FIFA 21 test: nothing (really) new under the sun

Between Covid-19 and the imminent arrival of the new generation of consoles, Electronic Arts preferred to play it safe and not embark on an overhaul of its eternal football simulation. Communication around FIFA 21 has even been particularly discreet and, even more surprisingly, no playable demo has been released. Wouldn't that hide a little something unmentionable?

FIFA 21 test: nothing (really) new under the sun See the priceRead the conclusionFIFA 21

Better management of calls, “creative” races
New in training in career mode
Cooperative in FIFA Ultimate Team
Gameplay still as "festive" and joyful

Focus on attack and star players
Physics engine that disappoints again (collisions, inertia)
Painful defensive fluctuations in the middle
Behavior of guards to review

While the competitor of always – Konami – has opted for the formula of the simple update, Electronic Arts has therefore decided to distribute a “real” new opus of its FIFA. When eFootball PES 2021 is trading at 30 euros, you have to pay at least 60 to get FIFA 21 and still it is only the most modest of versions, prices climbing to 80 euros for the Champions Edition and 90 euros for the Ultimate Edition. We will see that the account is not quite there, even when we limit the expense.

Bis repeated place

A year ago, when the two previous versions were released, we were able to prepare a kind of duel between these football stars. It was obviously only our opinion, but we felt that eFootball PES 2020 then slightly prevailed over a FIFA 20 too focused on the attack in general and the star players in particular. It was really too easy for them to blow up any defense. On the other hand, FIFA 20 tended a little too much to celebrate what is known as the direct style, to play the champagne football card. Flaws in our eyes, but which did not prevent EA Sports from making a new hit on the sales side.

The absence of risk that we mentioned above is therefore not a surprise. Why try to innovate when the future is uncertain and the current formula continues to sell like hotcakes? Electronic Arts has therefore renewed the same game modes, the same main options in a game which therefore focuses around the inevitable FUT, the career and the most recent Volta. FIFA Ultimate Team – FUT for short – is therefore back and it is actually like this whole “21” version, as the contributions are modest. We will appreciate all the same that the grind aspect so decried last year has been slightly adjusted.

Thus, the form system is no longer relevant and the establishment of weekly limits (30) makes it possible to avoid intensive farming for some, a source of frustrating gaps between players. However, the very philosophy of FUT does not change and it is still a remarkable incentive to crime with sights on your credit card. The real good news for furious FUT fans, those who spend their evenings and most of their weekends there, is that it will be possible to switch their progress to the new generation… provided, all the same , to stay in the same world (PlayStation or Xbox). Not crazy for us PC gamers.

Buy FIFA 21

Volta will not make Career

To finish with FUT, note also that the cooperative of this game mode is now possible on Team Clash, on Division Rivals as well as on friendly matches. However, it is important to specify that the system of individual rewards remains in place and for the cooperative mode to be “fully functional”, both players must have completed their placement matches. In the end, there is not much to say about the addictive aspect of FIFA Ultimate Team, always so exhilarating. For years, EA Sports has made it its "cash cow" and it is therefore not ready to change.

Unsurprisingly, the other “heavyweight” of this FIFA 21 is the career mode, which is getting a facelift this year to put more emphasis on training and player progression. This starts with a new interface that unfolds on three aspects: morale, state of form and “cutting edge”. This third "key" is there to simulate a player's ability to push himself in the most important moments of a match, which is supposed to make the difference between a good player and a champion. Classics, morale and state of form do not require special explanations. For each player of the team, it is possible to define a training profile, to define priority statistics and to "push" him in order to boost his sharpness. Conversely, too much training will lower his state of form.

As you can imagine, the principle of this “new formula” training is to find the right balance in order to have the best performing players. Even if, of course, the decision is made in the hands of the controller, the "cutting edge" can bring a little more appreciable in the middle of a match. The match can of course be simulated, but also take advantage of the "interactive simulation": it is a 2D presentation of the match with the possibility of entering the match or returning to the simulation whenever you want... Already our favorite mode on FIFA 20, the career is still what we will remember with a very pleasant little Football Manager side "for dummies".

Frostbite lacks bite

In any case, it seems to us well above Volta who was already struggling to convince us last year. This time, EA Sports has deemed it useful to hire a "star" in the person of the Brazilian Kaká who intervenes through a kind of scenario bordering on indigence with characters each more unbearable than the other and ridiculous situations. It is a question of a kind of “selection” to participate in a tournament bringing together, of course, the best. All this to stage these confrontations in 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 through "street-terrains" around the world from São Paulo to Dubai via our beautiful capital.

The fact remains that Volta has its fans with its very particular style, this gameplay at the antipodes of "classic" football and a game made up of short passes and very nervous sequences which nevertheless benefits from a finer artificial intelligence, more in phase with our own actions. Still, for many “footers”, it is in 11v11 that soccer is practiced and it is at this level that EA Sports is disappointing as the contributions are light, not to say insignificant. The studio has certainly improved the management of fine dribbling and brought variety to the calls – via the directed race in particular – but unfortunately we cannot say that this changes the fundamentals.

JVFR

The offensive stars - here Mo Salah - still overly privileged © Nerces for Clubic

Thus, we mainly regret the old age of a physics engine that is struggling to rethink itself. The management of collisions is still whimsical and while we have been complaining about this "inertia" in movements for years, well, nothing has changed! The goalkeepers are perhaps even weaker than in previous years and while the pace of action seems to have slowed down slightly, there is still an emphasis on a direct style of play with attacks from deep or often devastating crosses. Of course, we always have fun, but year after year, we realize more and more the "caricature" side that a FIFA match can take.

Finally, and there Electronic Arts should be careful because even if it still clearly dominates the licensing fight, it is losing ground in Serie A, for example, where AS Roma, FC Crotone, Juventus and Spezia Calcio are now lacking. Brazil is hardly more present than last year while the Colombian and Chilean championships have passed into the hands of eFootball PES 2021. Last comment to emphasize that if we tested the game in its PC version, this one- there is of course nothing next-gen this year with a rendering of faces or terrain that is still just as artificial, even if it does the job in “distant” view.

JVFR

FIFA 2021 : Clubic's avis

In absolute terms, FIFA 2021 is not a bad game... in reality it is, so to speak, as good or as bad - a matter of point of view - as the vintage 2020. We said it in the introduction, the Covid-19 pandemic 20 has probably not simplified the work of EA Sports and the arrival of the new consoles has certainly prompted Electronic Arts to be cautious… The fact remains that on our side it is to the players that we suggest mistrust. There are indeed some minor changes, some adjustments between FIFA 21 and FIFA 60, but these improvements are marginal and we still have the furious impression of playing a kind of big patch refining certain points, updating the workforce. A big patch billed at 16 euros! Inevitably, if you are still dragging FIFA 17 or XNUMX, it is undoubtedly desirable to make the switch, for the others, keep your money.

Test carried out using code provided by the publisher.

FIFA 21 coins

For football fans, the question arises at each outing: is this the right year to crack? Are the novelties enough to justify the expense? This FIFA 21 at least has the merit of providing a quick answer: keep your money. Unless you are still hanging out with FIFA 16 or FIFA 17, it is indeed urgent… to wait for the next-gen and see if EA Sports will finally be able to question its physics engine and some of its gameplay orientations.