FIFA 15

EA has evolved its engine rather than revolutionised it, and it's worked a treat. [Dec 2014, p.68]

Without a doubt, FIFA 15 is the most realistic, authentic and atmospheric footie I've ever played. The most fun? Well, the ball is in PES 2015's court.

After so many years of trying, EA has, with the exception of a few little missteps, finally gotten player AI right and created a fast, fluid football experience that looks and feels like the real thing. This will go down as the year that EA finally ticked all the boxes.

This Next-Gen version of EA's soccer simulator doesn't change its pace, displeasing the old time detractors. Still, FIFA 15 is a great improvement from last year edition, technically speaking and from a gameplay standpoint.

FIFA 15's improvements don't jump out right away, but they rapidly manifest themselves in smarter teammates, livelier stadiums, and more tactical gameplay.

FIFA 15 is the best football simulation to date. But it's not the revolution we've been waiting for, the one which will make us enter a new era. This new entry pushes the realism a little further but the gap with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions is far too tiny to talk about a renewal. The FIFA series is moving forward, but it's going slowly. Slower and slower. We hope for something big soon, but isn't it a little bit utopian?

More realistic. More emotional. Less predictable. Sounds great, doesn't it? It is.

Whether you want to manage a club to a Champions League Title, or have a 10 year career with a custom player, FIFA’s got it. FIFA 15 sets a high bar for sports games, and FIFA 16 will need to work twice as hard to clear it next year.

Improvements largely concern presentation over play, but they're crucial in making you feel closer to the game than ever.

In a series that is synonymous with incremental improvements, FIFA 15 manages to feel like more of an evolutionary leap.

There’s an old adage that says “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” FIFA 15 perfectly embodies that sentiment. This game subtly refines the mechanics of what was already a great series, and while it’s very similar to previous iterations, that’s largely a good thing.

For real FIFA fans, you’ll want this latest update not just for all of the new content, but also for the finer adjustments and improved goalkeeper AI. For more casual fans however, there might not be enough glaringly obvious updates from last year’s edition to do a Mexican wave for.

Although the overall superb quality attained with this saga, you would expect much more of a next-gen game. FIFA 15 has quite a continuity spirit that covers FIFA 14 flaws more than adding next-gen experience. Even so, the throne it holds in the genre is worthy, and it will offer tons of hours in the virtual field.

It is obviously a step forward in the franchise, but not as big a it should be. The additions are great, but we would have liked to have seen a true evolution of the visuals or new modes. Still, it is a great FIFA.

FIFA 15 is so realistic, and emotional. It has smooth and jaw dropping animations. If you are a fan of soccer games, FIFA 15 must be the best choice around.

FIFA 15 is the most authentic football experience yet

An exceptional effort. It’s easily one of the best sports games of the year.

That’s a large part of the appeal of FIFA – the fact that there are so many different ways to enjoy the game of football at its core, all of which are compelling in their own way. We’ll have to wait and see if FIFA 15 is the best football game released this year, but it sure as hell sets a high bar.

Its overwhelming atmosphere and experience make FIFA 15 one of the best sports games in recent years. Hundreds of new animations emphasize the progress EA Sports made with FIFA 15. After the somewhat disappointing edition last year, the team strikes back with an amazing footie that every self-respecting soccer fan should buy.

FIFA 15 is not a revolution. It's not the future, but it moves toward realism in football games, step by step. The Ignite engine works and the online modes are complete. Pro Clubs is a great idea. But traditional players will wish for much more.

FIFA 15 takes two steps forward and one step back in almost every component of the game. The presentation is as sleek as ever, but it still lacks some realism in terms of gesture and animation. Tactical accessibility, on the other hand, came at the expense of thoroughness, and mobility feels more realistic but also heavier. Despite all of this, FIFA 15 remains the deepest, most addictive and fun football experience out there.

FIFA 15 remains one of the most impressively comprehensive sport simulations around, and on new-gen hardware it really is the beautiful game. But while some of FIFA 15’s refinements are worthwhile – and a tangible improvement on FIFA 14 – its flaws stand out all the more.

