I buy Fifa annually, as with many I played PES back in the PS2 era and then gave up on Footie games completely until Fifa 12 and the fantastic inclusion of tactical defending. It was beautiful, added enjoyment to both sides of the ball, and brought in a new level of simulation.
Since 12 though, I have never had that same sense of Awe. Year after year the game still is pushed by arcadey gameplay, most prominently the Pace. Many factors were overlooked. Threw ball accuracy with the defenses inability to retreat and cover, players such as Ranaldo sprinting 75 yards down the pitch shrugging off or warping through a user controlled player while AI players at times appeared to be running for their lives or getting out of the way, Or in years past the laser beam crosses to impossible headers happening continuously. All leading to a game played by most users with little strategy. Yet year after year I watched these games receive high acclimation and review scores scoring 9's and 8's. It was as if the reviewers just looked at new animations or Ranaldo scans and didn't worry about a simulation game recreating the sport.
Now we come to Fifa 16. For the first time in years I am in awe. This game is such a drastic change in gameplay it is astonishing. The controls are the same, it looks the same, but when playing it, it is a whole different beast and represents the sport better then ever before. It is now such a rewarding game instead of a frustrating one. And for the first time ever it forces you to be patient, think about your options and find seems and strategies to attack. Yet all the review scores I see popping up around the net are down from 9's and 8's to 8's and 7's. Now I am not saying that to someone this game isn't an 8 or even a 7 but when certain sites give the last couple iterations a 9 and this one drops down into the 7's then it is huge flag to the actual knowledge these reviewers have of the sport and what it is supposed to recreate.
I fear that these scores along with the EA ***** bandwagon jumping individuals influence gameplay. What is a rewarding experience now might quickly be tuned for a more simplistic approach and we will be left yet again with an arcade game instead of a simulation.
Since 12 though, I have never had that same sense of Awe. Year after year the game still is pushed by arcadey gameplay, most prominently the Pace. Many factors were overlooked. Threw ball accuracy with the defenses inability to retreat and cover, players such as Ranaldo sprinting 75 yards down the pitch shrugging off or warping through a user controlled player while AI players at times appeared to be running for their lives or getting out of the way, Or in years past the laser beam crosses to impossible headers happening continuously. All leading to a game played by most users with little strategy. Yet year after year I watched these games receive high acclimation and review scores scoring 9's and 8's. It was as if the reviewers just looked at new animations or Ranaldo scans and didn't worry about a simulation game recreating the sport.
Now we come to Fifa 16. For the first time in years I am in awe. This game is such a drastic change in gameplay it is astonishing. The controls are the same, it looks the same, but when playing it, it is a whole different beast and represents the sport better then ever before. It is now such a rewarding game instead of a frustrating one. And for the first time ever it forces you to be patient, think about your options and find seems and strategies to attack. Yet all the review scores I see popping up around the net are down from 9's and 8's to 8's and 7's. Now I am not saying that to someone this game isn't an 8 or even a 7 but when certain sites give the last couple iterations a 9 and this one drops down into the 7's then it is huge flag to the actual knowledge these reviewers have of the sport and what it is supposed to recreate.
I fear that these scores along with the EA ***** bandwagon jumping individuals influence gameplay. What is a rewarding experience now might quickly be tuned for a more simplistic approach and we will be left yet again with an arcade game instead of a simulation.
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Objective? No. There should be a disclaimer: "I love PES, and have waited for four years to say "We're back!" I finally downloaded the PES demo, and I'm gonna buy it. It's actually decent looking on my rig. And plays well. But it's not the be all and end all he's making it out to be. Menus are ugly. Player models are all a tad on the chunky side. And the goalies move like they are as fat as they look. 
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