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Once the freshness of having a new boxing game for the first time in years wears off, the community will start to pick apart the game in such a way that would make Bud Crawford proud. By exponentially increasing the number of players, the usual online exploits will be exposed, so it’s up to the developers to continue to tune the gameplay, add more fighters to the roster, and flesh out their career mode. For now, it’s an excellent start and a must-have for any die-hard boxing fan or casual that enjoys the sweet science.
With the details of the game getting more nuanced, coupled with the advancement of artificial intelligence, EA should really explore scraping the marketing gimmicks and focus on their core mechanics and how they all function. At this point with very little competition in the football/soccer arena, EA doesn’t need catchy features like “HyperMotion” or “FC IQ” to move units. The brand, the licenses, and the modes are what bring people to EA FC 25 year on year. Next year, bring me EA FC 26: Back to Basics.
Just as with NBA 2K24, the omnipresence of microtransactions within the MyCareer and MyTeam modes render the grind of improving your created player and assembling a team of top-tier cards especially frustrating for the no money spent crowd. The MyGM mode is lacking in direction and polish, failing to enhance the experience of helming a franchise in an engaging way.
There aren’t many mobile or Nintendo Switch sports games that can hold my attention, but Sociable Soccer 24 is one. You may or may not find me getting a few matches in during work hours while I slog from online meeting to online meeting. You can’t prove it regardless! At about a $25 price point, the game offers a good bang for its buck and is enough to satisfy a hardcore footy fan like myself or casual fans like my daughters. Either way, Tower Studios you have a fan.
All in all, that its depth isn’t quite there is more understandable when considering this is the return of the series. It’s a home that’s being rehabbed from 2013. The outside looks great now, but the master bathroom and the kitchen still need to be updated to match where we’re at now in 2024.
Despite it being more than a decade since the release of the celebrated Top Spin 4, TopSpin 2K25 carries on its vaunted legacy by building off its predecessor’s successful formula. Once you’ve grasped the fundamentals of John McEnroe’s helpful lessons, you’ll find that the blueprint for winning each point through outsmarting and outmaneuvering your opponent makes for a rewarding and challenging experience with all of the tools at your disposal. The game’s online modes give you plenty of ways to test your abilities against others but could perhaps use a better framework to add balance and proper compensation for your efforts. All of the on-court action is faithfully brought to life with sharp graphics and animations, especially when it comes to the spirited stadiums.
Out Of The Park Baseball 25 is about as comprehensive a managerial baseball video game as you could hope for and just as good as you would expect from the venerable series. The diversity and options within leagues, whether online or offline, give you an astounding number of ways that you can play. The depth of the statistics, attributes, and strategy contained within the multitude of screens keep you informed and in control of all matters pertaining to your team.
In the end, though, those little annoyances fade away when you’re in a tense battle for the lead, and when you cross the line after a win, they’re not in your mind at all. This game is arcade racing at its best, and while I know that’s not for everyone, there’s something truly nostalgic about this game while still feeling like a fresh take on the genre.
I don't think there will ever be a perfect wrestling video game, but if you had to ask me which wrestling game in the last 20 years has come close, WWE 2K24 would be at the top of my list.
Effectively harnessing the strengths of virtual reality technology, NFL Pro Era II mostly delivers on its promise of testing how you would fare as an NFL quarterback. The locker room serves as perfect menu hub for a respectable swath of games modes. Mini-Camps Tour and 2-Minute Drill are ideal bite-sized modes where you can constantly try to beat your high scores. Season mode adds some structure and stats to your NFL journey while multiplayer's head-to-head games are a savvy addition, even if finding opponents can be next to impossible. A host of bugs threaten to derail your enjoyment at every turn though, some of which can be overlooked more than others. Running the ball is rare and ineffective by and large, leaving passing as the only dependable option. The graphics don't exactly pop off the screen and aren't helped by some clunky animations that wear out their welcome fast.
