EA’s perfect farewell to its iconic soccer simulator
FIFA 23, EA’s acclaimed soccer simulator, faces its final whistle after 30 years of bringing challenging matches to eSports aficionados all over the world. While this goodbye can be considered as just a name change to EA Sports FC, it’s hard to let this iconic franchise go. FIFA 23 on the Xbox Series X doesn’t drastically change what we’ve seen on FIFA 22, but it brings enough changes to freshen things up. With lots of tweaks to a winning formula, the game offers an improved career mode, remodeled FUT, smooth controls, lifelike graphics... And these are just a few of its novelties! With a rich legacy to commemorate, Electronic Arts managed to create what most would consider the ultimate soccer sim. Here’s why.
Gameplay
FIFA 23 might not be a revolutionary game, but it’s certainly a clear evolution from its previous iterations. EA Sports refined every aspect of the franchise to replicate the experience of a real-life soccer match, and the results are simply amazing. One example of this is the newly added AcceleRATE system, a feature that defines how players move and run around the pitch. This has been inspired by real-life differences between soccer players and ultimately solves one of FIFA’s lingering problems: the reliance on pace. Say goodbye to those obscure players that are somehow faster and perform better than those considered the best footballers of the world. With AcceleRATE’s different types of sprint, you’ll have absolute control on your players’ performance, adding an extra challenge in the pitch.
To make matches more interesting, FIFA 23 includes a fun new technique called Power Shot. The name says it all. Power Shots is a feature where the player is able to smash the ball into the goal with incredible strength. Remember all those crazy soccer cartoons like Captain Tsubasa? Power Shots would definitely belong in them. To unleash these fearsome strikes on your Xbox Series X, simply press the bumper buttons (LB + RB) and hold B. One important note on Power Shots is that these are not instant and require some time to perform. Far from being a handicap, they require some set up time, so this just adds excitement and a pinch of strategy to FIFA’s gameplay since you’ll be vulnerable to defenders while trying to power-shoot your way to victory.
Hypermotion, the AI-Based technology that was introduced in FIFA 22, is back. Its latest version, Hypermotion2, offers a better performance and finally delivers what it always promised: to emulate the behavior of actual soccer players. Both pitch team-mates and rivals now have natural and real-life animations, refining the way they interact with each other or the ball. Players now dodge, jostle and block with precision, showing enhanced animations and upgraded physics. But that’s not all, Hypermotion2 also brushes up set-pieces, letting you choose the ball’s trajectory by the way the player hits the ball.
Last, but not least, FIFA 23 has taken a bold step towards equality for women. While you could play with women’s national teams in the previous game, now you’ll be able to compete for the first time with clubs in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League, Division 1 Arkema, National Women’s Soccer League, the UEFA Women’s Champions League and much more.
Game modes
Like in previous games, there’s lots to like and do in FIFA 23. While most of its modes aren’t new, they have been upgraded with interesting features that liven up the franchise. Fan favorite MyCareer Mode is back, and while still not being as good as Football Manager, we can say EA Sports is definitely aiming in the right direction. Here you’re able to create, customize and manage every single aspect of your very own soccer team. The mode recovers all features seen in FIFA 22 while adding some interesting new ones like playable highlights, transfer analysis and new menus. Its most interesting new option though is that, for the first time, you’ll also be able to play as a real manager and thus be able to lead your favorite team. While it might not seem like a big change, it’s certainly a treat to all soccer fans.
The franchises’ most popular mode, FIFA Ultimate Stars (FUT) has also seen some significant changes. While its extremely unpopular in-game purchases are still there, EA has completely overhauled the mode’s chemistry system to a much fairer point-based one. With it, you will no longer be required to position players one next to the other to link them. Also they will automatically add chemistry points if they’re from the same team, league or country. Ultimately, this makes it easier to build your dream-team and experiment with different line-ups.
FIFA 23 also introduces Moments, a new FUT mode that offers fun scenarios and challenges that reward players with a new in-game currency called Moments Stars. These tokens can be exchanged at the Star Gallery for all kinds of Items Packs. This feature is extremely welcome since it’s a fun way to unlock most of the in-game goodies without falling into the dangerous temptation of buying loot boxes with real money. Moments is also a great feature for people without much time for daily gaming, letting them hop into a fun challenge without having to spend hours in much more time demanding modes such as the Squad Battles.
If you like playing with online friends, you’ll like knowing FIFA’s VOLTA has also been upgraded with a bunch of great multiplayer features. VOLTA Arcade now has bigger stadiums, XL pitches, bigger nets, polished signatures abilities as well as new skills to unleash your flair such as the ball roll cut or the heel fake. You’ll also be able to customize the crowd, ball and the props shown in each match. Other modes such as Pro Clubs will now include Archetypes and let you further personalize your players
Graphics on Xbox Series X
It’s undeniable that EA has done a great job with FIFA 23. The game is an absolute treat to the eye, bringing a smooth and photo-realistic experience that pushes the boundaries of the Xbox Series X. Famous players have been rendered to perfection, making them easily recognizable not just by their looks, facial expressions or physique but also by their behavior on the pitch, quirks and their signature goal celebrations. Stadiums also deserve a special mention, being recreated to its last detail and making it harder than ever to know if you’re playing a game or actually watching a match on TV.
What about those lesser known players or custom made ones? FIFA 23 renders them with the same care and detail as the greatest soccer superstar. EA has showered the game with realism, making players sweat according to their playstyle or show marks on the turf as they slide to tackle on a rainy day. While it is true these details don’t add much to the gameplay, they definitely make FIFA 23 the closest experience to a real soccer match.
Does FIFA 23 have in-game purchases?
Yes, FIFA 23 does have in-game purchases. While these are not as intrusive as the ones we’ve recently seen in other sports games such as Madden NFL 2023 or NBA 2K23, it’s unacceptable that AAA titles are slowly falling in the pay-to-win business model. FIFA 23 includes microtransactions in its Ultimate Team mode, letting players buy loot boxes (or as EA likes to call them, FUT packs). However, these same items can be acquired by playing the game and acquiring enough tokens to unlock them.
Goodbye FIFA, Hello EA Sports FC
FIFA 23 is the perfect farewell to EA’s iconic soccer franchise. Refining and improving its award-winning formula, this is definitely the best soccer simulation game we’ve seen in years, setting the bar really high for EA Sports FC. Its improved gameplay, killer features and overhauled modes (especially its Ultimate Team Mode) bring hours of countless fun both online and offline. Wrapped in stunning graphics and performing flawlessly on the Xbox Series X, FIFA 23 is definitely one of the best looking games you’ll find on Microsoft’s next-gen console. The only downside? It has in-game purchases in the form of loot-boxes. If you can overlook that fact, it’s a great game for soccer fans.
