EA FC 25 Preview - The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

[sofiya]

As part of my preview for EA FC 25, I was sent around 90 minutes of panel discussions of the new features in the game. But sometimes these can cloud your judgement - I've been playing EA FC (or FIFA, as it was then) since FIFA '99, as well as several of its competitors, so I know how the game feels. The best place to start was with a match.

In diving right in like this, there are two things instantly noticeable. Firstly, it's the same game. Secondly, it's not the same game at all. As a yearly series that offers minor evolutions each term and has long felt more suited to a live-service model, comparing one EA FC to the last is a microscopic task. The last few entries have brought more significant overhauls - HyperMotion, the generational jump, the rebrand and arrival of PlayStyles - but this time, not so much.
https://www.u4gm.com/fc-25-players
EA FC 25 Plays Mostly Like EA FC 24

On the pitch, it's EA FC. It looks the same as last year and the general feeling of the game is similar, too. That's to be expected, and while going back to those videos from EA did reveal some under the hood tweaks (more on those below), it's hard to see that much impact in the short time I had actually playing the game.
https://www.u4gm.com/fc-25-sbcs
But in presentation and organisation, EA FC feels very different. It feels a lot more Tactico-coded; no longer do players play in Defence or Midfield but as Inverted Wingbacks, Ballplaying Centre Backs, Wide Forwards, Shadow Strikers, and Roaming Playmakers. There have been options to control your positioning on a more micro level before, but this brings it front and centre, emphasising tactical input - how the players react to this is called FC IQ.

It can make picking your formation and best line-up take a little longer, but playing Foden and Doku in the same position but with different roles, I did see an impact in how the players moved around the pitch. It seems good for Career Mode, but takes away from the pick up and go feeling of playing with friends or online, and how it will work in Ultimate Team when cards change players’ stats is still unclear.

Each player's strengths in each position is based on Opta analysis of the past two seasons, including thousands of minutes, but I'm not sure what this means for lower league players. I'm also less confident in the numbers EA presented, which had Bellingham at 14 percent suitability as a Shadow Striker. Maybe these numbers aren't final, as he also has the Role Plus Plus for this position, which is reserved for world class stars. Every player has a Role Plus, the position and emphasis (Roaming, Deep-Lying, Defensive etc) in which they play best, and Plus Plus is where they are the best of the best.
https://www.u4gm.com/fc-25-packs
EA FC 25's Presentation Has Been Modernised

The presentation of the game looks a lot more modern with these additions, moving away from coloured dots into more informative panels that are clearly influenced by making Ultimate Team feel like the norm. Player information also emphasises PlayStyles more prominently over the list of endless numbers that dominated previously, while more tactical tweaks will be suggested mid-match. Other gameplay updates include new PlayStyles for goalkeepers, professional fouls, weather impacting play (wind for corner curvage), and greater situational awareness. The sort of thing you'll notice less but grow to appreciate, I suspect.
https://www.u4gm.com/fc-25-boosting