way to the top, backing up its realism with great gameplay as PES struggled to find a foothold on the new systems. By the end of the console cycle, it had found its old form but Fifa's sales were insurmountable.

Last year may have seen the PES series debut a new game engine, but it's this year's release that feels like a fresh start for the long-running football franchise. Taking its first plunge on new-gen consoles, PES 2015 launches with a 'FIFA Ultimate Team'-rivalling online mode, bringing the flagging football sim into the modern age. The game could do a better job of explaining the intricacies of the new mode, especially with most players likely to be more familiar with FIFA's excellent online offering. These relatively minor issues aside, taking a gamble on new players and trying to integrate them into your team is a thrilling experience. It's exactly the kind of game mode that the PES series has been crying out for, and makes up for any deficiencies encountered in Master League.

True, player contact has improved in PES, but players falling after a foul looks a little fake. FIFA is clearly ahead in this regard; here, physical power and timing are crucial for winning a tackle, and if the opponent escapes, you can grab his shirt to stop him. Even though the teams in PES 2015 won't be wearing official shirts, you'll still be able to recognize them by the way they play. The re-creation of the way that each team plays is good enough to make it hard to distinguish between reality and fiction. Real Madrid plays with speed in counter-attacks, Barcelona makes a lot of short passes, while Atletico Madrid is defense-minded.