PlayStation Magazine UK - 12.2019

083

REVIEW

INFO
FORMATPS4
ETAOUT NOW
PUBEA
DEVEA CANADA

FIFA 20

Five-a-side fun takes EA’s behemoth back to the future

S

eldom do you encounter the terms ‘EA’

and ‘fan service’ in the same sentence,

so it’s a surprise and a relief to say that

this year’s FIFA chiefly aims to address

long-standing community requests. Five-a-

side football returns via Volta mode, Ultimate

Team gets restructured, and the career mode

receives a coat of paint. So far, so promising.

While the now-defunct FIFA Street often felt

like an opportunist method of milking the series’

audience for a few extra quid, Volta’s integration

here is seamless and at times spectacular.

Offering three-, four- or five-a-side play across

eight varied arenas, its blend of absurd skill moves,

crazy scores, and uproariously daft celebrations

injects a sense of fun which FIFA has lacked

for much of this generation. Which is not to

say it’s failed from a sim standpoint: more that

sometimes you need some relief from Ultimate

Team’s competitiveness. Volta delivers it.

In fairness, FUT also feels more everyman-

friendly. While only diehards are likely to commit

30 games per weekend to FUT Champions, a new

‘Seasons’ structure means even casual players

benefit from dipping their toes into this oceanic

mode. Simply play the game

and you rack up XP which

is then translated into tiered

rewards – Eden Hazard on

loan, fresh packs, unique club

badges, and so on. Meta squads

still rule the roost, but not to

a degree that’s ruinous to the

novice player.

BEAT IT

The counterpoint long-standing

fans make is that this remains

a game where anyone can beat

anyone, although advances on

the pitch ensure that tactically

sound, skilful football is usually

rewarded. Influenced by Volta,

dribbling mechanics are more

tightly honed, so a deft change

of pace can prove as successful

as a preposterous right-stick

move. Forwards make riskier

runs in behind defences, and

shooting is more effective,

especially from tight angles.

Master the fundamentals and

you win more than you lose.

Welcome as fan-friendly

box-ticking is, the results

aren’t 100 per cent effective. I

mentioned career mode’s new

coat of paint: alas, it’s exactly

that, a minor redesign which

adds style but not a great deal

of substance. You get to edit

your manager’s appearance,

hold press conferences, and

attempt to boost player morale

via one-on-one conversations,

but under the hood it feels like

last year’s offering reskinned

• with one long-overdue yet
  well-implemented exception:
  dynamic player potential, where
  a youngster’s future ability can
  change depending on the game-
  time you give him. Neat.
  As most contemporaries gear
  down in readiness to go again
  on next-gen, the biggest sports
  game of all can’t be accused of
  playing conservatively. EA will
  always have vocal critics – but
  in FIFA 20, it’s produced a mix
  of the familiar and the fresh
  which holds its own against
  the PS4 elite.

UPPER VOLTA @BenjiWilson

VERDICT

Small-sided play adds a

sense of humour which

FIFA hasn’t had since... well,

since forever, actually.

An above-par upgrade for the

console’s best-selling sports

game, mostly driven by fan

feedback – with Volta mode

even better than anyone dared

expect. Ben Wilson

“A DEFT CHANGE OF PACE CAN

PROVE AS SUCCESSFUL AS

AN OTT RIGHT-STICK MOVE.”