Another year, another instalment of FIFA goes without saying. We must treasure this moment though as this is likely to be the last with the FIFA branding on the front cover. With little in the way of competition again this time with only eFootball 2023 to stack it against, will the behemoth of football titles retain its crown? Whilst the majority who don’t play football games will state that it is the same game year after year, we eager FIFA fans can instantly tell what has changed just by the feel of the game. In reality, though, how can you change a game that already has a popular formula without hampering the product and turning fans away? The only way is to bring more realism, improve visuals and make intriguing additions. Let’s see what’s new this year and how does it feel to play?

Introduction

FIFA 23 is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 4|5, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch. Cross-play makes a solid and permanent appearance after some rigorous testing towards the end of FIFA 22’s life although there are limitations with this which I’ll cover later on in the review. There is a variety of new enhancements, features and the newly announced and anticipated World Cup mode arriving later this year as a free update for players who own the game. As always Ultimate Team takes the lion’s share of the limelight since it is the most popular mode of all. But the all-important questions always loom for players who enjoy the other stuff such as Pro Clubs, Career Mode and even Volta football which appears to be cemented as a permanent structure in FIFA’s ingredients.

Gameplay

It’s just the same game I hear you scream. Well actually this time it really isn’t and whilst it may appear to be a slightly refreshed version with a kit upgrade, the game does play much different compared to FIFA 21 and 22. Everything on the field is much slower and it feels as if it isn’t just a case of throwing players with 90+ pace all over the field. Passing is done with purpose and precision and if you mess up you really feel as if you have made a costly error. Previously I’ve felt most FIFA games of the past have felt a little on rails, with predictable passes and threaded-through balls gliding through with ease. There appears to be a lot more last-ditch attempts to jump onto a loose ball or connect with the ball after a lobbed pass. It’s spontaneous, unpredictable and exciting to play.

Play With Precision

Passing the ball around threw me immediately as you need to bring a bit more direction to your play and possession play has a little bit of weight to it. Simply tapping the A button may release the pass but not always reach your intended man or woman, so you will have to think ahead and ensure you put a bit more power behind some of your play. Free kicks, penalties and corner kicks have all had a re-hash with a lot more vision to fine-tune where you want the ball to go. Penalties confused me slightly though as it played more like a rhythm-based game than just kicking the ball. Overall though, the changes and the new HYPERMOTION 2 technology which has added 2000 more animations to this game, really make a big difference and things feel fresh.

Career Mode

Whilst I do play competitively online a lot of the time with FIFA, I do enjoy ploughing through an extensive career mode with a lower league team of my choosing and trying to climb the leagues. I’ve always dreamt of this mode blossoming into something deep and intuitive as the Football Manager franchise whilst actively playing the games as well. Slowly but surely the development team have been taking baby steps to evolve this area of the game into something less repetitive and with more behind-the-scenes involvement.

Tidy Menus

Whilst religious players will be accustomed to near identical screens and menus from previous versions, there has been a big shake-up here for the better. Accessibility is key and the fluidity of the new look and feel gets the player where they need to be a lot quicker. Overseeing vital elements such as player contracts and earnings, the youth system and overall team depth are so much easier to get to and don’t require going through several button clicks to get to.

Playable Highlights

Whilst I personally love to play every match in my Career, others may love to simulate games and oversee them from the recently introduced top-down view where you can dive in at any time. This is still present you’ll be glad to know, however, playable highlights is a brand-new addition. This feature allows the player to jump in during key build-up play and absorb themselves within the goal-scoring chances each match presents. So, if you want to be super casual and let the AI do the passing the ball around and you do the best bits, you can absolutely do this.

Dynamic Moments

My favourite part of Career mode without a doubt is the transfer window and building a squad how you want it to be. I like to cheat a little and access the financial takeover revenue and play with it and save a lot until promotion to the Premier League. You’ll be glad to know that you can now access 500 million pounds or a billion to build your dream squad. Over the past few seasons, the cinematics and cutscenes when transitioning through portions of the game such as negotiating with another manager have been near identical. Luckily, we have a full range of new ones ranging from seeing players having a kickaround on the training ground, to signing kids’ autographs and meeting a new manager. This addition really heightens and improves the atmosphere and feel of the game between matches instead of constantly reading text.

Volta Football

Volta Football appears to be part of the furniture in FIFA titles now and after plenty of begging for street football to come to the franchise before its first appearance, some may be glad that it remains for 2023. Things have been revitalised and refuelled with a bit more oomph after last year’s outing was a little on the stale side. New arenas are present with larger pitches and bigger nets alongside the small four-walled playgrounds we all know.  The gameplay has had some substantial tweaks and reworks with more variance in street skills and improved abilities. New skill meters make it easier to jump in with random players and work as a team.

