FIFA 20

FIFA 19 saw the conclusion to the Alex Hunter saga; one that sent him and his closest far and wide to progress careers and achieve their fever pitch dreams. The new featured mode is VOLTA. Meaning “return” in Portuguese, this portion is doing just that. While the height of EA Sports’ Street catalog had run its course by the crest of the 2010s, the publisher did kick the refresh button with 2012’s FIFA Street. More tempered from the outlandish, high flying Ronaldinho days, it highlighted free flowing offensive gameplay with just a touch of cartoon-y confection. VOLTA feels like ’12 Street with more flair, fluidity, and style!

Carrying over from the aforementioned predecessor, you’ll find smaller courts and nets with reduced rosters. Match type options include 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5 configurations. The former two have a Rush gear with no dedicated goalkeeper. So even the strikers are expected to “get back” on defense when the other peeps are on the charge. This task is made easier with the more lax rules of VOLTA. Penalties are few and far between. Not to fret, from what I’ve played the tackling mechanics are more focused on stealing the ball and not initiating super hard contact. There is also no offsides or stamina, so keep that sprint trigger pinned down! Hit up the Skills challenges to attain and perfect a practical understanding of character control and advantageous dribbling. You’ll find the usual templates for these mini games as well as some in theme like breaking warehouse windows with shot and pass attempts for points. The Futsal matches are 5-a-side with the referee’s whistle being more discriminant. And you’ll want to avoid getting too rough as six or more penalties in a half awards penalty kicks for each subsequent call. In terms of fun, the Rush matches are a cut above, especially on courts that feature walls. On these surfaces, the crossing pass mechanic can utilize the barrier, ricocheting the ball back into play and hopefully to the waiting boots of a teammate in scoring position. It’s in these kinds of moments that this alternative formula takes shape. Seeing and hearing the pill whip off the chain link then rocketing a nutmeg bicycle kick through the keeper into the back of the onion bag elicits the same response as heading a perfectly serviced corner in a proper 11-on-11 contest.

There are three levels to VOLTA, led by Story. Here you’ll create a character with options from body appearance/measurables and gender to tattoos, running style, and celebrations. To open, you’ll take part in a tryout match that sees you secure a roster spot. While participating in an early season world qualifying tournament, founder and captain Jayzinho goes down to a knee injury. This causes a majority of the team to actually and figuratively go for the exit. You and a couple of club stalwarts, including GK and defensive specialist Sydney, decide stick it out and rebuild one event at a time, keeping the international crown dream alive! From L.A. to Tokyo, Rome to Rio, and everywhere in between, Story’s progression will have you racking up those frequent flyer miles. Tournaments vary in length and rule sets, so make sure to set your lineups for all possible arrangements. Squad management allows you to set club name, crest, formations, and more. When selecting starters, be mindful of Chemistry. This salient FIFA system is applicable here, factoring for chosen position, favorable formation, and hometown. Per usual, better the chem, the better the cohesion. And with space and pace being key to effectiveness, reliable passing is of the upmost importance.

To the victor go the VOLTA spoils. Get the win and snag currency like trait points and coins. Use the points to upgrade your player attributes; trade in coins for unlocking drip from head to toe. These items can also be applied to teammates. Top tip: try going with some sort of consistent kit color scheme but set unique outfits so you may better identify who’s who. The second avenue of choice is League. Take your team online and go to battle against the world. Last is Tour, an offline a la carte of events that become more numerous in number with Story progress. One simple, but much appreciated option is the ability for local co-op. The wild and free nature of this soccer expression is perfect for teaming up on the same screen and losing track of time. I was a fan of ’12 Street, but I might be an even bigger fan of this inspired component of 20.

Staying on the long haul train, the dichotomy of Career is back with some new intricacies. Within the Manager template, chose a club to pilot then prep for your rookie season. Select parameters to adjust the administrative and participation duties like toggling the transfer window or being apart of European comps. You’ll be met with board expectations, reflecting what is important to the organization. Items like brand exposure, domestic and continental success, youth development, financials, et cetera are scaled to spotlight necessary growth. Before hitting the pitch, make sure to run through the roster’s form and function. Double check lineups and formations to make sure there’s not starters you’d rather see riding pine. Accorded your chosen Starting XI, it might help to adjust specific instructions to key positions like having a midfielder join attacks more often than setting back. Game Plans offers options to change strategies on-the-fly when tilting the tempo defensive or offensive; a simple tap of the D-pad right or left during play initiates said shifts. New to 20 are press conferences. Respond to inquiries among a few possible answers to cause effects such as pepping up the boys before a big game or calming an individual guy after a notable performance. Your blurbs go in concert with morale. Measured for the entire squad and each contributor, the current state of mind is illustrated from green to red. Playing time, wages, 1-on-1 conversations, and more stake a claim to this consideration. The better the feels, the better the play. If all these responsibilities seems a bit much, try Player. Create-a-character or select a current pro to navigate. On this path you’re tasked with accomplishing objectives. These are set by the boss and include emphasized stats dependent on your position like passing percentage from a forward spot. Take note of the plus and minuses from manager feedback to protect that all important match rating. Fortunately, it seems, your comrades make it a point to keep you involved with a fair share of chances.

