It may have a new name, but EA Sports FC 24 is carrying on the tradition of being the go-to experience for many a footballing fan. Alas, (almost) no game is perfect, and EA FC is no exception. So while they may have brought a share of changes to the table this time around, there’s always more tinkering to be done. And here to tinker we are, with a handful of ways EA Sports FC 24 could be even better and ultimately make your experience a far less tedious one.
Co-op, Online Career Mode
Whether it’s FIFA or EA FC, we’ve lost count of how many times we’ve called for an Online Career Mode experience. With so many leagues and clubs, not to mention more players than ever before, it feels like a major missed opportunity to not include a co-op online option here. Whether you and a friend wanted to team up, battle within the same league, or navigate your way through Europe from different parts of the world, possibilities would be nearly limitless.
Plus, we don’t even have to travel far to find an example within the EA Sports community. Madden enables players to take one another in this format, so what’s stopping EA FC? Rest assured, we will never stop calling for this change.
No More Contract or Injury Cards
This time around, EA thought better of including Position Modifiers for player cards in Ultimate Team. Instead, if a player is capable of playing multiple positions, they’ll be able to slot in at said position without disrupting their or their team’s chemistry. And that’s great news!
But now that we’ve gotten a taste of what that’s like, it’s time to expand the UT overhaul and rid us of those pesky Contract and Injury cards. Like the Position Modifier, they’re unnecessary — and as you’ll see a little further down, you may find yourself getting burned on contracts every so often.
A Little Care in Commentary
We spoke about Derek Rae in our EA FC 24 review, as well as Stewart Robson. Not to mention, our newcomers Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith. But here’s the thing: Their commentary couldn’t matter less. That isn’t to say any of these four are bad at it, because they’re not. However, the lines said by both Rae and Robson (when he actually speaks; more on that shortly) are lifted directly from FIFA 23. It’s copy/paste in the harshest and laziest of ways.
Even still, it gets worse.
Mowbray and Smith may offer a pleasant change of pace, a breath of fresh air, or however you want to describe it, but their lines are just as boilerplate. It becomes tedious to the point that you’d rather just put on some music in the background and ignore the presentation altogether. Something tells us that’s not what EA FC had in mind. Even worse, the likes of Robson and Smith — who act as the secondary announcers to Rae and Mowbray respectively — hardly even speak to begin with.
May we suggest taking a page from another EA title, PGA Tour, in order to make commentary worth caring about?
SBCs, but Not for Thee
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Ultimate Team, especially with regard to this long-running franchise. UT is the ultimate money-maker for EA, and a lot of us lap it right up every single year. Some of us live within this game mode, but this year seems to be the worst yet in terms of balance.
Not only is it becoming rarer and rarer to find a Squad Building Challenge that offers tradable rewards, every single day there seems to be a new player-specific one to fixate on. Other than Marquee Matchups, players won’t find many other SBCs that reward you with packs instead of singular cards.
Whether it’s Road to the Knockouts, Trailblazers, Flashbacks, or [insert your favorite promotion here], you’re likely to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of player-specific content there is. And it doesn’t have to be that way. Unfortunately, though, it’s something that’s been building and building for a few years now. But this time around, EA FC has taken it to a new level.
We fear it’s only going to get worse.
Quitting Should Always Have Consequences
This should go without saying, but if your opponent quits or disconnects on you during an Online match, they should face consequences. More importantly, however, you yourself should not. While that may sound very obvious and incredibly straightforward, it appears that is not always the case.
Multiple playthroughs have uncovered a couple of somewhat troubling things. For starters, if your opponent disconnects when a match is tied (regardless of the score or time), you will not be given credit for the win. Not only that, but your players will burn through a match contract as well. So not only did you receive nothing for not quitting, you also lost a contract for your entire squad. Seems bad!
Where’s the XP?
Maybe it’s NBA 2K24 spoiling us or maybe it should just be common sense. But, players should receive XP whenever they play the game. Squad Battle? Here’s some XP. Completed an SBC? Hey, enjoy your XP! Kick Off, Volta, Clubs, or advancing throughout your Career? Yeah, you get it.
Instead, a lot of XP is locked behind silly, difficult, or downright tedious objectives, and that hardly seems sporting. Especially when some of those objectives require players to undertake Online Friendlies, arguably the worst game mode this franchise has birthed.
Many players play this game a lot, and they should be rewarded as such.
Bin Moments Entirely or Give Us Ones to Celebrate
Introduced in FIFA 23, Moments could have been so, so much better than they’ve ended up being. Think of all the classic football matches there are to choose from. Look at how many Icon cards this franchise has introduced; surely we could have some fun re-creating their most famous moments? Heck, what if we had the chance to re-write history in our own little virtual world?
Instead, Moments serves as just another way to tediously grind your way to another form of currency that can be used on (usually untradeable) rewards. What a waste.
Tradeable Rewards & Fewer Duplicates
Speaking of tradeable rewards, you’ll find fewer than ever before in EA FC 24. SBCs may cost a player some of their best cards, but don’t expect fair compensation for them in return. For example, a Double 84+ Upgrade requires an 11-player squad with a minimum 85 overall. Your reward? Two cards of an 84 overall or higher, which means there’s a pretty good chance you won’t even get an 85-rated player for your trouble. And if you feel as though that’s a bit cynical, well, stick around.
As untradeable rewards pile up, so too do duplicate cards, it appears. Instead of perhaps placing a duplicate limit on players, you’ll have to rid yourself of a duplicate almost as soon as you acquire one. The problem with that, of course, is that so many rewards (and thus, player cards) are untradeable. So not only can you not use these duplicates, but you can’t get anything for them either. Regardless of the player’s overall, you’re just going to have to Quick Sell it. Zero coins and a lot of fuss. Fun!
Or, rush to throw it into an SBC. But that feels far less likely. The amount of duplicates players receive is even more egregious when you realize this game has more player cards than any previous entry. So, for another example, I shouldn’t be receiving the same Italian CB who plays in the Saudi Pro League (Luiz Felipe, pictured above) TWICE within the same Marquee Matchups window.
But here we are.
You’ve Spoiled Us, Now Give Us Shorter Rivals Matches
You know what isn’t tedious in Ultimate Team? Shorter Squad Battles. My goodness, that makes grinding through those a breeze. But now that we’ve had a bite of that particular apple, we’re hoping for shorter game modes elsewhere — even if it’s just by shaving a minute off each half.
The trade-off of making Squad Battles shorter means Rivals now feel a little more endless. And hey, we’ll meet halfway. Just make Rivals shorter and keep Champions the same length as previous entries. Fair is fair, or something.
Story-Driven Player Career Mode
In FIFA 17, The Journey made its debut as players took control of Alex Hunter. And sure it had its fair share of misfires — cringey dialogue, predetermined pathways, and a lack of flexibility just to name a few — but it was better than nothing. It was something that could’ve been refined for future installments. Instead, it bowed out with FIFA 19 and players haven’t been able to experience anything similar since.
It’s wonderful that in a Manager Career this time around, players can imprint their own playing style on the game. If nothing else, it gives the game a fun little Football Manager-like feel. And yes, there are goals to hit when you’re taking on the challenge of a Player Career as well. But something story-driven, similar to Madden or even NBA 2K, would go a long way here. Being able to take your career from game to game year over year would be a nice addition as well, but we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.
Even though Ultimate Team will always be the money-maker, giving players reasons to play other than the same old-same old could make all the difference. And when you’re making the largest and most successful footballing title in the world, the risk(s) seem worth it.
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