Level Up Your Pro & Arcade Modes

The great thing about jumping into Volta now is it syncs with Pro Clubs, so no matter which of the two you play, you can progress and level up your custom character. Arcade mode also features brand-spanking new mini-games to dive into, the few I noticed were Foot Golf, Battle Buckets, Capture the ball and Dribble King. If that’s not enough, there are more animations and better blended audio effects and music.

Women’s Football

After England ladies bought football home, there is no denying that the female passion and love for the sport are growing and why shouldn’t they? Women’s football has been in the game for some time now but is mainly restricted to exhibition matches with international squads. For the very first time in history, you’ll be able to play with female club sides as the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Division 1 Arkema have been integrated into the game.23 official women’s clubs from England and France are playable. I dived into a couple of matches and was surprised at how authentic their movement and fluidity are, whilst player likeness isn’t on the level of the men’s game, they have done a cracking job with the women too!

Pro Clubs

Unfortunately, cross-play is non-existent in pro clubs, but it is something that has been acknowledged by the team and maybe this will be on the agenda for next year. So, for those hoping to see it, you’re going to have to stick with your mates on the same console generations sadly. I didn’t get to experience much here since I didn’t have any friends who have started a club up as yet, but I did have a few drop-in matches. Probably the most notable change here was the addition of top performers at the end of a match. Here you’ll see five of the best players standing in a line with their overall rating and other statistics such as top scorer, top passer and more.

Not Much Change, But Levelling Up Is Quicker

There isn’t a great deal of change across the board for pro clubs but after feedback from FIFA 22 and the levelling up system, there have been some drastic alterations. The level cap has been raised from 25 to 100, so this gives players the opportunity for more longevity in ranking up. Earning experience has also been changed so that levelling is a bit quicker. As mentioned above, progression in this mode and Volta football go hand in hand so you can work on both in sync.

Ultimate Team

The bread and butter of FIFA 23 is back again with its rinse-and-repeat card-based mode Ultimate Team. Fortunately, EA has made it possible over the last few years to get through this area of the game without spending your hard-earned cash if you don’t want to. There are plenty of rewards for hitting objectives and even a new portion of the game called “Moments”. Here you can choose different situations to play and if you achieve what is asked of you, then you’ll acquire stars that you can trade in for Gold Packs.

New Chemistry System

The biggest change in Ultimate Team is the chemistry system and whilst it is initially confusing to understand, it allows players many more options when putting their custom squads together. It is no longer a case of the player next door to you on the pitch being in the same league, club or nationality, it matters what you’re doing across the entire pitch. Whilst I could explain the system, I will leave this to the experts at FUTBIN with this LINK that covers it with a fine-tooth comb.

Graphics & Audio

When you stack this game against FIFA 22, you won’t see masses of difference when it comes to the visuals. There are slight improvements across the board with many more animations across all modes which are always a plus. Pitch damage seems to be a bit more prevalent which I loved to see, sliding across the field will hurt the turf and adds a layer of realism to the game. Animations of female players have been hugely improved with their personality and play style matching how they are on the pitch in real life. EA doesn’t really get much wrong in the looks department, but it hasn’t moved miles ahead.

The commentary was a little disappointing this year, after playing around 50 matches, I didn’t really hear any change from FIFA 22. The soundtrack as always is excellent with a range of catchy tunes that you never want to skip or turn off. Nas, Gorillaz and Labrinth make up some of the well-known artists, but there is a horde of certain future hits blended into the mix here.

In Conclusion

FIFA 23 is super polished across the board and has a huge transitional shift in how the game plays in comparison to the 2021-2022 versions. The gameplay has slowed down significantly, and matches have more spontaneous moments throughout. Whilst online players still try the method of sprinting down the wings, cutting inside and squaring across the box to smash it home, it happens far less frequent due to more purposeful reactions from defenders and the much-improved fluidity and acrobatic reach of goalkeepers. I have to admit it took me many hours to adjust to how the game feels, but you grow to love it and I’ve it incredibly moreish to play.

Farewell FIFA

EA has done a great job at a final send-off under the FIFA brand and whilst I don’t think the gameplay formula will change whatsoever going forwards, I can’t pretend I’m not a little bit sad and weirded out by the prospect of never calling it FIFA again. It’s a game I have played every single year without fail for decades and under a different umbrella it’ll be a little strange for everyone. For those who want a fantastic football game that excels in memorable moments and feels a lot different to the last 2-3 years, then I recommend you indulge in this year’s offering.