Christophe Ena/Associated Press
FIFA 22 is out in the wild for those who pre-ordered the game’s Ultimate Edition.
For everyone else, the first installment to heavily use the power of next-generation consoles launches globally on Friday.
As would-be players likely expected, many of the new upgrades center on the graphics and presentation department. Like every year, there are a ton of new player face scans, this time to better align with the upgraded graphics. Some entire clubs even had face scans across the board redone.
Liverpool was one of those teams, while some other heavyweight stars have new scans:
Of course, the scans themselves and just how good the game looks wouldn’t matter much if the player ratings aren’t realistic, right?
Fresh out of the box, here’s how the top stars in the sport align:
The “Top 22” will continue to be the subject of much debate, though keep in mind its order and actual members will consistently shift over the course of the next year while EA Sports throws in real-time updates to reflect on-pitch action.
FIFA isn’t limiting the visual upgrades to face scans this year, of course. The entire game, unless players want to switch it up, unfolds from a brand-new camera angle that lets players see more passing lanes than in the past.
Also of note is Alex Scott and Stewart Robson joining the broadcast to offer up a fresh-feeling, robust experience. The whole presentation package has a live-television feel, while the menus are still a paradise of advanced metrics, charts and hot-spot analysis players can utilize.
Over in Career modes, the presentation packages and actual commentary from the booth and pitch, plus cinematics that play in locker rooms, will change to reflect the status of the entire club or the player’s created character.
A strong marriage between the graphical firepower and gameplay persists, too. Best example? How great all of the faithfully reproduced stadiums look, right down to the surface of the pitch. Depending on the weather, the ball physics will behave differently and force players to adjust.
Speaking of some next-generation-feel gameplay, the latest FIFA also uses the extra power there.
Most important is what EA Sports has dubbed Hypermotion, which gets the following explanation from the game’s site: “Xsens suits enable motion capture from 22 professional footballers playing at high-intensity for the first time. The resulting unprecedented volume of high-quality real-human movement data powers how both individuals and teams move across FIFA 22.”
And seeing the game in motion, whether it’s via a gameplay video or actually experiencing it, even the description undersells the impact this new technology has.
From either vantage point, it’s clear clubs with certain identities move more like the real thing now, which makes matches feel more unique. Players also move more realistically away from the ball, which means there are less exploitable, robotic-like things to take advantage of each match. And this, plus an added boost to the A.I. behind the scenes, clearly means better defensive adaptations and more varied ways of computer-controlled ways attacking, such as taking shots from farther out than ever.
FIFA 22 doesn’t just rewrite behind-the-scenes details that have an impact and call it a day. Perhaps the most prominent new gameplay feature is the Explosive Sprint, as the game’s site explained:
“A new gameplay mechanic that changes the dynamic of one-on-one situations, Explosive Sprint gives you more control over acceleration when dribbling or defending. Lure opponents in and choose when to unleash your full speed to get away from the defender as you drive your team forward in attack.”
So, not only will the gameplay experience feel fresh, but players will also have to juggle another entirely new system and apply it on the fly. On paper, it sounds like a brilliant addition to better measure the pacing of games and create big skill gaps at the same time.
Keep in mind as mentioned, all of this takes place with a backdrop that boasts a next-generation-feeling presentation slate across all game modes, and especially in Career mode. While reviews still have to roll out as the game does the same, it sounds like exactly what players should expect from the first heavyweight next-gen FIFA offering.
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