We’ve all seen the news over the past year or so. FIFA, the clearly not-at-all corrupt sporting organization responsible for handling everything related to football, as well as getting cozy with dictatorships from all shapes and sizes, decided to sever its ties with Electronic Arts, removing the FIFA branding from EA Sports’ annual football simulator. EA Sports FC 24 would be the first game in more than thirty years without the federation’s, uh, “blessing”. I’m not gonna lie, this was the reason I wanted to try it out, to see if anything else but its name would change when compared to previous iterations of FIFA. The results? Well, a big fat “Leo, you idiot, you should have known it was going to be just another FIFA with a different name”.

I’m not going to say I haven’t enjoyed previous iterations of FIFA, because that would be a lie. Do I thoroughly dislike the Ultimate Team mode, and its insistence on microtransactions? Yes, of course. At the same time, I’m glad most of the bull***t is kept to that mode alone, unlike, say, NBA 2K‘s many modes filled to the brim with additional monetization, ads, and product placement. I do, however, expect a bit of innovation in between iterations. I try to avoid reviewing a new FIFA each year, as I wouldn’t like to just see roster upgrades and nothing else. Sadly, the three years between EA Sports FC 24 and the last FIFA game I had decided to tackle did not result in massive changes, either.

Sure, EA will boast about its Hypermotion V technology, about how it provides more realistic gameplay and visuals and whatnot. Honestly? Haven’t noticed that much of a difference in these regards. The “Playstyles” feature grants a handful of star players some unique capabilities. Again, it’s a very minute thing. Visually speaking, it’s the same as FIFA 21, and consequently, 22 and 23. The controls feel the same, though I noticed the removal of the fatigue system, which used to make the R2 trigger harder to press if your player was too tired to run. Why was that removal necessary? It was one of the coolest features from its previous iterations.

More noticeable inclusions in this iteration were the brand new leagues, the Liga F and Frauen Bundesliga, thus exponentially increasing the amount of women’s teams in the game. Having a more egalitarian amount of modes with women’s team support was also a neat touch, especially after the very successful and record-breaking 2023 Women’s World Cup.

I did notice, however, that the narration was a bit better than in previous FIFA games. Maybe it’s because of the commentators, or maybe the re-recordings feel less robotic. Whichever was the case, it made for less boring matches, at least from an audio perspective. That, however, clashes with the slightly less varied soundtrack, even though it features a brand new single from none other than the Rolling Stones. Yep, alive and kicking in 2023.

EA Sports FC 24 might feature a brand new name, a flashy new visual identity, but let’s face it: it’s the same damn thing as before. EA might try to convince you that its new buzzwords are actually game changing features, but it’s visually the same, and it plays extremely similarly to all previous three iterations of the game on PS5. It’s still entertaining, and avoiding FUT like the plague will give you a somewhat feature-filled and microtransaction-free experience, but it’s just a roster update with a few new teams and a bland soundtrack. Somehow, its Nintendo Switch counterpart is a lot more interesting this year, due to the fact it’s actually as good as its console brothers… but on-the-go.

 

Graphics: 7.5 In essence, no changes whatsoever when compared to its predecessors on the PlayStation 5. It doesn’t look bad, but I did expect improvements.	Gameplay: 7.5 The controls are good, as expected, but the removal of the fatigue system tied to the DualSense’s adaptive triggers is a disappointment.
Sound: 7.0 The narration is better than other iterations of FIFA, but the soundtrack variety is a bit more disappointing. At the end of the day, the pros and cons cancel each other out.	Fun Factor: 7.0 EA Sports FC 24 might feature a new name, but in essence, it’s yet another roster update. New physics and buzzwords might make it sound like it’s innovative and groundbreaking, but it’s just FIFA with a different name.
Final Verdict: 7.5

EA Sports FC 24 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on PS5.