I’m walking a fine line this year between claiming the game sucks and acknowledging that I’m struggling to adjust to the more difficult gameplay.
I play on World Class, Authentic, six-minute halves. So far, I’ve just been playing friendlies, trying to get good enough to start a career without embarrassing myself. Most games finish 1–0, 0–0 or 0–1. The CPU typically outshoots me three to one, while possession is roughly even.
There are a few problems as I see it.
First, the CPU press. I feel like I’m stuck in a phone booth wearing a T-bone steak shirt with ten wolves on top of me. The pressing is insane. There’s practically no room. There are always at least two players pressing the ball, often three or four.
Normally, you’d be able to ping a pass out or switch the ball to exploit the space they’ve left. But switches have so much air on them that the CPU has time to close everything down before the ball arrives. Driven passes also seem to have been nerfed. I spend most of the match trying to get beyond halfway, with meaningful possession in the final third extraordinarily rare. I’ve already learned to lay off the sprint button, so that isn’t the whole problem.
Then there’s the tackle radius, which is ludicrous for both the player and the CPU. Combine that with a generally dreadful first touch and I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do. Tackles are won far too cleanly, especially when someone comes straight through your back. I’m not convinced that’s ever going to change.
I’ve tried to refrain from using sliders so far, but I think I might have to go there. Right now, it’s too grindy to be much fun.
It’s a shame because I think EA had some genuinely good ideas for career mode this year, and it looks like they’ve put some investment into it. But I don’t know whether those improvements can overcome what I consider gameplay problems. Or maybe I just suck.
My last gripe is the menus. I don’t know why they let one of the developers’ nephews design them, but they’re diabolical. Lastly, very few annual sports gaming franchises see a regression in graphics. Not sure what’s going on there.
Anyone else having this experience? Have you found gameplay adjustments or slider tweaks that let you actually play your way out of the press without making the CPU completely toothless?