FIFA 20

Fifa 20 is all confetti. Pure speed, sensational counter football, and childish dances after a goal predominate. That is not criticism, it's a statement. It is really nice to beat an opponent with a lot of show, but Fifa has not much to do with "real" football this year.

Fifa 20 can be seen as Fifa 19: part 2. Despite some changes, some of the frustrations from the previous part remain. In the end the gameplay is not innovative enough to keep you busy. The multitude of strange passes and the unbalanced dribbling system are the main culprits.

The new Volta mode is surely a welcomed addition that we expect it to grow in the following years, but besides that and the always superb presentation and overall rich content, FIFA 20 seems stale and not able to take some bold steps forward. Combine this with the aggressive monetization that comes with the Ultimate Team mode and what you get is probably the worst FIFA game in recent years.

FIFA 20 doesn't stand out compared with its predecessor because it barely has no innovative improvements.

While FIFA 20 is bogged down by the same issues that have plagued it for years, it does enough to set itself apart as a worthy installment.

Not all of FIFA 20’s new features work. Volta doesn’t have the personality to make a lasting impression and defending hasn’t received the overhaul it needs but Ultimate Team and Career Mode have been made more engaging and gameplay is more balanced than it has been for a long, long time.

FIFA 20 stagnates on a solid level. Volta can’t utilize the fresh potential of street football enough while on the pitch the balance between offense and defense is missing.

FIFA 20 introduces a hefty amount of novelties and pretty much all of them are successful - especially the Volta can give tons of fun. Unfortunately - the biggest flaws that have existed in the series for years are still here - painfully schematic gameplay doesn't promote creativity, and the artificial intelligence doesn't deserve the name. These elements render each FIFA a much less compelling experience.

The Journey is sorely missed in FIFA 20, as the story we get instead simply isn’t up to the high standard of its predecessors. The visuals also lag behind other AAA sports titles. Despite this, FIFA 20 remains the best way to experience soccer in a game. It makes a few minor adjustments to the formula without breaking what’s worked for the series over the years.

FIFA 20 floods the player with content and so many things to do, so many way to play. But there’s nothing really new, which means that even the flaws from the previous game are still here.

Career Mode full of bugs, bland Volta instead of the much better Journey and worse gameplay than last year to boot. Ultimate Team is, on the other hand, even more fun, but is also one of the worst examples of loot box economy. This year’s FIFA belongs among the vanquished.

When you've just taken an entire team apart with a perfectly paced counter-attack, FIFA 20 feels as satisfying as ever. But for everything that it gets right on the pitch, this year's instalment seriously struggles to make a case for itself at launch. Ultimate Team hits new heights but it is, as always, undermined by pay to win microtransactions, and Volta is fun but it's definitely not the headline act that EA wants it to be. Meanwhile, Career Mode has seen a bunch of improvements, but a shocking number of bugs currently cripple the experience. It's a good job FIFA still plays well, because as a package, it's robust but frustratingly shoddy. Our advice? Wait for FIFA 20 to be patched before tying your laces.