"Fifa 18" tested: I'll tell you what it can do!
29.9.2017
Translation: machine translated
FIFA in September is like the Christmas tree at Christmas: It's just part of it. This year we get improved graphics, more atmosphere, the continuation of the popular story mode and legends to touch. Will it be worth the wait?
"It still looks exactly the same as last year. Just in green." You know those reproachful comments when you tell your friends that you've got the new FIFA? Sure, EA isn't reinventing the wheel this time either. But let's be honest: nobody expects that. But that doesn't mean that the game hasn't evolved - and noticeably so! It's not the one big change, it's the many small details that make up the big picture.
FIFA 18 looks damn smart
I'm impressed. A year ago, EA promised us revolutionary changes with the Frostbite engine that would affect both the graphics and the gameplay. A promise that was finally kept this year. New light filters for the more than 80 stadiums in the game ensure an even more realistic look, where not only the time of day and night but also the geographical region have a noticeable influence on the image. Also long overdue: the muddy spectators. These have been replaced by high-resolution 3D models and not only perform harmonious choreographies in the stands, but also charge up to the railing when a goal is scored or dodge shots that are sent two metres over the goal frame (which is pretty funny). As always, the general stadium noise, fan chants and murmurs when a shot is narrowly missed; the outraged screams when a penalty is not penalised or the pure ecstasy when my team scores the winning goal in the 91st minute are beyond reproach.
A lot has also happened on the pitch. The superstars in particular look very similar to their real-life role models. The players' facial expressions and features have been greatly improved. Emotions such as joy, anger and sheer disbelief (when Messi misses the empty goal from three metres away) are now states of mind that can actually be recognised and distinguished from one another. The animations and running movements are now calculated per frame and no longer in individual, small sequences. Disturbing and downright grotesque images of players seemingly extending their leg and then immediately straightening it again just to get their foot in the correct shooting position are thankfully a thing of the past. In general, all movements now seem much smoother and more natural - a real step forward!
And what's under the graphics bonnet?
The reduced game speed is immediately noticeable. This means that FIFA 18 is moving a little further in the direction of a football simulation, as its eternal competitor from Japan wants to be. And - it has to be recognised - it succeeds across the board.
The gameplay offers hardly any room for attack: passes can be played more directly, crosses can be controlled better and turn into the penalty area with even more vigour. Cut shots are more powerful again, but no longer land in the net as often as they seemed to in the demo. Only long-range shots still feel a tad too powerful. Especially in online games, it's frustrating when shots from a distance, which defenders can't really do anything about, land in the goal with an implausible regularity. EA needs to make adjustments here.
Thanks to the reduced game speed, the feedback when controlling the virtual players is more precise and feels more satisfying. Simple dribbles can be performed by almost all players and no longer require sophisticated finger acrobatics. However, this doesn't mean that every run-of-the-mill wannabe becomes Ronaldinho 2.0, because rarely has the gamer phrase "easy to learn, hard to master" been as true as it is here. Fast players still have advantages when they come down the wings, but can be countered better than before by physically strong defenders. In general, physicality plays a greater role in FIFA 18: shielding the ball is now an efficient weapon in the build-up play and finally gives tall, less agile players a reason to exist.
Speaking of physics: The ball feels heavier, which means that full-court shots are richer and balls no longer bounce around unrealistically like balloons. With poor passes, they sometimes bounce off the foot, bounce or somehow slip between friend and foe, where they then unexpectedly find a recipient. The AI teammates move better and anticipate the ball well. Attackers use their upper body to push defenders away and they in turn go to the limits of what is allowed to snatch the ball away at the last second during tackles. All in all, FIFA 18 offers a fantastic gaming experience with very few flaws.
Hunter returns - the return of "The Journey"
The story mode from FIFA 17 was a huge success last year. No wonder, then, that FIFA 18 celebrates Hunter's return. The sequel begins where the first part left off: Alex Hunter, newly crowned double winner (cup and championship), has nothing else on his mind but to concentrate on his team and his football career. The perfect world begins to crumble when the first transfer rumours start doing the rounds...
At the beginning, we can choose whether we want to import "our" Hunter from FIFA 17 or start with a new, fresh Hunter. I naturally opted for my hothead from part 1, whose rating I had pushed to 75 (the "fresh" Hunter starts at 71). The story becomes more personal. The strained relationship between Alex and his father, which was hinted at in the first part, is deepened. In addition, many temptations threaten to turn the head of the still young football talent. In general, the story shifts away from a sports drama towards a soap opera. However, this is not at all a problem because the production is really well done thanks to the Frostbite engine. Compared to its predecessor, the facial expressions and gestures have been improved and the story is also entertaining to the end with some unforeseen twists - a striking difference to its predecessor, where the story occasionally ran out of steam.
Of course, the star power has also been tweaked for the sequel. Alex meets football personalities such as Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry and Christiano Ronaldo on his way to fame. I don't want to reveal any more for spoiler reasons. What's really great for the atmosphere is that all the professionals have recorded their parts in person.
In addition to the harmonious staging, there are also a few detail improvements: Alex can now be customised even more with hairstyles, clothing and tattoos, and even more goodies can be unlocked through tasks set for the player across the six story chapters. Last but not least, special decisions ensure that the dialogue options have a greater impact on the story and Hunter's relationship with his fellow human beings.
Ultimate Team
According to EA, the most-played mode is "FUT - FIFA Ultimate Team". Using virtual player cards, the player creates a galactic dream team from a cucumber squad. Various characteristics such as club affiliation, nationality or the league in which the players play in real life improve the team chemistry and thus increase the player values on the virtual pitch. This gives the mode more tactical depth, because if you really want to get the most out of your team, you can't just throw stars together. This has already been a lot of fun in previous instalments. And it still does.
PS4 and PC players can look forward this year to the legends (now called icons) that Xbox players already know from the previous game. Icons are former professional footballers who have made the history of the sport: Players such as Maradonna, Pelé, Ronaldinho or Zinedine Zidane. Another new feature for Xbox players is that there are three versions of each icon, reflecting the player at different points in his career. These versions not only differ in terms of player values, but also have different visual appearances. For football nostalgics like me, the implementation of the icons is a nice goodie - but nothing more. There are no revolutionary changes this year, but I don't think that's a bad thing: FUT has been around since FIFA 11 and the concept behind it is well thought out and tried and tested. What's more, EA certainly won't risk making the mode worse where there's a lot of money to be made with unpopular microtransactions.
Conclusion
The best thing first: FIFA 18 has actually done nothing wrong but almost everything right. The Frostbite engine flexes its muscles, both graphically and in terms of gameplay. The physics have been greatly improved and make duels appear more powerful and realistic than ever before, and the facial expressions and emotions of the well-known stars in particular have been tweaked. The fact that the pace of the game has been slowed down somewhat makes the simulation more realistic and allows for a neat build-up to the game.
The stadium atmosphere has also taken a noticeable step forward: from the improved lighting effects, which realistically reproduce different regions and times of day, to the 3D-animated spectators, who actually develop something of a life of their own when they perform dance choreographies or rush to the edge of the pitch when goals are scored.
The Journey enters the next round unsurprisingly and impresses with an exciting and captivating story right to the end. Also pleasing: there is significantly more variety than in its predecessor, which at times seemed monotonous. The overall package is completed for FUT fans with the successful icons, which will make the hearts of many a football nostalgic beat faster. So: a clear recommendation to buy!
Buy the game individually
Game in a bundle with console & controller
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
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