Per usual, online brings the noise and is led by Ultimate Team. For those not familiar, FUT works on a training card system of sorts. Items from players to stadiums to kits and “consumables” like contracts are unlocked by way of opening packs or trading for them on the marketplace. Currency comes in the form of in-game earned Coins or micro purchased Points. Since its inception, FUT has added activities like Team of the Week, which allows you to play a different EA curated gang for choice rewards. In 20, you’ll get started much the same as in past FIFAs. Pick a Nation pack to fill up the roster with dudes from the same country of assorted bronze, silver, and gold distinction. This helps establish an early mark of decent Chem to have some cohesion going into tournaments and matches.  Chemistry variables include position, league, and club. The stronger those links between players are, the better they’ll execute those “finer points.” And adjusting your squad is easier than ever with encompassing management tools that combine the Active Squad menu with quick access to the Club card collection and transfer market. Select a card and simply tap RB to display said options. The Objectives system has been a FUT hit; 20 acknowledges this by expanding the palette. Foundation objectives lean towards initial trials, like experimenting with all silver cards as a team building exercise. Milestones track the long game and take an intended effort as they stretch beyond a single season. Another addition is Friendlies. Keeping with the theme of fun this edition appears to be touting, these exhibitions don’t tax fitness or contracts, affording a superb way to test potential lineups and formations without having to wager economy. House Rules offer a handful of selections with various twists. There is a traditional 11v11 option, but things go full party game mode otherwise. Mystery Ball affords power-ups to those in possession of the object that refresh after each break in play. The menu includes surprises like speed boost, increased dribbling, and better shooting. Also a ball might be subject to a goal multiplier, which can turn the match tide in a snap! Another is King of the Hill. Maintain ball control within a designated area of the pitch to increase the value of your next goal. The space is relatively small, so you’ll have to utilize new gameplay touches like straffe dribbling to fend off steal attempts. For outright insanity, fire up No Rules, which takes out the whistle entirely. Recklessly slide tackle to your heart’s content and cherry pick against net with no offsides. All this can be done with up to four locally under PvP or co-op conditions.

Another Internet connection staple is Pro Clubs. Make a bespoke footballer, build a club, and team up with friends against the rest of the Clubs community. Games are gathered in short run seasons with promotion and relegation on the line. Move up the ladder from Division 10 to 1 for better, more capable AI. As you accumulate contests, you’ll be offered points to unlock upgrades. This year, a potentially positive change is afoot. For the past few entries, a regularly adopted Pro Clubs “cheese” would be to max out pace and stamina. The eventuality of this “second wind” strat would be forwards playing wildly out of position, but still being a viable scoring threat in late minutes as they wouldn’t suffer from crippling fatigue. EA has said with 20, heavily leaning those two areas alone will reduce other attributes if not accordingly managed. Speaking personally, the described scenario has taken a large portion of interest away from PC for me and my LIVE buddies. Time will tell if the adjustments create the intended correction, but here’s hoping. Don’t sleep on Seasons/Co-op Seasons and Friendlies, either. Sometimes it’s a welcome change of pace to throw in a casual contest here and there from the FUT and Pro Club’s grinds, so I’m glad EA still values these options with routine inclusion.

Getting back to local land, the second year for Europe’s grandest stage is front and center. UEFA Champions and Europa League titles are back “in the game” from the publishing giant’s acquisition of the license. While these two cups have a presence in Career, you can also just spin up a stand alone UCL campaign. Select one or more clubs from the random group draw and go for the heralded continental prize. That patented UEFA pomp and circumstance is observable again, conveying inimitable regale and panache. If you find that your abilities are stale or not up to the task for the difficulty level with which you’re striving, there’s no shame in doing play now matches and taking in Skills games. Although the latter’s top level challenges can be maddeningly frustrating, they are the best way to hone and tone the dexterous muscle memory necessary in pressure packed moments.

Character control seems to have changed year-on-year from 19 to 20 more so than in recent memory, which is a good thing. Movement feels really responsive and smooth, allowing for increased freedom of direction. It’s also more proportional to input, allowing for more agency in pitch position. This flows in tandem with revamped aesthetics. Dribbles, runs, and collisions look more natural and reactive. I found myself not “locked in” to animations as often compared to the past few entries. Speaking of sights (and sounds), the presentation package is still top shelf. The world’s best are starkly recognizable. Neymar, Ronaldo, De Bruyne, van Dijk, and others look a polygonal spitting image. Stadium renders are pristine and atmospheres are super hyped during dramatic events. As with 19, two commentary teams anchor the soundtrack booth. Vets Martin Tyler and Alan Smith share duties with the sophomore pairing of Derek Rae and Lee Dixon across the various leagues and tournaments.

Sports games have a rough road in this era of digital distribution. Outside of the obligatory roster update, an annual $60 ask on a relatively fixed formula of “sim” is a tough sell. I think it’s critical that publishers and studios offer more than just tweaks to gameplay and new lines of dialogue. EA Vancouver and Romania have done quite a bit in that effort this season. VOLTA is an adept component with surprising depth. Yes, it is ostensibly inspired by 2012 Street and borrows heavily from its bag of toe flicking tricks. But the iteration isn’t chintzy. It’s implementation isn’t some hasty, tacked-on remastering. The mode is fleshed out, thought out, and plays out effectively. It also seems to set an influential tone of fun across the 20 landscape. This is the most enjoyment I’ve had kicking it around on the FIFA pitch since 2015 and should be this addition’s memorable stroke.