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It’s another year, and we’re pleased to receive a new FIFA game on its annual release. The name has been altered to FC since last year due to EA and International Federation of Association Football paperwork, but the game’s framework remains the same. FC 25 makes more shifts than FC 24 did, further developing the Career mode, introducing the Rush, and providing smoother and more realistic gameplay in many ways.
EA Sports has done a fantastic job this year with the addition of new game modes and animations that make defending much less of a hassle. FC 25 is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise, and that all starts with the Ultimate Team not being at the center of the attention.
Not All Ultimate
Almost every player who likes FIFA/FC games is into the Ultimate Team. They play casually and grind for the players they want to build up a dream team, or they’re the type that lets go of their pocket to have Gulit on their squad. Regardless, the Ultimate Team in FC 25 is rock solid, as always, and it is enjoyed by everyone. However, the spotlight is not just on your Ultimate Team this year, as there are many new additions to the game.
First off, the Manager Career Mode is here at full potential. The flagship of the FIFA titles has returned this year, and you can even play as icons like David Beckham on the pitch in Player Career mode. You can choose your type of personality, and like the previous title, the morale story of players is still a thing in FC 25.
After certain matches, you can go on a full rant talking about the one player who has missed so many opportunities to score, which results in their low performance later in the season. Or you might just praise them so much that they’ll become so full of themself. The professional choice here is to keep things humble and in control. Now while the Senior team is having fun signing contracts and playing on the main show, you can also go behind the scenes and recruit young talents for your future squad.
Time To Rush!
The Youth Team has its own tournaments now in FC 25, as you can play the new Rush game mode to improve their performance. This 5v5 game mode has its own set of rules, including a Blue Card for fouls that puts your player outside the court for a minute as the penalty. Additionally, there’s an offside line on each side of the pitch, indicating that you can’t pass on the offside area behind the opponent’s defenders beyond them, adding more chaos to this smaller soccer experience.
As your Youth Team grows in the Rush mode, you can see their performance taking shape in both the physical and practical forms. However, you can also play the Rush in Kick Off with friends or play it with your Ultimate Team players for exclusive rewards. One negative point of this mode, however, is the commentary. The man says nothing but “GOAAALLLL” to make an iconic impact. But with no analysis of the gameplay, it gets boring after only a few matches.
The integration of the Rush in different game modes makes this small and fast-paced soccer a unique experience that only FC 25 can offer. This is while the mechanism of the Rush makes it very similar to the Volta, which is removed from this year’s FC game.
More Tactics, Less Hassle
Once you pick your team and start managing it for a match in FC 25, you’ll realize that the UI has changed drastically compared to the previous titles. The player’s role system has changed, and you can now build the manual tactics that match your playstyle with your favourite teams. This is all thanks to the new gameplay system called the FC IQ.
You can now choose if your CMs join in the attack by double working as a winger, or choose if your wingers want to help defend more often and strike more from the middle when attacking. Everything is in your hands, and once you get to know the new UI, it’s all easier to direct your team to play to your tone.
The FC Realistic Gameplay and Graphics
If I say there’s only one soccer game out there that captures the real-life player’s behaviours on the pitch and implants them into the game, that’s FC. Aside from the gorgeous graphics and amazingly designed character models, players are now more responsive and play like their real-life counterparts in terms of dribbling, running, defending, and creating opportunities.
Speaking of which, the dribbling system in FC 25 is still the one-man show that we always had in the FIFA games, but on the other hand, tackling is more generous to the defenders this time. While you can still try your best by learning the new dribbling tricks to beat the opponent’s defender, they can make more precision tackles to snatch the ball away from you.
FC 25 Is A Big Step Towards The Right Direction
FC 25 is here to amplify the solid foundation laid by FC 24, adding more to improve the game rather than changing it. The only bad news we hear this year is the removal of Volta, but I’ve got to say: Rush is an exemplary counterpart for it and has been well implemented in the Career and Ultimate Team game modes, which is something that Volta had never done.
In terms of gameplay, FC 25 is an improved version of FC 24, reaching the golden script to keep the attackers and the defenders happy with the tools they have to play with. Chief among them is the FC IQ and improvement of the team management this year, making things easier and more practical.
Review copy provided by Publisher.
EA Sports FC 25 (Xbox Series X Reviewed)
FC 25 is here to add more to the already great FC formula, opening doors to creative innovations such as the FC IQ and Rush to further improve the gameplay in its different game modes.
The Good
- Smoother and more realistic gameplay.
- More development options for the youth team in Career mode.
- Integration of the Rush in different game modes.
- Ultimate Team is rock solid as always.
- Convenient team management with the FC IQ.
The Bad
- Volta mode is removed.
- Rush Mode's commentator is just bad.
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Great!
