By Luis Diaz
Last year EA Sports had its best accomplishment with FIFA 22.
The Hypermotion engine was first introduced in FIFA 22 to better replicate the game of football.
FIFA 23 builds upon that engine and introduces Hypermotion 2, which captures a full-on 11-on-11 match to make it more realistic.
In terms of game modes, nothing has really changed which is disappointing as this is EA Sports’ last year with the FIFA license.
A lot of changes have been made to this year’s game and it can get overwhelming for returning and new players.
EA introduces the Training Center that helps new players out with the basics of the game.
The pacing was a major issue in last year’s edition of FIFA, but it seems that the developers took note of that. With Hypermotion 2, players act like their real-life counterparts.
This change finally gives players a more balanced experience when attacking or defending.
FIFA 23 offers new ways to attack the defense. This year they’ve added a Power shot mechanic.
The Power shot mechanic is a risk and reward system that allows players to create space to shoot the ball hard with precision, but leaves the player wide open for a defender to make the tackle.
The game has a more tactical approach and players must know when to use this Power shot against the opponent.
The Ultimate Team game mode is back and focuses on building the best team in the FIFA online community via microtransactions, which has received one major change to the mode.
Chemistry has been updated to make it more approachable to players.
Crossplay has been something that the FIFA community has been asking for a very long time.
EA aimed to make this year a more open online experience and enabled crossplay for PS5 and XBOX SERIES X.
The problem is that cross-play is only available in online friendlies, Ultimate Team, and other modes such as VOLTA and Pro Clubs that are lacking the cross-play option.
For the first time ever, FIFA 23 has introduced Women’s Football to the game, and the Women’s World Cup coming in a later update.
The women’s teams feel very different from the men’s football as the women’s received their own motion capture gameplay featuring a women’s 11-on-11 match.
The gameplay feels much more aggressive in contrast to the men’s gameplay, with a lot of physicalities which provides a different experience that players can enjoy.
The visuals look stunning, especially with all the recognizable names of the sport. The stadiums come to life with the crowds and much improved audio to recreate authentic fans in the stands.
From the chants at Anfield to the boos when the opposite team has the ball, the visual experience replicates the sport seen on television.
EA has offered an even deeper experience and more immersive experience in FIFA 23.
Hypermotion 2 improves the gameplay with more realism and introduces many more animations that can be seen on the pitch.
The machine learning AI is a nice feature that learns from the player’s approach to the game to offer a competitive experience, which remains the best AI in a sports game.
This machine learning AI should be much more present in other sports games. The reaction, the flow, and the strategy are incredible.
The new Power shot mechanic finally gives players satisfying ways to score.
Cross-play is limited to Ultimate Team and online friendlies, which is very disappointing. The Men’s and Women’s World Cup is a mode that has been heavily advertised but wasn’t available at launch.
FIFA 23 is a good game, but the lack of changes in the locker room does not live up to what EA originally advertised.