Is it overflowing with newness for anyone that’s already gorged the past year’s soccer bounty? Nope. But it’s still the very best soccer game in town.

Some changes aren't for the better: strength and pace are kings this year. [Dec 2014, p.80]

A solid entry into the FIFA family, but not a necessary upgrade if you're happy to stick with last year's offering. [December 2014, p74]

The teams at EA Sports are undeniably having a hard transition to the next-gen, but FIFA 15 has weathered the transition quite admirably.

Keepers have improved greatly and you can alter your tactics more. This ensures FIFA 15 is a better product than last year’s entry. The presentation falls flat on its face thanks to the look of the players themselves and the shoddy animation. This is still the best football game out there.

A marvelous soccer game, and it's certainly better than FIFA 14, but the series' improvements felt even more marginal this year. The game captures the thrill of soccer unlike ever before, but the new, emotional player animations are only a small addition to what was already a great product.

While not the most innovative title in terms of modes and menus, FIFA 15 delivers where it counts - on the field of play.

FIFA 15 is not a bad game by any means. It is the best choice any football fan can make at the moment. We just wish that there were more substantial improvements in this year's edition, a more stable multiplayer mode and a better AI system.

It can feel desperately unfair at times – bordering on blatant cheating – but the fact that you'll unwaveringly persevere speaks volumes for FIFA 15's distinct appeal. A must for footballing fans.

FIFA 15 boasts everything that we've come to expect from EA's annual footy sim.

On the pitch this is soccer at its finest, even though the defense seems to be weakened. But off the pitch you get a patchwork of more or less untouched game modes, half-hearted emotions and inconsistent atmosphere that favors the English Premier League.

FIFA 15 is a fun game with many modes and possibilities, but at the same time its progression towards frantic soccer matches may upset some diehard fans.

Great atmosphere and presentation, beautiful visuals, well rebuilt interface, lots of game modes: FIFA 15 only changes a little from FIFA 14, but it's still a sharp football experience on consoles. The lack of really new ideas may possibly be well-accepted this year, but it probably won't be the same next year.

If you're looking for football that is exciting, exaggerated, and immensely entertaining, FIFA 15 is the game to get.

It’s a shame Career Mode has seen such little love this year, but regardless, there are enough changes overall that FIFA feels a very different game this year. They’ve not reinvented the wheel, just put shinier trims on it, and perhaps this isn’t the year that the presentation needed to take centre stage.

Shrewdly taking advantage of current-gen’s capabilities with added emotional intelligence and improved animations, this is easily the prettiest EA Sports title this year. Unfortunately, game modes remain relatively unchanged, but if optimizing for current-gen currently means choosing between re-skinning them or omitting them entirely, we’ll gladly take the former.

This may seem superficial, but in a lot of important ways—its music, language, representation, and sense of joy—FIFA 15 is a more cosmopolitan and worldly sports game. We could use one.

Where the previous FIFA installments have been focused on slower paced football and more physical play, FIFA 15 has taken a step back towards a more arcade-style gameplay as well as improved the goalies dramatically. There are no doubts that FIFA 15 is a beautiful and entertaining game however the question is if EA knows in what direction they want their beloved series to go.

It doesn’t feel like you are actually playing a new game in the franchise, rather it feels very much like you are playing an updated and expanded version of last year’s game.

EA can quite fairly claim to have again delivered the best football game ever made. But every year the developers seem to have less of an idea what that means.

I could not shake the feeling that gameplay changes were introduced only to justify publishing a new FIFA. I launched brilliant FIFA 14 for comparison and could not believe how much the designers lost their way. Why try too hard to reinvent something almost perfect instead of just polishing it? [Dec 2014, p.58]

A pretty decent football game that unfortunately has more bugs than Starship Troopers.

FIFA 15’s biggest changes are cosmetic, and that will is absent. FIFA 15 plays, more than any other recent FIFA sequel, largely the same.