FIFA 18

FIFA 18 offers the best game of football that the series has seen in some time and provides the best overall package for fans of the sport. It might not be up there in terms of authenticity with PES on the pitch, but this year's release has made up some ground, excelling at providing those wow moments that gets fans of the real sport on their feet and punching the air. With an interesting return of Alex Hunter, new game modes to try, and a level of presentation and detail that can’t be found anywhere else, FIFA 18 is easy to recommend to long-running fans of the series and is a solid jumping in point for people who might have skipped a few years.

FIFA 18 is what many folks wanted FIFA 17 to be. Overall, it's the best soccer game money can buy right now.

Even if not revolutionizing its formula, FIFA 18 introduces many new features improving playability, variety, online options and graphics. It's definitely the highest point reached by the series so far, even if still not perfect.

FIFA 18 does everything FIFA 17 did, but better. The Return of Alex Hunter is a much-improved version of last year mode and turns out to be a must play for everyone who owns this game. Visuals are stunning but gameplay is still the king on the best game of the most played sport of the world.

FIFA 18 is simply magnificent. Streets ahead of what came before, and continuing its dominance over its rivals, EA has done a superb job. With huge improvements across the board, this is the game FIFA fans have waited five years for. While the offline offering may continue to lack the depth of NBA 2K18, but the continued improvements each year have culminated in a brilliant game this year.

FIFA 18 is probably the best football simulator right now. Although it is a little bit iterative and still has some issues with the goalkeepers, this game is more polished than ever, it has amazing graphics and a soundtrack that fits perfectly the game. FIFA 18 also has the official licenses of most of the great football leagues, which is wonderful.

This new title offers us the FIFA experience we know but also brings new features such as its renewed FIFA Ultimate Team mode, which has achieved the perfect balance to fit any type of player. Alex Hunter's new campaign, online modes and single-player modes make FIFA 18 one of the best games in recent years.

While there are often many years that sports games phone it in, FIFA 18 doesn’t feel like one. From head to toe this game is both dripping in style and substance with so many compelling game modes its really just a matter of where should you start. Wherever it is, soccer fans will find very little to be disappointed in this year.

Despite an uneven evolution on and off the pitch, FIFA 18 manages to muster enough innovation and improvements to make it a worthy iteration of the franchise with a fleshed out Journey mode, the interactive transfers, and the real motion technology as its most juicy contributions. While the unbalanced action on the pitch and some abandoned modes constitute the most glaring weaknesses.

There was nothing outright “wrong” with last year’s product, but there was room for improvement. It seems EA Canada was receptive to what could alter things for the better, as many beneficial changes proliferate 18. Gameplay feels much more natural and welcoming, equating to more accessibility. The ways to play are well thought out and varied, adding to replay value. And the garnish of presentation scores big, leading to a pleasant sensory experience. If you like soccer and video games, give this serious consideration.

FIFA 18 improves across the board and continues to offer an astonishing amount of options, without comprising on quality.

Ultimately, FIFA 18 introduces enough new ideas to suggest it’s not sitting on the laurels of its success. However, it’s a simplified experience, one that fails to embrace the complexity of football at the highest level. Its focus on attack makes for spectacular matches, but they often feel like extravagant offensive training sessions than a proper match with depth and strategy.

Is FIFA 18 the best in the series? No, but there’s a whole load of things to do once you’ve embraced all the gameplay enhancements to ensure it’s still a decent game.

While FIFA 18 may not excel in every area and has some issues on the pitch, the game offers great value and something for everyone. The story mode is excellent, career mode is improved, the online suite of features is especially strong and everything surrounding the pitch such as the visuals, presentation and atmosphere work to enhance the moments that make the sport so exciting.

While the changes across the board make for a better game than last year, there are still cracks that need cementing, not papering over. Evolution, not revolution this year for FIFA, then, but still a fine game fit to burst with things to do.

FIFA 18 is still a spectacular rendition of "the beautiful game", but also a step back in the series.

FIFA 18 has come out fighting this year, with an improved game of football, another chapter in its excellent story mode, and more besides. It's still not quite there yet, failing to deliver something as fluid and immediate as it could be. There's ample room for improvement, sure, but FIFA 18 is still a genuinely marvellous footie game.

In the end, FIFA 18 isn’t a tremendous, leaps-and-bounds improvement over FIFA 17, but EA Canada did fix what matters most — the on-field gameplay. While the other modes either stay the course or take a melodramatic dip downward, ultimately FIFA 18 shows that EA Sports is aware of the competition breathing down its neck, and is willing to make the necessary changes to regain the throne.

FIFA 18 is a solid game, with everything that made FIFA 17 an instant classic, plus a deeper story mode and a few additional bells and whistles. But it’s not the huge step forward that FIFA 17 was, and it suffers from some areas lacking the polish that EA could have easily applied, considering that it did all the hard work of building a foundation for a killer soccer series last year. That said, if you’ve been waiting to get back into soccer sims, FIFA 18 is as good a place to start as any.