FIFA 15 Review

FIFA 15 REVIEW

The EA Sport football simulator game has proven to be one of EA's best ever games. It is rated a PEGI 3. Its graphics are so good that one could mistake that it is a real  match.  And as for the players, Their faces are much more expressive and EA claim that there are 600 emotional reactions that could potentially be seen during the game; players from opposing teams push, shove and bark at each other after having engaged in a series of aggressive physical battles over the course of the match. Strikers look pleased with themselves after scoring a belter and assistant referees … twitch their noses when making an offside call. These tiny details that add layers of realism to the most realistic football sim on the planet.

Blades of grass (and, if it’s raining, water) go flying into the air in slow motion when the ball is struck during replays, the pitch develops physical signs of wear and tear over the course of the match, shirts are visibly pulled by defenders chasing a zippy winger.

The game now has disallowed goals, rather than laser-accurate robotic linesmen that will instantly stop play for offside the moment the ball goes anywhere near an offending player. That rollercoaster of jubilation followed by disappointment when your team is stripped of a winning goal in the dying moments of injury time is, to borrow a phrase from EA Sports, “in the game”.

Also in the game are fully licensed stadiums for every team in the Premiership. As well as looking the part, real fan chants have been recorded, and crowds have been given custom behaviours based on the team. You probably won’t make it through a match at Anfield without a chorus of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, and commentators notice and remark on Manchester City’s supporters doing the Poznan.Nothing has been left un-animated in FIFA 15. Substitutes celebrate from the bench when their teams score – sometimes the camera even cuts to a close up of a major player on the sidelines, while there are 10-man goal celebrations on the pitch. Ball boys supply players with another ball when one has gone out of bounds, and corner flags bend when pushed against.