Electronic Arts (EA) soccer series, FIFA, is amongst the most popular video games for soccer and non-soccer fans alike.

While a new FIFA is released every year, many, including me, question if the new releases are worth $60. Having played FIFA for over 12 years, I’ve been disappointed by underwhelming  recent releases, as gamers haven’t seen a major update to the game in terms of new game modes other than Ultimate Team, which was released in 2009, and the introduction of  The Journey in FIFA 17, which has since been discontinued for this year’s edition.

With a new game mode, Volta Football, combined with new gameplay physics and minor additions to other modes, FIFA 20 has made me change the way I’ve played in recent releases. While the game has flaws, FIFA 20 is an excellent update to last year’s game. Here’s why.

Volta Football

Since the addition of The Journey story mode in FIFA 17, the past two releases of FIFA have been limited to gameplay and mode updates, but this year is different. Volta Football is the highlight this year’s game, as players are able to take their skills to streets and courts playing small-sided soccer.

In Volta, players play on the streets and courts of Barcelona, London, Rio de Janeiro, and 14 other locations using professional teams as well as avatars created in the game. “The Journey” story mode from FIFA 17, 18, 19 will be replaced by Volta story mode. You are able to create your own avatar named “Revvy” and join a street/futsal soccer team led by street soccer legend Jayzinho. Your team’s goal is to win tournaments to qualify for the world championships and, hopefully, win that as well. By winning games, completing tournaments, and completing skill challenges, the avatar’s skills improve and earn Volta Coins to buy clothes, shoes, and accessories for the avatar. I enjoyed this story mode as I experienced multiple setbacks as well as successes from the beginning to the end. This is also an improvement on The Journey as it is more engaging and takes less time to complete.

In regards to gameplay, players can choose 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5 offline and online.  The smallest match size, 3v3 does not include goalkeepers. While Volta is more fast-paced than usual 11v11 soccer, I realized a considerable amount of technique and knowledge of tactics is necessary in order to win games.

Formations and set pieces are included making players think more about how they play. For those who enjoyed pressing random buttons to trigger skills in FIFA’s old series, FIFA Street, Volta won’t be for them. After taking the time to learn the controls and do drills within the game, Volta proved to be an enjoyable experience overall.

11 v11 Gameplay

Despite Volta being the main attraction of FIFA 20, the rest of the game will be played on an 11v11 field. The addition of street soccer/futsal is refreshing, but I enjoy 11v11 soccer more.

I’ve been critical of the updates EA has made to gameplay over the recent years not because they have been bad, but there haven’t been huge improvements. With that being said, I must admit I’m impressed with what EA has done with this year’s game: gameplay has become more realistic and harder as a result.

The change I appreciate the most is how speed attributes have a larger effect on the game. Now, players with high-speed attributes such as Kylian Mbappe will be easily be outrun slower players. I believe this will be a change all players will enjoy as the frustration of faster players being caught up to by slower players will not be an issue anymore.

The change to ball physics as well as penalties/free-kicks is arguably what makes the games the most realistic. The grass has become more lifelike making the ball move slower as well as be susceptible to unlikely bounces. While this slows down the speed of play considerably, I enjoy it because it makes the game harder and levels the playing field. Penalties and free-kicks have become easier as players can now maneuver a visible target on the screen, so they know exactly where they’re aiming.

The new addition of strafe dribbling is a welcome change for me as I try to score solo goals quite often. Strafe dribbling allows off to move the ball left, right, or backward using small touches to lure defenders into making a tackle. Once a defender commits to making a tackle you can easily evade him/her leaving them behind. While this is a fun skill to use that is seen by players in real life, it can be a bit overpowering, as it’s almost impossible for defenders to stop if done correctly.

The last two noticeable changes EA has made are the set-up touch skill and the improved artificial intelligence to defenders. The set-up touch allows players to take a small touch to get the ball of their feet and run up to the ball and get more power on their shot. While this skill is something that once again relates to soccer in real life, there is room for improvement as it takes too long to perform; defenders are able to close me down before getting I could get my shot off.

While many improvements have been made on the offensive side of the game, the improvement of artificial intelligence on defenders is commendable as well. I noticed defenders took up smarter positions on the pitch allowing them to stop attacks more easily. Tackling is more realistic also as defenders now tackle in such a way that allows them to not just dispossess attackers, but retain possession afterward.

Verdict

Unfortunately, EA did not make any significant updates to the game modes from FIFA 19, as the addition of new House Rules and improved friendly matches in Ultimate Team is underwhelming. Despite this, the introduction of Volta and improved gameplay make up for where EA got it wrong. FIFA 20 is more realistic than ever before and Volta adds more variety to a game that already had plenty of modes making it a must-have for avid gamers.