![]() In Career mode, the visual improvements have allowed EA to flex even more muscle, letting us in behind the curtain as managers, players, and agents come together to hash out transfer deals during carefully-orchestrated cutscenes. By the same token, those end-of-season trophy presentations suddenly look the part, replete with exploding confetti and cheering crowds. Then there are the small things, like hitting a perfect finesse shot and seeing your player’s back foot curl. Lighting is better, the picture is crisper and subtle motion blur adds a different sheen during goal celebrations. Facial animations and detail are improved, and the presence of sweat is more realistic as the match wears on. Several times my flatmates walked past the screen and thought a real match was on the go before realizing otherwise. Neymar has a nest of frosted tips and finally looks the part.įIFA has always been good at pushing the technical boundaries but this feels like an evolutionary leap forward and, dare I say it, one step closer to the “uncanny valley”. Arjen Robben twinkle-toes forward on the flank, left wrist flapping. A mo-capped Ronaldo skips forward in his inimitable style and hits a free-kick with a knuckleball technique eerily and impressively similar to real life. Honestly, it’s hard to overstate what a visual leap forward FIFA 18 represents, and this translates into the game proper. It’s unlikely you’ll hanker to play The Journey more than once, but as a solitary mode in a game full of different modes, it’s a staggering achievement and made all the better by FIFA‘s new and improved visuals. Later on, you get to choose a big-name striking partner that you must build a rapport with on the pitch, accompanied by some fun 1v1 challenge games that lend a competitive edge. You can now switch up Alex’s hair, give him new clothes and get him inked. ![]() It’s also suitably bigger than last year, and by rights, it’s got more to do. Midway, an overly soppy domestic dispute threatens to rob The Journey of its footballing focus, but taken as a whole, the story is great fun. Alex gets the bulk of the screen-time, but EA isn’t afraid to pull a few surprises and even introduce playable characters when you least expect it. EA has had fun blurring the line in other ways too, and a mock Twitter feed references ex-players like Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, and even the UK Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman.Īll told, it’s an impressive production that runs well over ten hours and features key timed decisions that have irreversible effects. ![]() Cutscenes strafe the edges of the pitch like something out of the Goal! movies, swanky after-parties zoom in on a star-struck Alex, and press conferences and player presentations give you a taste of the good life he is leading. Using the Frostbite engine for its sophomore year, EA is clearly confident that they’ve got the technology to flex their storytelling clout. ![]() From Ronaldo to Muller to Griezmann and a certain Gunners legend, the A-listers join Alex on a globetrotting adventure that feels like a big high-five to soccer itself. In FIFA 18, that’s never more evident than in the return of The Journey, the story of eighteen-year-old sensation Alex Hunter, now in his second season of professional football. Over the course of six chapters, EA unrolls the red carpet for its famous supporting cast who are faithfully motion-captured for their starring bow. All the time, the line is being blurred between the sport we enact on our screens, and the real sport itself. With every passing year, the release of FIFAfeels more and more like an event. Soccer’s real-life stars line up to talk about their in-game rating, to inspect their FUT cards and to emphasize their love of the brand.
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