EA FC 24 review: A fresh new name backed by a winning game

When EA Sports conducted the first big reveal of EA FC 24 in July 2023, it grabbed my attention along with the rest of the world. After all, this will be the first time I won't be getting a "FIFA" game since I started playing my first one back in 2006. Since then, I have played almost all the annual releases on different platforms and to a different extent.

For many, the change in the name is irrelevant - it's just a brand change! However, brands carry plenty of value, and some of the most profitable industries run on them. Based on my experience so far, it's evident that EA Sports is well aware of the fact that they have to create positive impressions from the word go. In the time I played, there were plenty of positives, a few negatives, and a feeling of being overwhelmed with the gameplay this year.

EA FC 24 manages to prove critics wrong in many ways without making any radical changes

While the last two months' big reveals showcased some interesting concepts, I didn't expect any major changes in EA FC 24. Barring the Nintendo Switch version, the game this year uses the same engine on all available platforms. However, I have been pleasantly surprised how all the additions make gameplay feel completely different.

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Gameplay

While EA FC 24 does have plenty of single-player content, there's no story mode. The one that will come closest is arguably the career mode, but if you're feeling competitive, Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs will be your major engagement. That said, the gameplay feels very different from how things ended in FIFA 23, and this is understandable whether you play against the AI or another human being.

For starters, Playstyles are a big deal, especially in the competitive sense. The meta of FIFA video games has always been dominated by pace, and that hasn't changed much in EA FC 24. However, it's very important to pay attention to the Playstyles assigned to every footballer, which determines the best way to play with a pro within the game. The very best names have Playstyles+, an enhanced form of the different traits.

If you have played other sports games like NBA 2K24, you'll find the Playstyles familiar. As I said, stats will have their expected importance in determining how your footballer will perform any task. But the Playstyles do offer plenty of extra scope for you to alter how you engage in a match.

As a result, EA FC 24's meta will be very different. A lot of cards aren't usable due to their lack of pace, especially in the Ultimate Team mode. However, cards like Bernardo Silva and Lionel Messi's Playstyles+ make them extremely efficient when used with controlled sprint.

Yes, there are more changes to the controls, which extend beyond the use of the Playstyles. In the form of controlled sprint, you'll have a hybrid between your players jogging and sprinting. When used properly, a controlled sprint can be absolutely nightmarish to defend against, but it's also a system you might end up overdoing.

Defending, in general, is harder this year, even though EA Sports has increased the available options. You can now choose between Legacy, Tactical, and Advanced Defending - the third one basically allows you to decide the type of tackle you want to make. You can either go with a standard tackle or opt for a seal-up with a shoulder barge.

The third key addition is the precision passes (also available as precision crosses). Unlike standard passes, you can now control the direction to a much greater extent. While it's certainly difficult to use at first, a lot of practice will make you difficult to defend against. After all, precision passes are not only accurate, but they can also completely catch your opposition unaware.

The importance of good dribbling has never been more important, and EA FC 24 has another key addition in this department as well. With the use of Orbit dribbling, you can quickly realign the player you're controlling to regain your balance. Alternatively, it could help you find the perfect angle for your shot to increase the chances of scoring.

With the help of all the additions, the gameplay will feel very different. While some of the 'broken' meta tactics from FIFA 23 are still viable, you can play in different styles. In fact, this year could become the year of tiki-taka-styled build-up and play, although it will largely depend on future patches and what direction EA Sports takes with the gameplay-related updates.

Game modes

EA FC 24 doesn't have any new game modes, but it ensures that players won't have any lack of options at all. Single-player modes include the Career Mode, which comes with interesting additions like a personal agent. Whether you're a manager or a professional footballer, your agent will help you with seasonal goals.

Players can use men and women on the same side in the Ultimate Team mode (Image via EA Sports)

Ultimate Team continues to evolve with new forms of rewards, and the start of season 1 is very promising. The quality of the rewards has been upgraded, and players will get better returns from competitive modes like Champions Finals.

Pro Club and Volta finally have crossplay, and this will offer a lot of freedom to the community as well. You will no longer have to bother if your friend plays on the same platform. However, I did find matchmaking issues in the Pro Club matches, while Volta worked as intended. EA Sports has announced that the issue will be fixed in the upcoming update.

Presentation and esthetics

Let's address the elephant in the room - how do women footballers perform in Ultimate Team? After all, this is the first time men and women athletes have taken the pitch together in any football video game. EA Sports had plenty of chances to mess up in this part, but this implementation is one of the best additions. However, it would have been nicer to have more options to pick from when it comes to women footballers.

The adaptation in the game engine is almost perfect, as EA Sports has managed to keep a fine balance. For example, positions like goalkeeping and defending might not be ideal for most of the cards due to the lack of height, but the same factor becomes overpowered in the attacking department.

EA FC 24 may not be carrying the FIFA tag any longer, but it has managed to engage in league licenses with all the big names. This ensures authenticity, as players can choose between all the licensed clubs and footballers across all the different game modes.

That said, the fresh UI on EA FC 24 still needs a lot of work on both consoles and PCs. On the latter, there's a lack of refinement at lower frames per second. It's not game-breaking by any means, but it's an area that EA Sports could look into as part of their post-launch improvements.

For a large part, EA FC 24's overall levels of presentation of the beautiful game are amazing. A new camera option adds to the overall dynamism (although telecast will again be my favorite choice across all the game modes).

Performance and bugs

EA FC 24 is the first time in the last ten years that I have played the series on PC, with all previous versions played on consoles. The added benefit of extra FPS, for example, could provide a slight advantage compared to the options on PC. While I found a few stuttering on the first day of early access, they were likely solved by Title Update 1, which was released before the launch day.

Unlike last year, issues related to the EA anti-cheat haven't been an occurrence this time. Things are far smoother on the PS5 as far as EA FC 24 is concerned, although there were a few crashes there as well. Again, while the bugs and glitches this year are lesser compared to previous years, it would have been better had they been absent completely.

In conclusion

EA FC 24 proves a lot of naysayers wrong in terms of its gameplay, which is the game's strongest aspect this time. The fresh introductions made to the current-gen version make the same gameplay feel very different. There might not be any radical changes, but the introductions leave players with room to play differently.

EA Sports has largely managed to retain the important league licenses, which maintain the authenticity and immersive feeling across the different game modes. The introduction of women footballers to Ultimate Team is certainly a huge positive, and the requirements made to the game engine to account for the new cards hit its points.

However, it's not a finished product yet, and EA Sports will have to continue to roll out patches to ensure that the potential is fulfilled. Areas like refereeing, goalkeeping, and a few nuances of the overall gameplay require finetuning to ensure balance and fair play. EA FC 24, however, is one of the stronger releases of the series in recent years, and things will hopefully move for the better from this point.