The improved gameplay is FIFA 15’s most notable distinction. Conversely, the career mode has seen only small organizational improvements. The ability to set instructions for individual players (like telling a back to always overlap his runs) is great, but in general the career mode hasn’t changed enough. Fatigue still isn’t a factor (and there’s no reserve system), international management has stagnated, and while more players are uncovered by your scouts, the transfer network still goes inexplicably dark at times. For a game that has such strong online modes, the lack of an online franchise mode is also surprising.

 

A revamped career mode in FIFA 15 is preferable, but there is so much cumulative meat in the modes that you have plenty of flavors to feast on. The addition of friendly seasons (where you can compete against a friend to see who wins a 10-match mini season) to both the Ultimate Team and Seasons modes adds more riches. Tournaments are back, and Pro Clubs gets a boost with more effective A.I. teammates. FIFA 15 Ultimate Team also adds loan players and the ability to prep speculative dream teams from the transfer market, but I’d like them to adopt the unified deck structure like Madden.

 

Even the teams in FIFA 15 adjust to the strength of your team and your play-style. Playing bottom of the league or an inferior opponent, don’t expect them to have three up front trying to smash the goals in. Instead, expect them to park the bus and look to hit you on the counter. It’s actually rather great trying to break down teams when they stick 11 men behind the ball.

 

From a gameplay perspective though, what’s new? Well, for starters you can now skip those annoying waits in play while your player faffs around trying to get the ball from out of row Z. However, they’ve replaced some of those agonizing moments with various unskippable cinematics at times - obviously masking some loading times - which are just as annoying. Another cool thing about FIFA 15 Ultimate Mode is that it’s hard to stay with the same squad. Players get injured and have contracts. You won't be able to use them unless after they heal or you extend their contracts. You can use consumables to heal injuries or add more games to the players’ contracts.

 

FIFA 15 Ultimate Team expands outside of your Xbox One. You can buy, sell, trade and manage your team through the web and companion apps on mobile devices. The FIFA Companion app has been available for a while on Windows Phone, but it has been updated to complement the latest version of the game. One thing you should note is that the Transfer Market where you buy, sell, and trade players has been mostly down outside of the Xbox One since the game’s release. It has recently come back online, but we don't know if it's going to be stable from now on. The supremely popular FIFA 15 Ultimate Team mode shares this highlight reel feel, with star players now available on short loan periods for those times when you can't afford to purchase them outright. Rather than grind out those tough early victories using your team of journeyman footballers, you can now just loan the likes of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, immediately making you feel like the manager of a credible team.

 

Increasingly, however, FIFA 15 is all about online play, and it’s there that the focus on big shots and attacking football comes into its own. Scoring a sublime goal is all the more satisfying against a real human player, especially if that person is a friend you can taunt afterwards. The new consoles’ video sharing ability means you can also share the moment with everyone else that you know online, whether they're interested or not. After all, nothing makes you feel more like a star than sharing your game winning goals on your parents’ Facebook page. Players can expect all of the user-friendly game modes and mini games from FIFA’s past, along with new features and vast improvements to some historical weak spots. Ultimately, FIFA 15 succeeds in creating the ultimate experience for fans. Whether you want to manage a club to a Champions League Title, or have a 10 year career with a custom player, FIFA’s got it. FIFA 15 sets a high bar for sports games, and FIFA 16 will need to work twice as hard to clear it next year.