After several Pitch Notes published at the end of the season highlighting FIFA 19's various gameplay issues, we can see that EA have listened and taken on board a lot of the criticisms fans have had of the game throughout the year, promising to try and address these concerns in their development of FIFA 20.
We went into the FIFA 20 Producer Tour in Berlin with high hopes as to what kind of game we would be given the chance to play. Have the criticisms really been taken into account by the publisher?
It’s worth noting, of course, that the version given to us at the event is still in production and will be radically different come September. The version we had in our hands offered a very pleasant and steady rhythm of play, but expect things to be ramped up slightly come release. This version was also without all the stat boosts that come with chemistry in modes like Ultimate Team, so gameplay in that mode will also be quite different from what we played.
Manual defence finally rewarded
The work done on defence is certainly the most significant change we noticed. Players used to letting the AI defend will have a harder time stopping attacks. The two-player press has also been made much less efficient and the new tackles and interceptions animations make defending feel more rewarding as they allow your player more of a chance to keep the ball once the tackle has been made.
The emphasis on 1v1 match ups also plays an important part in how you manage your defence. From now on you will have more space and time to express yourself when your attacking.
During our few games high-rated defenders such as Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane and Virgil Van Dijk, seemed almost impassable if they were well-controlled manually.
Skill moves tuned down
"Croqueta, scoop turn, ping it out wide to Mbappé who finds Ronaldo's head from a superb tornado cross"... you know the drill.
But rest assured that EA Sports is well aware of the inconsistency and lack of realism in these offensive game phases.
The effectiveness of “chained” skill moves (long combinations of different skill moves without any proper dribbling in between) has been drastically decreased. One Croquetta may give you some room, but adding another skill move after will almost always result in your player losing the ball.
El Tornado crosses are also less effective. All of this adds to a more realistic attacking game where you can still use the odd flash of skill, but not abuse it to your advantage.
For the skillers, VOLTA will be the place for you to live out your skill-based fantasies and score your outrageous goals. The base game, however, has certainly skewed more to the side of realism.
New gameplay features
Obviously the FIFA 20 gameplay is not limited to a few adjustments and (very necessary) modifications — we once again see the addition of some new gameplay features.
This year marks an almost complete overhaul of free kicks and penalties, which now work with a circular target system. This mechanism, which may seem simple to use, is ultimately much more difficult to master than the EA Play images might suggest.
As proof, after more than a dozen attempts, no free kick had managed to fly into the back of the net. Despite the simple looking system, you’re now able to put spin and dip on the ball and only once you master those variables will you be able to score at a decent rate from free kicks.
FIFA 20 also marks the arrival of new ball physics. The ball now behaves a lot more like a ball does on turf, moving at a slightly slower pace than we’re used to. It also reacts far more naturally when it deflects off of a player. It's a small and well thought-out addition to contribute to the realism of the new game.
EA is also introducing "Composed Finishing" (not to be confused with "timed finishing") which will take into account your player's position and the way you strike the ball. In other words, the back-to-goal volleyed shots from outside the box that we’re used to seeing are no more. It is difficult to completely assess this new feature based on just a few games, but it’s safe to say that none of our games ended in a tennis score.
Finally, "strafe dribbling" — a kind of equivalent to the double triggers of FIFA 17 — has been added. Achieved using the LT/L2 trigger while moving, this allows the dribbler to shimmy left or right with the ball at his/her feet.
It must be said that EA Sports has really listened to players' feedback by working on the most important problems encountered in FIFA 19 — namely AI defending, the lack of realism caused by skill moves, and bizarre finishing mechanics. Everything is subject to change, of course, but from what we played FIFA 20 looks on course to address the negatives of FIFA 19. Let’s hope that it just doesn’t cause itself any new problems come release.
Mohammed "MoAuba" Harkous has become the FIFA 19 world champion after a surprise victory against defending champion Mossad "Msdossary" Aldossary in the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final.
