Early EA Sports FC 25 Impressions

With the European seasons having kicked off, it’s that time of the year where we get our hands on EA’s newest footy game and see how it stacks up against the competition and past releases. The past few releases have really only competed against Madden and NBA 2K but with NCAA Football making a comeback, is EA FC 25 worthy of taking away time from those games? Well let’s find out with some very early impressions.

What I Like

Graphics & Presentation

Maxed out on full settings, EA FC 25 is a beautiful game. The stadiums, players, kits, and the like look as good as they ever have, a testament to the power of current-gen consoles and gaming PCs alike. On Broadcast camera settings, you really get to see the detail up close, and for those fortunate enough to play on gaming monitors, the game’s visuals really shine. Also stellar is the presentation and the return of full match intros, something that was mysteriously dropped from EA FC 24. While at some point they might get repetitive and therefore skipped, for now it’s nice to sit back and enjoy a little pre-match hype.

More Physicality

A lot has been made of EA’s HyperMotion and the supposed authenticity it will bring to the game but I have to give credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to the physicality off the ball. While the on-the-ball physicality could still use some enhancement, off-the-ball you can see some of the tussling and jockeying for position, especially when the ball is in the air. Goal kicks bring out some excellent animations, with CBs climbing on the backs of attackers and wrestling for position.

Gameplay Is Slower…For Now

Enjoy it while you can because we know the EA patches are coming, but for now the gameplay is as slow at it’s going to be. It’s nowhere close to being perfect or uber realistic but it’s as good as we’re going to get with this game, especially on Simulation mode.

Keepers Much Improved

For years now, keepers have been one of my biggest gripes in this series. Above all things, they single-handedly ruined my enjoyment for EA Sports FC 24. They were comically bad and error prone, letting in the softest of shots especially at their near post where keepers should never get beat. So far in my time with EA FC 25, I haven’t seen too many shots that I think they should be absolutely saving nor do I see them pulling off saves when the ball has passed them. Things could change in this department with patches, but for now they’re much improved.

What I Don’t Like

Midfield, Midfield, Where Art Thou Midfield?

Every year it’s the same old thing with FIFA/EA FC when it comes to how matches play out and that’s largely due to the fact that there’s no true midfield. Most of the action starts with you picking up the ball with your defenders and in one or two passes the ball is at the feet of an attacker in a dangerous area of the pitch. I can’t quite pinpoint what the exact reason for this is. Is the pitch too big? Are the tactics setup to encourage end-to-end action? Is there not enough pressure on the ball? Is it a combination of all these factors…Probably so.

Centerback Positioning

Between the lack of midfield and center backs being absolutely head empty at times, the outcome is the same and one that leads to basketball matches on a football pitch. Perhaps I need more time with the new tactics and player roles, but should I really have to in order for my center backs to defend with basic principles? Do I really need to tell professional footballers to not drop too deep into my own box and allow an attacker to receive the ball on the edge of the box with enough time to turn? Do I need to mess with tactics to tell my AI center backs that they shouldn’t be taking atrocious angles when closing down? It seems as if EA’s counter to poor center back play is to have them block every shot in sight.

Misplaced Passes – Unforced Errors

It seems very random but the amount of unforced errors in the passing game is a tad more obvious this year. Unintended passes to the wrong teammate when you’re clearly aiming for another teammate are very off-putting and frustrating as often it leads to your attacks breaking down and your defense immediately being on the back-foot attempting to stop a dangerous counterattack.

Simulation Mode Letdown

Back in the summer, I was on record for being very excited about the concept of Simulation mode and how it would affect EA FC 25. Fast forward to now and I’ve quickly realized that it’s basically just a pre-programmed set of sliders and not an actual change in AI. When it comes to sliders, OS has their own slider guru, Matt10, so there’s really no need to use anything other than the Community Sliders.

Legendary Mode Broken

Unfortunately I’m at a place where World Class difficulty is too easy but Legendary is a complete and utter disaster. Instead of correlating AI intelligence with increased difficulty levels, EA has dumbed down the AI on Legendary mode to a point where it’s not even remotely fun. Manageable scorelines like 2-1 on World Class quickly give way to outlandish 7-4 scorelines on Legendary, even when using the same half lengths. Furthermore, Legendary status brings out some of the trickster nonsense from AI players, making the game not only play poorly but also look ridiculous.

Bottom Line

Look, it’s still early and I’m just getting a grip on some of the new features and mechanics, but there’s an uneasy feeling in my stomach with EA Sports FC 25. There’s some potential here with improved animations and a slew of new tactical features to toy with, but I just can’t escape the feeling that the folks in charge of gameplay tweaks will listen to the wrong people, and as a result the tweaks we’ll ultimately see throughout the year will make the game worse for simulation players. I truly hope I’m wrong in this regard but history is always the best teacher. Stay tuned for a deeper game review to come.