First thing to say is that Electronic Arts wants to consolidate the brand launched in 2023 with this FC 25. As everyone knows, this is the 2nd episode of this new license, since EA and FIFA divorced. A separation that was not done with a smile and from what I heard, it was a financial concern and the two parties did not agree on the distribution of the winnings to be able to continue together. Electronic Arts, which had the knowledge, therefore set up its FC sim with all the production baggage, while FIFA found a new partner to develop the reboot of the FIFA license. Rumors suggest that 2K Games is on the case, and when you see all the sports licenses they have in their catalog, there is a good chance that 2K won the jackpot…
One of the major additions in EA Sports FC 25 is FC IQ. Behind this code name lies a desire to revolutionize the tactical aspect of the game. The developers at EA Vancouver relied on the many captures made with HyperMotion technology to recover a whole bunch of data and allow players to implement strategies developed by the greatest coaches. Of course, you will have to spend sleepless nights on the game to properly measure the impact of FC IQ on the game with and without the ball, but overall, Electronic Arts has introduced around fifty roles for all positions. For example, an attacker can play as a false 9, be a fox in the box, or serve as a fixation point. The midfielder can be a box to box, or a pure No. 10 capable of making his teammates shine. As for the goalkeeper, there is the one who is content to stay on his line, and the one with a more modern profile, notably with ultra-precise restarts. Each role has both positive and negative aspects, which requires some thought to find a good balance. Also, it should be noted that some roles will not suit a particular player. For example, it would be a bad idea to play Bellingham as a second striker, or Müller as a playmaker.
IS ATTACK ALWAYS THE BEST DEFENSE?
Behind, there are the focuses that emphasize a particular characteristic in some way. For example, an attacker can very well focus only on the offensive phases and abandon the defensive tasks. The same goes for the full-backs who will never go up to provide a solution in front. There are also the midfielders who are constantly moving to find spaces. With these new tactical possibilities, there is no doubt that the developers hope to have found a weapon capable of meeting the expectations of players who criticize EA Sports FC (and before it FIFA) for being too focused on attack. By default, we find the same flaws as in the past, but it is true that after tinkering in the menus, certain behaviors avoid being cut in two behind.
These new tactical strategies are possible thanks to the HyperMotion technology that has reached maturity. It has been present since FIFA 22, and it allows developers to capture the actions performed by professional footballers during official 11-on-11 matches. Whether it’s contacts, controls, strikes, runs, celebrations, intensity, or combinations, everything is transcribed with unstoppable authenticity. In total, more than 1.2 billion images were analyzed by the algorithm in order to add a whole bunch of new animations. Although it still lacks a little impact for our taste, the management of contacts is more refined than in FC 24. Once the player has passed the shoulder or placed an acceleration, it is complicated to take the ball from him. Moreover, it is now possible to commit a foul deliberately. In this case, the referee gives us a yellow card, or even a red card in the event of a repeat offense.
The passing system has been reworked so that transmissions are less accurate when under pressure. In short, if the player attempts a long pass when conditions are not ideal, it will not be accurate. Even if the version of FC 25 that we tested did not integrate them, new climatic conditions have been added. For example, the wind (strength and direction) will have an impact on the trajectory of the ball, knowing that outdoor stadiums will be the most exposed. The same goes for waterlogged fields: players may be victims of slipping. Otherwise, PlayStyles are still in place. They were introduced in FC 24 and with the help of official Opta statistics, this mechanic aims to bring special abilities to the field for certain players. This system does not replace the basic statistics, but will allow you to give a unique and original style to your favorite players, in addition to performing spectacular moves. In FC 25, we have the right to PlayStyles related to goalkeepers. For example, Deflector is for goalkeepers who rarely push the ball into the feet of an opposing player. Rush Out is for goalkeepers who are not afraid to go into contact, especially in 1 on 1. Far Throw is for goalkeepers capable of making a long throw-in, and therefore being at the origin of a lightning counterattack.
Visually otherwise, as the game is already quite solid in terms of realization, Electronic Arts has taken the time to take care of certain aspects in order to reinforce the immersion. For example, it will not be rare to see the players celebrating their goals with the mascots, the coaches giving instructions to the substitutes, the fourth referee trying to calm the bench, the excitement rising around the stadium, or to hear the crackling of the photographers’ flashes. Same for the day-night cycle (big work on the lighting in general). The pre-matches are always as pleasant to watch. We still regret that the players remain stiff during the presentation of the teams, and that the facial expressions are somewhat frozen. EA Sports Cranium technology. In fact, when the developers do not use scanning, they use machine learning by using different photos of the same player so that his digital double is as similar as possible. The advantage is not to stuff yourself with generic faces as possible. By the way, two graphics modes are planned in FC 25: one with visual improvements like ray tracing and native 4K, and another without the improvements. In any case, both run at 60fps.
RUSH HOUR
Another thing we have to tell you about in this FC 25 is the “Rush” mode which is included in all the other game modes and which aims to make us forget the “Volta” mode. This new Rush mode offers us to take part in 5 against 5 matches, with gameplay that remains classic. In fact, it is at the level of the rules that the developers have allowed themselves some fantasies, which is not without recalling the famous Kings League of Gérard Piqué. For example, for the kick-off, the 5 players of each team will have to run as fast as possible in the middle of the field to recover the ball thrown by one of the ball throwers. There is also the blue card which results in a one-minute exclusion. Penalties are played on a 1 against 1 thrown. We can also mention the offside which, in the “Rush” mode, is signaled when the player is beyond the first third of the opposing camp (against half of the opposing field in normal times). The “Rush” mode will apparently only have one stadium (which will have a small pitch, naturally), namely the Nike Air Zoom Arena. According to producer Samuel Rivera’s explanations, it was designed in collaboration with Nike, and is inspired by both the Mercurial cleat design and the Swoosh.
At first, we thought it would have been better to opt for FIFA Street-style gameplay, but after a few games, we realized that keeping the classic mechanics wasn’t such a bad idea, if only to provide some sort of continuity and coherence. However, the pace is higher than in 11 vs. 11 (there’s only one half, by the way), and it’s essential that the four outfield players are coordinated so as not to leave any big gaps. That’s all we can tell you about this EA Sports FC 25 at this stage. We’ve seen other things, but for now, hush hush, that will be the subject of another video in August. If we’re motivated, and back from vacation…
