EA Sports FC 24 marks the beginning of a new era. Gone are the days of FIFA—for good or bad. There are pros and cons to that, but the era of EA FC is upon us. Thanks to early access, gamers across the world are diving into a brand-new football simulator. Has Electronic Arts succeeded in its lofty endeavor to rebrand and revitalize this game?
EA Sports FC 24 Gameplay
What’s most exciting about EA Sports FC 24, which features Manchester City star Erling Haaland on the cover, is what it represents for the future. Going from FIFA 23 to FC 24 feels like a marked improvement. They don’t feel like the same game at all, and that’s largely thanks to HyperMotion V. HyperMotion V is the third version of EA’s motion capture technology they used in FIFA games.
The “V” represents volumetric since they are now using volumetric data from footage of more than 180 pro matches. The in-game feel reflects that, and it’s made all the difference in the world for the new release. Movements on the pitch are not awkward thanks to HyperMotionV technology. They still occur in a video game, so it’s not perfect. It’s still really good, though. We particularly like the fact that all players, not just the one you control, are realistic and move about the pitch like a person, not a robot.
Certain parts of the game shine in this department. Tackling is realistic and there’s an added emphasis on aim when shooting. These two things especially make for a video game that’s surprisingly accurate to the real-world sport it emulates.
When I played the game, the positioning of CPU players stood out. No matter who I switched on to when playing as a full squad, they were in the right position. The transition was also pretty seamless in comparison to old games of the same title.
EA Sports FC 24 FUT
FUT, which now stands for FC Ultimate Team, is always a safe, reliable mode for EA Sports. It’s arguably their biggest, and there’s a dedication behind it that reflects that. It’s early, so there aren’t a lot of cards available. However, FUT is once again a reliable card-collecting mode that has few rivals in this industry. In this mode, players collect cards out of packs to build the best possible lineup. You can get players from all over the world and build chemistry, which comes when players are on the same team or from the same country.
The addition of female players is long overdue. Some of the best players in the world play women’s soccer, like Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr, or Alex Morgan, so their exclusion was an oversight. It was an entire half of the world’s game, and it was missing. Fortunately, that’s been corrected and FUT is more accurate and deep than ever before. We’re enjoying the fact that you can recreate the United States Women’s National Team or the World Cup-winning Spanish squad in Ultimate Team.
The early stages for these game modes are always harder to get into since there just aren’t many sets or cards. As the season continues, the pace picks up and it gets better and better. Being there at the beginning means you stand to reap the most rewards, which is a vital fact of card-collecting modes. Still, it’s harder to get into right now on the September launch.
EA Sports FC 24 Career Mode
Career Mode is excellent. Fans of the game mode will once again have a reliably fun time piloting their club to victory or joining as a player and ascending the ranks. A small, inconsequential change to this is also really nice: the main menu now has Player Career Mode and Manager Career Mode separate.
The dedication to providing a realistic career experience has always been evident, and that remains true in FC 24’s two career modes. We particularly enjoy the off-field activities you can do as a player, providing a well-rounded experience that doesn’t get bogged down in the minutiae.
There’s also plenty to do no matter if you’re a player or a manager. You can change the stadium, edit your kits, edit your tactical vision, and so much more. We enjoy the stadium and kit creation that allows you to completely revamp a club if you so desire. That goes alongside the general player addition, coach management, training, and more. It’s a detailed mode that will keep players around.
New playstyles, a plethora of shots to take, and more allow for variety. This keeps your player career fresh as you grind to improve your overall rating. The only downside is that Career Mode hasn’t seen any major changes.
The gameplay has been altered with new technology, but what you can do has largely remained the same from previous iterations. Still, it’s deliriously fun to work your way up to the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and others and win Ballon d’Or in a true-to-football experience.
When I played, I particularly enjoyed the revised career goals section because it’s easier to get to a team you have in mind. If you start on a smaller club, you know exactly what you need to do to land on your eventual desired team.
EA Sports FC 24 Interface
Speaking of the main menu, it’s been overhauled in FC 24. FIFA had a predictable menu layout. This one is very different, which signifies that a new era is beginning. It’s a great layout, and everything runs smoothly. There are no pages on the main menu. Rather, all items are there in a list and you can come and go from there.
It features smooth transitions. These things don’t truly impact the enjoyment of a game, but they can be distractingly bad. Laggy menus, delayed inputs, poor transitions, and other issues of the sort can deter players from returning. That won’t be the case with EA FC 24.
EA Sports FC 24 is a bold new vision for the franchise, brought upon by their license issues with FIFA. It may have been a forced change, but it seems to have been for the better. There’s no telling what FIFA 24 would have looked like, but FC 24 is an exciting new start.
Check out Videogamer’s FC24 best formations guide, before you get started.
