FIFA 20

We always eagerly await the end of September each year here at Coolector HQ as it typically heralds the release of the latest iteration of the FIFA franchise and we had high hopes for FIFA 20. We’re pleased to report that these high hopes were well justified because it has made some significant improvements to the gameplay and styles of play which advance the enjoyment of the game considerably.

There is perhaps a more arcade style feel to FIFA 20 with goalscoring being particularly high in the first few games that we’ve played here at The Coolector but that is invariably the case as you learn the new nuances of the game. This year FIFA 20 raises the quality of the gameplay to new heights and delivers a new level of authenticity to the virtual pitch through an approach called Football Intelligence.

With Authentic Game Flow every AI controlled player will operate in a manner that considers awareness around time, space and a player’s position, which in turn provides an environment that creates more time and space and puts greater emphasis on user-controlled play – giving you much more control over the action and satisfaction over the build up leading to great finishes and goals.

Overhaul in Gameplay

In order to freshen up FIFA each year and make it as close to the beautiful game as possible, EA Sports invariably introduce an array of feature and gameplay overhauls to proceedings and FIFA 20 is no different. The game now uses an Active Touch System, which is where user controlled defending is advantaged and rewarded through a variety of new tackle animations. The cleaner the tackle, the higher the likelihood of players retaining possession of the ball.

Other new gameplay features include an overhaul in the fundamentals of shooting which will allow you to experience more consistent and clinical finishing. This creates a more true-to-life shooting experience that better rewards authentic finishing and offers risk and reward in more difficult situations like volleyed crosses. There has been a change to the set-piece system (which we’re still on the fence with, truth be told) whereby you’re given more options for aiming direct free kicks and penalties, which aims to introduce more skill-based mechanics for striking that are more rewarding than ever when they come off (which, so far for us, is rarely).

Perhaps the most striking new addition to FIFA 20 is the VOLTA Football which lets you express your style with a completely new gameplay system, grounded in football realism. Taking its inspiration from the authentic small-sided form of football played in streets, cages, and futsal courts across the world, VOLTA is a more rapid and skill heavy version of the FIFA which will be great for quick games and ramping up your skills. In VOLTA, there are many ways to customise and personalis a player; from clothing, hairstyle and tattoos, to in-game celebratory emotes. Additionally, choose from a female or male character and showcase them across the various modes.

FUT Back in Force

For many playing FIFA 20, it is the FIFA Ultimate Team or FUT which is the most important aspect of the game and it’s another string to the bow of the game here. EA have introduced “Season Objectives” which will be equivalent to when they introduced Squad Building Challenges in FUT 17, changing the way that our fans engage with FUT throughout the course of the year. Season Objectives have been built to let fans take part in regular FUT campaigns (e.g. Ones to Watch), rewarding them for completing gameplay challenges that help them to progress their Club.

We love FIFA here at Coolector HQ and it is pretty much the only game we play on a regular basis so it’s always the date in the gaming calendar that we wait for. FIFA 20 is more evolution than revolution in terms of the changes but the ones they have made have improved the gameplay dynamics significantly in our opinion and with Playstation 5 recently announced to be releasing next year, fingers crossed that the next FIFA game will be on that platform and will blow our minds.