In the newest version of EA’s FIFA series, the developer seems to have focused on expanding the VOLTA (street football) feature, layering the career mode, and introducing some new gameplay concepts.
I received a review code for FIFA 21 over a week ago, which has given me ample time to evaluate EA’s latest release.
Here is the good, the bad, and the bottom line with FIFA 21.
The Good
There are some legacy strengths that shouldn’t be taken for granted such as the plethora of official licenses that permeate set the series apart from its competitor PES, the skills trainer, and audio presentation are other examples of consistent strengths.
I won’t have specific sections for those, but I’d be remiss to leave them without mention.
- The Player Renders are Strong
While it’s not a gross improvement over previous versions of the game, there are some reconfigured heads in the game that will make you stop and admire the work from EA’s art team.
FIFA 21
The bar is set high for next-gen to push past these visuals.
- Fluidity in Traditional Gameplay
There is a noticeable improvement in the flow of action in almost every aspect of 11-on-11 gameplay. The runs look and feel better, as does passing, tackles and contests for the ball. From a pure gameplay standpoint, this year’s game is one of the best since FIFA 17, which had the strongest gameplay of any release in the series over the past 10 years.
- Passing Precision
There is a lot to like about the passing mechanics in the game, but I would argue the improvements to passing stand out the most. The Direct Passing comes in handy, and feels a lot like Playmaker control in Madden. You flick the analog stick to send a teammate in a direction and you can deliver accurate passes to the open player for scoring opportunities.
There were times this led to offsides infractions, but when executed properly, it’s a gem.
- Commentary and In-Season Presentation Remain Strong
FIFA has been climbing the sports video games presentation ladder over the past few years. Small things like league updates and pop-ins during your English Premier League campaigns, and the easily distinguished pageantry and overlays in UEFA really go a long way in making matches feel like major events.
This is an element Madden is grossly in need of, especially in its franchise mode.
- Career Mode Player Development
From a player development standpoint, the pointed progression system in FIFA is the best I’ve seen in a sports game since earlier versions of NCAA Football. In those games, you could work to change a player’s position if they were classified as an athlete once you recruited them, but had standout skills in certain areas.
In FIFA 21, you can push and develop players to play other positions. This is important if you have an aging player or someone you may be in danger of losing to another club, and you’re bracing yourself for their departure.
Between the licensed league presentation and the player development, we’re looking at the two best aspects of the career mode.
- Interactive Match Sim
FIFA doesn’t have a traditional franchise mode, but adding in the ability to hop in and out of simmed matches in Career Mode brings in an element that is missing. This feature is similar to the Play the Moments option in Madden and Critical Situations in MLB The Show. It works pretty nicely for a world football game too as you can be thrown into a penalty kick scenario, or faced with jump-starting a comeback.
- VOLTA Expands to Online Co-Op
I don’t love VOLTA overall, but the idea to expand it to online co-op is a good one. When you’re playing a game with so few players per side, it seems to beg for online co-op. Thankfully, EA is delivering this option for the demographic that has taken to VOLTA.
- FUT Has a Multitude of Options
Whether you’re a FIFA Ultimate Team fan or not, you have to marvel at all of the ways to play the mode this year. EA has delivered a multitude of options including online co-op events with weekly rewards, and the FUT Stadium looks fantastic. It doesn’t completely scratch the itch on that aspect of the mode, but it’s still an addition to one of the more enjoyable collector modes.
The Bad
- Animations in Volta Aren’t as Strong
EA has pushed VOLTA hard over the past two years, and while the smaller grounds and more likely ball can make for some exciting moments, I’m a little put off by what appears to be less fluid animations, and player models that react more stiffly. Again, I don’t love VOLTA, but for what it is designed to be, you’d expect for this mode to flow as much as any in the game.
- Lack of Customization
I ding FIFA for this every year, and it seems to be a philosophical approach with EA games. You’re not allowed to customize Ultimate Team kits as much as you can in other games, and even worse, the Career Mode is made more bland because of the inability to create clubs, leagues, etc.
- No EPL or La Liga Franchise Mode
Obviously, world football functions differently than the NBA, MLB and NFL, but there is more that can be done when it comes to FIFA on this front. How great would it be if you could play through an EPL or La Liga campaign with friend.
The Bottom Line
FIFA 21 delivers most of what I’m looking for in a world football title, which tends to be the story every year. It features solid-to-strong gameplay, attractive visuals, and a good variety of options. However, flawed execution in VOLTA, a lack of customization and no traditional franchise mode for EPL or La Liga keeps it from being a classic.
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC
- Developer: EA
- Publisher: EA
- Released: October 6
- Price: $59.99 for Standard Edition, Champions Edition $79.99, and the Ultimate Edition is $99.99
- Review Score: 8.25 out of 10
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