Booting up EA FC feels like visiting your childhood home only to find out the new owners replaced the tire swing with a crypto-mining rig. We were told the name change was just a rebranding, but somewhere between the FIFA divorce and the birth of FC 24, the 'Beautiful Game' got a massive corporate makeover.
If you’ve been feeling like something is off, you’re probably right. But before we pour one out for the past, let’s look at what EA actually got right - and where they tripped over their own shoelaces.
1. The Commentary Glow-Up : Better than the ‘Good Old Days?’
In EA FC 25, we finally have dynamic variety with Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith. Unlike the old days, when Martin Tyler would say the same three lines about a 'formidable challenge', the new system actually tracks your 'Career Mode' narrative. They discuss your transfer fees, your current goal drought, and tactical shifts. It actually feels like a live broadcast.
2. Realism vs. The 'Coward's Meta'
Visually, the game is a 4K fever dream. Thanks to HyperMotion V, the ripples in the jersey and pitch degradation are terrifyingly realistic. Even the player-specific running styles (like Haaland’s 'power-slouch') make the games look fun.
The goalkeepers in FC 26 have finally stopped acting like they’re trying to catch a greased pig. God bless the new ML and AI-powered systems, they actually adjust their stance now (though they still occasionally have an existential crisis on near-post headers, but that's okay).
However, as YouTuber Italian Stallion points out, the gameplay often contradicts the graphics. We are stuck in the 'Coward’s Meta'. The winning strategy? Dribbling in semi-circles on the wing until the defensive AI eventually glitches itself out.
3. FC IQ : The Brain Upgrade
Well, let's give credit where it's really due: FC IQ is a massive win for the tacticians. Replacing simple responsibilities with advanced player roles (like the Half-Winger or False 9) means your AI teammates actually have a brain. Your CDM finally covers the hole (well, most of the time, which is again more than ‘never’) you want them to, making the game feel very real for those who play football like a chess match instead of an arcade dash.
4. The 'Casino-fication' Problem (Monetization vs. Fun)
FIFA always had packs, but EA FC has turned the 'grind' into a second job for all of us (the poor but passionate ones who can't afford to pay their way into greatness)
The Store Pack vs. Rewards Gap : As Reddit users have pointed out, the gap between what you earn from 20 games of Weekend League and a single 3,000 FC Point 'Untradeable Store Pack' is staggering. You can sweat through Rank 1 rewards only to pull a 74-rated fodder card, while 'the rich brat' can drop $30 and instantly pull a meta-breaking Icon.
The Evolution Tax : EA introduced Evolutions as a way to 'make your favorites feasible’, but they quickly turned it into a coin sink. Many of the best 'Evos' require 100k coins or 500 FC Points to unlock. It’s a brilliant, yet evil way to drain your club’s liquid gold, forcing you back to the store when the next big SBC drops.
The Objective Headache : From 'Win 5 games' to 'Score a finesse shot with a Left-Back who has 3-star skills and plays with your local club' - the achievements have become simply exhausting, to say the least. It turns a football match into a chore list, where you’re so focused on completing objectives, that you forget to actually enjoy the goddamned game.
5. The Soundtrack : From Indie Anthems to ‘Corporate Noise’
If there is one thing that proves EA is losing the plot, it’s the music. For two decades, a 'FIFA Song' was a legitimate genre. It was the combination of upbeat indie-pop, world music, and alternative rock that made you feel like you were at a summer festival. If it wasn’t for this game, half of us wouldn't know who Glass Animals, Two Door Cinema Club, or The 1975 were.
As YouTuber LDJ points out in his 'The Truth About EA FC' YouTube video, these soundtracks weren't just background music - they shaped our music taste for life. You hear a song from FIFA 15, and you’re instantly transported back to a simpler time.
BONUS : Why 'Rush' and 'Volta' Aren't 'FIFA Street'?
EA keeps trying to sell us street football, but they’ve forgotten what made the original EA SPORTS BIG titles legendary.
The Physics of REAL Fun
FIFA Street 2 (2006) wasn't FIFA on a smaller pitch - it worked on an entirely different engine. The ball felt 'sticky' and allowed for 720-degree scorpion kicks and gravity-defying tricks. Volta, meanwhile, used the same 'heavy' engine as the 11v11 game. It felt like trying to play Futsal in a pair of wet pants. As Reddit users have pointed out, Volta was essentially 'Normal FIFA with a fence,' which is why it eventually never made any sense.
Gamebreaker vs. Skill Meter
In the old school, you filled a Gamebreaker meter. When it popped, you could even 'steal' goals from your opponent. It was an arcade mechanic that rewarded ‘defender humiliation’. Volta’s ‘Skill Meter’ just gives you ‘points multiplier’ (Listen EA, street doesn't rhyme well with words like points and multiplier). It lacked the 'soul' of the 1v1 trick battles where you’d literally break a defender's ankles with a flick of the right stick.
So Rush is the New Foundation?
In FC 25, EA replaced Volta with Rush. While it’s technically 'better' because it’s a social 5v5 experience, it’s still not 'Street'. It’s basically Pro Clubs on a smaller pitch. It’s fun, sure, but it’s a bit too sanitized. There’s no graffiti, no grime, and no "Joga Bonito" flair.
The Final Verdict : Why We Still Miss FIFA?
EA FC 25 is technically a masterpiece of simulation. The commentary is sharper, graphics are mind-bending, and the tactics are deeper. But it’s missing the core identity of the sport. FIFA was a shared global language. It was the game you played after school, the source of your most cherished memories.
EA FC feels like a high-end product, but FIFA was a hobby. We miss the days when the game rewarded creativity over 'glitching the AI'. EA has the licenses and the tech, but FIFA still has the vibes (all of them).
We miss the crackle of a headset at 1:00 AM, the crazy queues at the stores on release day, and the magic of FIFA soundtracks that made us feel like anything was possible. FIFA captured the soul of our childhood. Now, we’re left with a polished machine that knows the price of every player but has forgotten the value of a 90th-minute banger with your best mates. The tech has moved on, but our hearts are still stuck in that loading screen from ten years ago.