As always, FIFA’s greatest strength is its accessibility. Even if you don’t know the first thing about soccer, it's remarkably easy to learn the basics thanks to the Skill Games that pop up during the loading screens and the tutorials. The Men in Blazers podcast likes to call FIFA the “secret hand behind soccer’s growth in America” in the way that it can take a total newcomer and make them fall in love with the sport. I know that's been the case for me - I didn’t know the first thing about soccer when I picked up FIFA 10, but now I have season ticket to the San Jose Earthquakes. FIFA is infectious like that. 

 

This year’s FIFA adds what the developers are calling the living pitch, a first for the franchise and a subtle element that goes a long way towards reinforcing the realism of play. As the name suggests, the living pitch reacts to the incidental wear and tear that comes from a 90-minute match. Slide across the pitch at a sprinting defender, for example, and a long crease will appear in the player’s wake. And by the end of play, the field will actually look like a real game has been played on it. It’s such a tiny detail, but one that will make gamers stop and marvel at just how good this game looks.

 

Similarly, the player models have been further upgraded for next-gen. Players’ jerseys flow as if they are made of real fabric, and the facial detail is staggering. More importantly, player animations have been tweaked to look more realistic in jog or sprint, and most of the awkward collisions have been traded for contextual tackles that mimic real life. EA Sports has also introduced a new dribbling system that gives greater control to gamers. In past years, dribbling at a full sprint has been a hit-or-miss proposition, but FIFA 15’s new system keeps players’ touches under control. There are still a few awkward cuts here and there, but for the most part players animations blend together better than ever.

 

FIFA release has a golden opportunity. This is the first that’s launching on the same day for all platforms, including the new consoles with their greatly improved processors and memory. Long time FIFA fans might reasonably hope for a revolution in gameplay similar to the move from FIFA 8 to FIFA 9. So does the new game tweak and tinker, like a mid-table manager masterminding a drive for European qualification? Does it sink those hugely improved resources into a run at the title like a perennial under-achiever with a new oil-rich owner? Is it like Everton or Chelsea? Southampton or Manchester City?

 

The thing is that Ultimate Team really isn’t that bad. The monetization really isn’t that bad as there are ways to get a lot of free currency and card packs. And the mode itself is compelling in its own way. Building and managing different squads, while I don’t really understand things like formations all that well, I understand them more. The transfer market is interesting to play with, as you can profit from it, and it’s hard to just get more money. You can buy more card packs and get cards that way, and then sell those and maybe even profit, but that's just playing the game, really. You just pay to play more, I suppose.

 

When you load the game up you can immediately see the improvements made from the last addition of FIFA because the introduction has more wow factor, the menus (albeit based on FIFA 14’s) are slicker, and there’s even a news feature that gets updated for your preferred team. I was blown away before I even kicked a ball. Though, after flicking through the menus for a while to see what goodies EA had in store for this year, I decide to play a few Online games - nothing teaches you the game quicker than playing someone else online and I instantly found the passing way more precise than previously. Additionally the shooting is a lot harder and the goal keeping is a lot better - I noticed this despite the first goal I conceded was complete fluke air shot that just managed to dip under the cross bar at the very last second.