EA SPORTS™ FIFA 23

I've sat through enough Saturday night couch sessions with FIFA to know the difference between a game that's fun to pick up and one that just looks fun in the trailer. FIFA 23 sits awkwardly between those two poles. On the pitch, there are real, tangible upgrades this time around. The new AcceleRATE movement system gives players distinct archetypes: Controlled, Explosive, and Lengthy, meaning the guy you're chasing actually feels different to the guy doing the chasing. Power Shots, where you hold both shoulder buttons and commit to a high-risk, high-reward cannon strike, add genuine drama to attacking play. Set pieces and free kicks also received meaningful reworks, and the pacing of matches feels notably slower and more deliberate than the sprint-fest of FIFA 22. For a casual four-player kickabout with a controller each, that slower tempo actually helps: it's more readable, and quick learners can hold their own without memorising skill move strings. Split-screen is present and works fine, which is the baseline requirement for any sports title at my table. Cross-platform multiplayer is a genuine step forward, letting PC, PS5, and Xbox Series players queue together in most modes. The inclusion of women's club teams and a Women's World Cup tournament rounds out the content in a way that genuinely adds variety for group sessions where not everyone wants to be Manchester City again. Career Mode got small but appreciated upgrades: player personalities now affect stat growth based on how you play, and the transfer menu flow is cleaner. Ted Lasso's AFC Richmond showing up as a playable club, complete with Roy Kent, is the kind of left-field addition that gets a room laughing. Here is where the mood shifts, though. Ultimate Team remains the gravitational centre of the entire product, and it pulls hard toward spending real money to stay competitive online. The chemistry system was updated, and FUT Moments add rotating scenarios to chase, but the underlying pack-purchase loop is as aggressive as ever. Pro Clubs received almost no meaningful attention, Career Mode fans will recognise most of what's here from previous years, and Volta Football continues to feel like a mode nobody asked to keep. On PC specifically, launch complaints about the anti-cheat system and optimisation issues contributed heavily to the Steam review bombing that landed the game at a "Mixed" score from over 150,000 reviews. Patches addressed some problems post-launch, but the technical reputation on PC never fully recovered. For the Saturday night crowd: three friends and a newcomer on the couch will have a good time. The controls are approachable with a gamepad, the new shooting mechanics give everyone a moment of celebration even on a losing streak, and the women's national and club teams add useful roster variety for groups who rotate who they play as. If you are a returning FIFA player expecting a meaningful leap forward, or if you plan to invest serious time in Ultimate Team without opening your wallet, manage expectations sharply. This is a better-playing game than its immediate predecessor, but it is still recognisably the same annual product with familiar limits.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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