FIFA 18

Looking at and playing through FIFA 18, you’ll always have mixed feelings about it. The game is still very fun, but there’s almost zero improvements from the last year’s release. FIFA needs new blood, and needs it now, as PES is improving fast.

FIFA 18 is certainly an upgrade on FIFA 17 and undoubtedly the franchise is going in the right direction, but with the same flaws still remaining it is hard to solely focus on the positives. The game needs balancing out as far too much of the game is focused on attacking, rather than the grittier and more tactical side of football. FIFA 18 is superb to look at with the slick menus, pre-match changes, vast licences, wonderfully represented stadiums, and player images, but changes to its gameplay are a necessity for me. Having played PES 2018 and FIFA 18 this year, I can comfortably say PES takes the award for being the best football game, but FIFA still has the greater depth to it, and is the more sociable game of the two.

FIFA 18 is not the video game manifestation of the beautiful game I would have liked it to be, but as general entertainment, it is still pretty good. It is the equivalent of watching a silly comedy: anyone can do it for hours and hours, and although they won’t come out better people for it they will not feel like they completely wasted their time. Yours truly likes FIFA 18’s tactical leanings in particular, but I don’t think real life football needs to worry about the virtual outdoing the real yet. At least not till FIFA’s 2018 World Cup edition.

FIFA 18 might be the best FIFA ever made, but you can hardly tell, as changes and improvements are becoming increasingly harder to spot. The result is yet another FIFA that is solid, well made and sort of boring.

FIFA 18 is by no means a perfect game, the lack of customization and emotionless animations from players puts the game back a few steps, but this is not a bad game. Whether you have been on a FIFA hiatus or you are a long-time veteran, you should come back to this series — if only for the single-player content.

It's off the pitch that EA excels. From the variety of game modes on offer and how everything's presented, to the constant updates in FUT's Team of the Week, Daily Objectives, and discussion of real-world happenings in commentary, FIFA 18 captures the world of football and confidently translates it into a video game. On the pitch, however, EA's soccer series is still lagging far behind PES 2018's more fluid, satisfying football.