.png)
5. Improve Career Mode
Ever since the emergence of Ultimate Team in FIFA, the much-loved career mode has been placed in second fiddle. It cannot be disputed that this once great mode has been neglected now for years. Go back and play career mode on FIFA 16, 17, and 18 and it is pretty much the exact same experience as FIFA 20. This is sad really and I hope this is not the case for FIFA 21. We don’t even need wholesale changes, but it would be nice to see a few improvements every year. For example, why not give us more control over the finance aspect and let us be able to set things such as ticket prices. Players on FIFA love taking a team from the depths of League Two all the way to the Premier League and yet can’t change the stadium that the team plays in. Just adding little aspects such as these would make the whole experience better and more realistic. Unfortunately, Career Mode doesn’t make EA as much money as Ultimate Team and therefore may remain in the shadows again in FIFA 21.
4. Bring Back Virtual Pro
Okay, so this one is not a new suggestion but its certainly one I would like to see make a comeback for FIFA 21. This mode was great in FIFA 12 as it allowed you to create a player who could be upgraded in any mode you used him in, by completing set achievements. For example, there were certain achievements you could only get from using your pro as a defender and some that were tied to certain modes such as Arena. This was excellent as it meant you could improve your player, no matter how you were using him. This ongoing progression also added a whole new dynamic to doing a My Player Career Mode. It encouraged you to start different careers in different positions. It also meant that if you worked hard enough and attained enough achievements, your player would have great stats and could start a career mode at a good level. This gave you a chance of starting Career Modes at big teams and getting a chance to play, rather than being shipped out on loan all the time. This mode is sadly missed, and I really hope it gets a return in FIFA’s next installment.
3. Bring Back Offline Seasons In Ultimate Team
Now this one is quite specific but is also one which I feel very strongly about. This mode was only taken away from us in FIFA 20, so the nerve is still a bit raw. Offline Seasons was a mode in Ultimate team that allowed you to play competitive games offline and move yourself up the divisions by hitting certain point brackets. Each season the total points needed for promotion got higher and so did the difficulty of the CPU opposition. You were rewarded for playing each game and also at the end of season, depending on how you did. I am aware this mode is still available online, but for no
reason at all this mode was taken away from offline. Many FIFA players do not like the drama and sometimes hostility of playing online and this allowed them a chance to still play and have fun in Ultimate Team. I am aware Squad Battles is available offline, but it simply is not as fun and not as rewarding. I have no idea why this mode was taken away. If it was for money reasons, it seems silly as players who played seasons offline would also buy packs. Many of these players now simply do not play Ultimate Team and it is EA who are missing out.
2. Fix The Gameplay
Now we get to the big one: Gameplay. This is quite a controversial pick as some people love the gameplay in FIFA 20. I, however, have several issues with it that I believe need amending. Firstly, there is the ability to score headers. Or should I say the inability to score from headers? Scoring a bullet header with your Centre Half from a corner used to be a great feeling but is now one which is about as rare as rocking horse shit. This inability to score headers just means scoring more of the same generic goals on FIFA such as rolling it across the box and tapping it in. Another aspect of the gameplay which needs amending is that FIFA now feels a bit too boring and defensive. This mainly seems to have happened since FIFA switched from the Ignite Engine to the Frostbite Engine in FIFA 17. I like having to use clever build up to score goals in FIFA, but it now seems too extreme and the defense just always has too much of an advantage. We play video games like FIFA to have fun and it appears the fun is slowly dripping away from our favorite football series. Lastly, on gameplay changes, I would just like to mention the cursed word of Scripting. Does it even actually exist? Well, sometimes it feels like it does and like the opposition are just destined to score, no matter what you do. EA, if this does exist, please can you stop it for next year? We are fed up of 96th minute equalizers by the computer from 20-yard headers!
1. Fix The Servers
And last but not least, we have the famous EA servers. Anyone who has played competitively online in FIFA will know exactly what we are talking about here. Modes in FIFA such as the online Weekend League are absolutely grueling and every result counts towards what rewards you will get. Sometimes if you will actually even qualify for it. This makes it increasingly frustrating then when you are playing well, and you lose your connection to the EA servers. Despite your internet being fine, it is you who is punished with a loss on your record. This is soul destroying and can even mean you missing out on rewards that you have worked extremely hard for. It is not just being kicked from the servers that is frustrating. Sometimes they don’t kick you but are so slow and laggy that the game becomes unplayable. This isn’t all the time, but it does happen and takes any fun away from your online experience. EA have placed such an emphasis on wanting people to play online (it makes them the most money) and yet the quality of the servers doesn’t really seem to support this idea. EA really need to step their game up, in this regard, or many of their loyal fans could be off to the dark side of PES.