EA Sports FC 25

EA Sports FC 25 is one of the better successor of the recent EA Sports FC-history. Rush is a pure joy to play and fits the series well. FC IQ delivers more depth and – despite some balancing-issues – impacts the match-flow significantly.

FC 25's gameplay familiarity may trigger initial disappointment, but career mode tweaks and the brilliant Rush mode soon pull you back in for another year. Ultimate Team, meanwhile, remains divisive as ever – but fans of that mode will love its myriad fan-service additions.

For the first time in years, some peculiar animation glitches reared their heads – don’t think we’re supposed to see inside players’ heads during match build-up, nor the occasional melding of limbs in goalmouth clashes. But that foible and some clunky menus aside, FC 25 puts on an impressive performance, albeit one that could be considered level on points with FC 24. What a shame that the game no longer has any credible competitors to keep EA on its toes.

More realistic gameplay, more tactical depth and the rush mode are welcome, but in no way justify the price tag.

If FC 24 had shaken up some things a bit along with its name, starting with the gameplay, FC 25 has not taken this path at all. The considerable contribution this year is called Rush, a new way of playing 5 against 5 quite well integrated into all game modes alongside the classic 11-a-side football. Because even if the title integrates FC IQ, a new tactical and positioning system for AI players very interesting in Career and Clubs mode for budding managers, the gameplay hardly changes one iota compared to last season. Haters of the last opus may therefore move on, except for lovers of Kings League and Ligue 1. The latter will be able to rejoice to see many players from the French championship modeled unlike last year. Cocorico!