FIFA 22 – Review
FIFA 22 starts with a 15-minute intro in which you meet David Beckham and Lisa Freestyle on your way to PSG’s stadium, passing by notable Paris locations.
The short storey serves as both an introduction to FIFA 22’s new mechanics and a demonstration that this year’s edition is slicker and more detailed than ever before.
The new HyperMotion technology can be seen in the way the players run, move, and even take shots and passes in the first game you play.
The atmosphere in the stadium has been increased, with spectators feeling more realistic, making it feel more like a real match on TV rather than a video game. After that, you must pause it.
The default camera position from last season is still in place, a neat little feature that looked wonderful in FIFA 21 but was a hassle to use because the camera slanted and panned instead of moving along the sideline. It looks fantastic, but it made FIFA 21 more difficult to play, and the issue persists in FIFA 22.
Everyone will quickly return to their favourite setting, and FIFA 22 will quickly remind you that it is still a video game with the same issues as before.
Goalkeepers are better, but they still allow ridiculously sloppy goals, and while pace is less effective, it is still vital – this is notably true in FIFA Ultimate Team, where 84-rated Timo Werner and 91-rated Robert Lewandowski cost about the same because the former has over 90 pace.
The majority of the new gameplay adjustments, on the other hand, have improved how you play on the field. Passing and patience are essential, as are creative runs and timing the new explosive dash to create opportunities and score goals.
When defending, player switching is more natural, and team-mate pressure now has a time limit, meaning you can no longer rely on the AI to get the ball back for you.
FIFA 22 is more challenging than FIFA 21, making each match more competitive and removing the possibility of ridiculously large scorelines, especially in offline games.
The advanced metrics, which now appear before half-time and after every match, are maybe the most interesting and valuable feature in FIFA 22. For the first time, xG has been integrated, and the addition of heatmaps and pass charts has greatly enhanced the playing experience.
FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) is still the most popular mode, and it hasn’t changed much this year.
When navigating between parts like Team Developing Challenges and the Transfer Market, the menus are more logical, which saves time when building your squad.
The biggest change this year is stadium customization, although many people may overlook it because changing stand colours is basically just a lick of paint in FIFA 22.
Division Rivals and FUT Champions have been somewhat altered to make qualification and prizes easier, while FUT Champions has fewer matches to play this season and you can enter whenever you wish rather than just on weekends.
Career Mode has taken elements from EA’s other sports games, like as the Player Growth feature in NHL, and used them to make player growth less random and more intuitive than before. This is also how players advance in Volta and Pro Clubs, with good performance rewarded as you level up like an RPG character.
Apart from the new rosters and teams, FIFA 22 feels like a step forward from FIFA 21.
The changes to the game mode keep things exciting and keep you coming back for more.
But, most importantly, the gameplay is more enjoyable than before. This is due to EA Sports’ promotion effort focusing on the HyperMotion and Powered By Football features.
Because they are no longer pure pace-focused pinball games, matches appear more realistic, feel more realistic, and are more pleasurable to play.
FIFA 22 is the most enjoyable FIFA game in years, mainly to the inclusion of the Volta Arcade games.
Although there are still faults, if you’ve liked FIFA in the past few years, you won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
Looks great
Improved gameplay
New features
HyperMotion is awesome
Cons:
Career mode feels lacklustre
