If you're a FIFA fan, then today is a very exciting day. E3 has kicked off in LA and we have now seen what EA Sports are promising for the upcoming release of FIFA 16.
Let's start with the trailer, the new tagline for the game is "Play Beautiful" and the official trailer shows some of the new player faces and some of the biggest moments from last season such as Diego Costa and Jordan Henderson gesturing like their about to have a fight on the dance floor on a night out:
Not much that we didn't already know from there, let's dive deeper into the presentation.
FIFA Trainer
Reach your potential with FIFA Trainer. Learn as you play with an optional graphic overlay that prompts you with gameplay options depending on your position on the pitch and trainer level. Basic commands get you started, while deeper hints will improve the game of the most skilled players.
This sounds very cool if you're crap at FIFA.
No Touch Dribbling
The best touch can be the one you don't take. Free yourself from the ball to buy time, create separation, feint, and blow by your defender just as Messi does when he is at his best – it’s near limitless creativity on the ball.
That sounds nice, but really it's the type of thing that gets promised every year, so you'll forgive us for not getting our hopes up.
Interception Intellegence
Players anticipate passes and move to shut down options and close passing channels. Smarter teammates will look for space and allow more opportunities to build play through the midfield.
Ok this was seriously needed, lets hope it's a big improvement.
Control In Midfield
Games are won and lost in the midfield - in FIFA 16, the midfield matters. Stay in possession with patient build-up play or ping clinical passes through space to start an attack.
We can dream, but again we'll believe that when we see it.
New Tackling Fundamentals
Get stuck in and win back the ball with new tackling mechanics and animations. All new slide, standing, and fake tackles make going in for the ball responsive, rewarding, and fun!
Fake tackles? Not sure how that's going to work.
The Verdict
Look, every year EA Sports promise the World. Remember last year when they revolutionised goalkeeping, only for it to go on to be the worst goalkeeping in years?
It's hard to get excited from press releases without any actual gameplay footage, but even still, that was a rather uninspiring presentation.
There was nothing about Career Mode, EA Sports' bastard child that they seem to wish they could just take out of the game, and that is majorly disappointing. Let's hope they have a special reveal dedicated to Career Mode.
All in all, unimpressive, it's really cool that you got Pele to show up and say why he loves football, but we tuned in to find out why we should pay full price for another FIFA game, and we certainly were not told that today.
