FIFA 16 Reviews
Still the best football game you can buy for your rig, but FIFA 16 feels unambitious.
FIFA's interpretation of football removes some of the fun, but it offers so much else besides it's still a worthwhile game.
Lacking fluidity and dynamism, football's reigning king has lost its crown.
New moves threaten to weigh down FIFA's snappy pace and breezy playability, but while slightly slower and more methodical, 16 plays a deeper, more balanced game of football.
The worst FIFA game for over half a decade, and clearly inferior to PES 2016. And yet it's still not a bad game in itself, with some welcome new features.
The evolved gameplay keeps you coming back more than any specific new feature
This sequence is the story of FIFA 16, from its participants, to the tools used to deliver the goal, to the cathartic payoff that sent me leaping from my seat. Sports video gaming is at its best when you're fighting your ass off and the miracle comes through. And when it does, no game rolls out the TNT like FIFA 16.
FIFA 16 can be stubborn and stifling, but it feels gloriously new, and having to learn fresh strategies and nuances in a game series like this is an almost-forgotten pleasure.
I've consistently defended FIFA as the most well-rounded sports sim. But the series has felt like it's been standing still this generation, and that is felt more acutely than ever in FIFA 16. As always, it has its strengths, and the FUT Draft is a strong addition, but it's not enough to break the feeling of staleness that has descended upon the once undisputed king of sports games.
As a whole, FIFA 16 plays well and fantastic visual cues. It will be interesting to see how EA will be pushed to produce a winning title if PES continues to keep the pressure.
Much like its predecessor, FIFA 16 is likely to be picked up by a brand new audience purely thanks to the fact that professional soccer is growing exponentially in popularity in North America. Thankfully, newcomers and veterans alike will find an excellent game of soccer that yet again takes advantage of the higher processing power of current-gen consoles to deliver an experience more realistic than ever.
Building off an already great game last year, the addition of Women's National Teams, albeit limited in use, as well as the new FUT Draft easily make FIFA 16 yet another entry in this long running series that should not be passed.
Lots of small improvements both on and off the pitch make this the best FIFA in years.
FIFA 16 is an incremental improvement, but with legacy issues still plaguing the on-field action the changes feel hollow in light of PES 2016's overwhelming turnaround.
Without a doubt, FIFA 16 provides countless hours of fun football. Any soccer fan will find tons to enjoy here. After all, this game is your mom's mac and cheese. It's familiar. It's comfortable. And that's the problem.
While there are some rough edges, FIFA 16 stands out as the best football game in recent memory. The new dribbling mechanic adds a ton of depth to the game, and women's soccer is finally represented (even if it isn't the high point it should be). Die-hard fans will be glad to know it is as fun as ever, and there are enough hooks for even casual fans to have a ton of fun.
Overall, FIFA is clearly the most technically sound sports franchise in EA Sports' pocket, which can result in a lack of risk taking. For now, no risks are needed, as FIFA 16 is a fantastic addition to a storied franchise.
Pro Evolution Soccer has closed the gap on its long-standing rival, but myriad teams and features keep this the season's standout player
FIFA 16 is light on sweeping changes but heavy on refinement, building an excellent new foundation for EA's football series.
FIFA 16 stands as a high water mark for soccer games, and sports games as a genre. Its nicely balanced gameplay and innovative feature implementations reaffirm the franchise as an industry standard, and soccer fans everywhere are going to love it.