It was pretty one-note.įIFA 18's passing feels more effective and thus more satisfying. A counter-attacking style, fuelled by the frustratingly effective AI defending, ended up being the defacto way to play. In previous versions, pace and strength were overpowered and so Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in tow, would be the go-to team. You end up pinging the ball about like you're playing a pinball machine. My favourite is the threaded through ball (right bumper and through ball), which is great for passing a ball into the channel for an inside forward or even a central striker to chase.įIFA 18 is at its best when you up the passing tempo and start to think a pass ahead. Through balls have been given a boost, too. And the normal cross has just a bit more swaz on it. Hold the right bumper and press cross to trigger a rapid cross, which is great for Gary Lineker slide ins. Holding the left bumper and pressing cross does a lofted cross, which is good if you're aiming for a big striker. Speaking of crossing, EA's changed the way it works to give you more immediately accessible options. Quick and accurate passing is the name of the game, and crossing is most definitely back in business. It feels like rather than nerf pace and strength, the developers have made other attributes more effective. It feels like long shots have been given a little tickle, and are now more likely to top bins.ĮA Sports has done well to better balance the attributes of players for FIFA 18. This higher, more looping lofted pass is great for hitting a ball up to a striker, drawing a defender in for an aerial challenge and thus creating space behind for a runner to potentially get into the box. The pinged lob pass (left bumper and lofted pass) is another super effective new pass that helps create goalscoring opportunities. When you blast a driven pass to your teammate who's only 10 or so yards from you, you expect it to bounce off him (and to get an angry look), but he'll probably control it. It's great for getting the ball where you need it to be right now, and it looks great on screen, but it sometimes feels a little silly because players - even mediocre ones - more often than not perfectly control this driven pass. This pass is a kind of Steven Gerrard ping, a fast and low bullet that shoots straight for its target.
It's a more fluid game bolstered by a raft of new animations.Ī lot of this more fluid feel has to do with the increased effectiveness of one-touch passing and the driven pass (right bumper and the pass button).
But you can certainly zip the ball around the pitch faster, more accurately and with more variety. You still have that sometimes frustrating buffer between when you press a button and when the player on your telly actually does what you want. Now, I'm not saying FIFA 18 all of a sudden reacts to your inputs with the speed of a fighting game. Perhaps the most noticeable improvement is to responsiveness. For so many - myself included - gameplay is king, and after FIFA 17's well-documented problems, it's fantastic to find EA Sports has spent most of its time sorting out the on-pitch action. But it's an unspectacular upgrade.įor many fans, this will be fine. FIFA 18 is better than FIFA 17, for sure. It's jam-packed with welcome gameplay improvements and clever new modes, but FIFA 18 is no revolution. Retail release 29th September 2017įIFA 18 is really good, but there's no headline-grabbing game-changer, no jaw-dropping new way to play, no superstar signing to get the heart racing.