EA FC 24 needs a gameplay overhaul – I'm sick of pull-back merchants

29 October 2023 , 07:00

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Playing EA FC 24 is not fun right now, some big changes are needed (Image: EA SPORTS)

EA FC 24 had a pretty good start gameplay-wise, but it has quickly deteriorated over the last few weeks owing to various issues and right now, I think it's in need of a big overhaul.

Barely a month after the game's official worldwide release, EA FC 24 has already received four major updates, but none have gone far enough to change the one-dimensional gameplay meta that's currently dominating the most popular game modes, such as UT Champions. This is despite Title Update 3, released in mid-October, featuring over 120 changes and the last patch, Title Update 4, featuring a number of new gameplay tweaks and bug fixes. Most of the game's major bugs, including Ada Hegerberg's item being broken, the calf dribble glitch and the Clubs PlayStyle Plus glitch may have been fixed thanks to these updates, but the gameplay has barely changed. And that's not good.

As every player who has played EA FC 24 in the last few weeks will be aware, there's currently only one way to play the game if you want to score goals, which involves running down the wing with a fast player, cutting inside and cutting the ball back to a striker for an easy finish. There's nothing inherently wrong with this tactic, in fact, you see a number of real-life football teams, including Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, employ this tactic to great effect.

Gameplay loop

This method of scoring goals isn't new, but thanks to the unique (not in a good way) gameplay pressing mechanics in EA FC 24, it's the only way to score, as the middle of the pitch – where most of football is played in real life – is pretty much off limits in this game. In this year's EA Sports FC title, if you have the depth of your team at 71 or higher, no matter what type of pressing you choose, your players will automatically press high up the pitch and deploy an automatic offside trap.

This mechanic, combined with the serious lack of movement in midfield when you're on the ball, even with slow build-up and possession tactics, means that trying to play out from the back and into midfield to progress forward is suicide. Unless you get lucky or you have incredible player items, you're going to lose the ball trying to play passes into your midfielders, and because you'll lose the ball close to your own goal, you're probably going to concede.

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This has led to a self-fulfilling meta, because people know this is super powerful and deploy this defensive tactic, whilst also being aware that the way to score goals is to switch the play and run down the wing. If you don't play this way, you're at a disadvantage.

This EA FC 24 screenshot shows just how difficult it is to build up through the middle of the pitch, where is the midfield? (EA SPORTS)

Real-life football is full of different philosophies and tactics, and although 'pretty football' is commonplace nowadays, there are many different styles of football on display. Teams like Man City, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Brighton, Inter, Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid, Brentford and Newcastle United all have distinct tactics that are different from one another. But in EA FC 24, there's only one way to win, and that makes for a frustrating and repetitive gameplay experience.

I've been playing EA Sports' football games for over 20 years and although there have always been meta gameplay mechanics present in every title, there have always been different ways to play, to score goals and to win. I've always had a lot of fun employing tiki-taka tactics, using small, agile players throughout my team and using passing skills to advance the ball and score goals. But this year, that's just not possible for the reasons above.

There's nothing wrong with players leaning into meta gameplay mechanics to gain an advantage, but this specific gameplay meta is so powerful that everyone is playing the same way. Where's the fun in that?

More to the point, how can player movement be worse in EA FC 24 than it was in FIFA 19? EA spoke a lot about HyperMotion V technology and how its used volumetric data from more than 180 professional men’s and women’s football matches would improve player movement, but I can't remember an EA Sports game with less movement, particularly in midfield. The gameplay needs to be significantly overhauled in order to combat these overpowered pressing mechanics, otherwise this game is going to become very boring, very quickly.

Nathan Bliss