Football Manager 2024 is a wonderful simulation, something we have come to expect from Sports Interactive after continuously putting out top quality products. Even with some of the early bugs that accompany newly released games, the game represents the best of what is the beautiful game at its highest level. The only downside to this title is the amount of sleep you'll put off when you're trying to just get through the transfer window so you can finalize your squad to meet the demands of the business end of the season.
Wild Card Football makes a play at zagging where Madden is zigging by offering a zany arcade-style take on the sport, but it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Its NFLPA license adds some authenticity by including real NFL players (but not their real NFL teams). A plethora of modes gives you an opportunity to experience the game in a variety of ways, with the card-collecting Dream Squad being a standout for its extensive customization.
With UFC not being a yearly release like Madden or NHL, I would expect a little bit more polish by now. Sure there a plethora of modes that I briefly touched upon earlier, but there doesn't seem to be any freshness to the game. Simply put, everything seems a bit…familiar. That might not be a bad thing for those who put in serious hours with UFC 4, but if you're looking for innovation, UFC 5 misses the mark in that regard.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is an incredibly fun arcade racer that taps into childhood memories. While the Creature Rampage story and the game itself might be catered towards kids, adults will have a blast boosting across the unique tracks. Elimination Mode should be a party-pleaser, and when crazy challenging tracks are bountifully available then full online lobbies battling it out seems like it will be a great time. Completing the entire story portion of the game took me roughly 12 hours and that was without completing every Unleashed Goal or even every race. If you attempt to completed all Unleashed goals as well as the challenges, it looks like you can easily sink 15-20 total hours into the offline story mode. No matter how you play, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a blast and worth a look if you're a fan of the genre or just want something different in your rotation.
This new feature fares better than the introduction of a total control configuration that dumbs down how to execute fancy maneuvers and complicates the business of body checking your opponent. HUT Moments provide some added depth to the single-player experience within the game's card-collecting modes. It's a shame though that offline modes like Be A Pro and Franchise have received little attention during this development cycle. The looming prospect of a battle pass within the World of Chel that you will be required to purchase in order to receive certain rewards taints an otherwise stellar online mode.
It's almost as if the only noticeable difference between FIFA 23 and EA Sports FC 24 is the actual name change. While everything away from the pitch mostly shines (apart from the aforementioned bugs), the action on the pitch does its best to remind us that EA is not serious about making a football simulation. Instead, EA just wants to monetize their cash cow. If there's one thing we know, it's that EA will patch this game to smithereens, but this year's game is going to have the slider makers working overtime to squeeze something out of EA Sports FC 24.
As good as the basketball can be when you're in the thick of the action, the pervasive presence of microtransactions threatens to ruin the entire appeal of the game's flagship modes. In MyCareer, you're not only all but required to purchase virtual currency to improve your attributes as in the past but now will need to buy a season pass or else run the risk of having your trusty badges regress to the point where they're almost useless. MyTeam's card-collecting mode has a similar pay-to-win framework where you can purchase level rewards or spend what feels like an eternity trying to unlock them instead. Both MyCareer and MyTeam have an offline component to offer some consolation, but taking your skills online will likely have you at a competitive disadvantage against anyone with deep pockets.
Only the most loyal PES diehards and those desperately searching for an alternative to FIFA/EA Sports FC are still checking for this game despite whatever download numbers Konami throws out there. I just hope that they don't wait too long and give us something to look forward to when it comes to more expansive modes.
For all the talk of franchise mode receiving attention in Madden 24 after being a complete disaster zone last year, there has not been the kind of innovative changes that fans hoped for and instead it leans more towards minor quality-of-life improvements. Madden Ultimate Team milks little enjoyment from collecting cards and building a team as competing online against others will likely require shelling out real money even more so than in the past because of the way the mode is designed. The game's menus lag like crazy and that makes navigating through any of them a tedious experience.
It's not perfect, but in a day and age when so many games are trying to push the boundaries, Legend Bowl's simplistic visual approach and heavy intent on gameplay is a treat. Give Legend Bowl a chance, you won't be disappointed.