We ventured onto the field again for the FIFA 21 test and took a closer look at the revised career mode, VOLTA and of course FIFA Ultimate Team. Are the improvements enough to beat the direct predecessor?

Finally, virtual football with FIFA 21 is entering the new – Season . After the predecessor had to take heavy criticism even from die-hard fans, developer EA Sports has screwed up the gameplay for the latest part of the series. In the FIFA 21 review , we’ll tell you why the improvements are actually bearing fruit.

Quick facts about FIFA 21:

• Developer: EA Sports
• Publisher: EA Sports
• Genre: Sports Game
• Release: 09.10.2020
• Players: 1-22

FIFA 21 Gameplay – It plays much better

Probably the most exciting news for fans: There is much more to FIFA 21 than just a simple squad update . In fact, the developers have adjusted many gameplay parameters to ensure not only a more varied, but also a better gaming experience.

Let’s be honest: FIFA 20 was far too predictable on offense. All attacks were through the center, crosses were utterly useless, and the drag back skill move was ubiquitous. FIFA 21 is much more varied.

It starts with the fact that crosses and headers are finally a tried and tested means again this year. So if you like to attack on the flank, you should be happy. But the revised dribbling system is also convincing and reflects the values ​​of the players better than last year.

In addition, there is agile dribbling , thanks to which particularly bustling players like Neymar , Messi or Reus dance out their opponents more easily – but without that being overpowering in terms of game balance. The developers have done a great job with balancing this year.

Fortunately, not only the goalkeepers , but also the AI ​​teammates act much smarter off the ball in FIFA 21 and run free better. FIFA 21 plays completely differently than its predecessor and much better.

Improvements for VOLTA and Career

The street football mode VOLTA , which was introduced last year, is also part of the game again in FIFA 21 and should primarily appeal to players who already had a lot of fun with the FIFA Street offshoots.

In FIFA 21, the VOLTA gameplay has been optimized, while additional game modes ensure long-term motivation. For example, the VOLTA Squads are new. This allows you to play quick drop-in games online with a group of up to three friends or alone.

Similar to FIFA Ultimate Team , we rise in divisions and thus unlock new rewards and content. This year there is another story campaign that does its job relatively well – if you like fast, arcade-heavy football, you will really enjoy VOLTA.

But a lot has also happened in career mode. Thanks to the new interactive match simulation , FIFA 21 is almost reminiscent of a football manager, while the title goes even deeper into player development. Minor changes, which, however, should appeal to career fans in particular.

FIFA 21 Ultimate Team stands out

The biggest and most important mode is again this year FIFA 21 Ultimate Team . No wonder the developers paid the most attention to FUT. In fact, this is where the most things have changed .

Probably the most exciting innovation is the construction of your own FUT stadium . Although we can still use prefabricated arenas, designing our own venue is much more motivating.

We customize the stands, set choreographies and opening melodies, set off fireworks when we score and even play our own music when we score. The progress is linked to various tasks and it will be exciting to see what the developers can come up with for the coming in-game – Season s.

In addition , there are no fitness cards in FIFA 21 , a small but nice change. The makers have apparently also fine-tuned the pack luck – in any case, we have never drawn such good cards from our first packs at the start of a new FIFA part.

This could also be due to the FIFA 21 ratings , which caused heated discussions after they were announced. The fact that some of the best players have been downgraded means they’re more likely to be found in card packs (and, of course, EA Sports has plenty more special cards to come as the year progresses). We really like this change after playing it.

Nevertheless, the Pay2Win mechanics are still present, albeit a little less pronounced than in the previous year. Thanks to varied stadium expansion , successful – Season al tasks and strong gameplay , FIFA 21 Ultimate Team motivates even more this time. Especially since we can now play cooperatively with two players against the CPU and even in Division Rivals against other players.

At the time of our test, the connection quality of the online servers was also significantly better than in FIFA 20. However, relatively few players were still active, so we will continue to take a close look at the online games in the coming days and weeks.

Conclusion on FIFA 21

With FIFA 21, EA Sports has put together an excellent overall package. In fact, the title consistently eradicates the most important criticisms of the predecessor and presents itself clearly superior on the pitch.

Offensive moves are far more unpredictable than last year: Cross runs, short passes through the middle and quick 1v1 dribbles are all effective. Like that.

Small detailed improvements to the most important game modes provide additional motivation, in terms of scope, FIFA can’t beat any other sports game anyway. Technically, little has changed at the moment, but that will be the case with the next-gen upgrade in November at the latest.

FIFA 21 manages to make forget the rightly criticized predecessor. Absolutely no one should miss out on the sports game this year.

FIFA 22 – FUTs

What could be cooler than just relaxed gaming and doing some sofa sports on the side? In FIFA 22, the player is on the move fast, but without getting sore muscles. With the Ultimate Team Event cards, the collecting instinct is now also satisfied. However, the FUT Heroes keep creeping into my mind, so here are the best Ultimate Team Event cards that are definitely worth adding to your collection.

Heroes cards selected by EA for top qualities

Admittedly, the FUT heroes will cost quite a bit of coin, but it turns out that EA has once again brought some top-class players into the game when it comes to selection. As a collector and hunter, it’s an added attraction for FIFA gamers to now include their own favorite heroes in the portfolio and benefit from their individual skills. Both in the game and in team building, the FUTs will revolutionize the game once again.

EA SPORTS FC: FIFA GAME SERIES TO BE CONTINUED UNDER NEW NAME

Of course, the soccer simulation game series will not be discontinued completely. After FIFA 23, EA will relaunch the game under the name EA Sports FC and market it independently. Old FIFA hares should now become quite an ear, after all, the EA Sports Football Club used to be a part of the actual game for years. A lot of playing was rewarded, points could be collected and items, boosts or balls for the individual game modes could be unlocked.

In this context, there could also be a complete revolution of the classic game. There is a heated discussion in the FIFA community about whether the game, which is expected to be released in the fall of 2023, will be free-to-play. This option is said to be on the table for the game makers from EA, because: It seems that EA earns most of its money with the purchases of FIFA Points in the game mode Ultimate Team and not with the sale of the game itself.

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