Another year, another installment in EA Sports' long-running FC series (a.k.a the franchise formerly known as FIFA). For football fans (or soccer supporters if you really must), diving into the latest version of the world’s best-selling sports simulator is an annual tradition.
EA Sports FC 27’s pre-launch marketing promised a series shake-up thanks to its new open-world mode, The Grounds (think NBA 2K’s The City but for football), alongside the usual tweaks, fresh features and upgrades to FC’s staple offerings like Career Mode and Ultimate Team.
I’ve been playing FC/FIFA annually for pretty much my entire life — as a long-suffering Newcastle United fan, it’s often been the only way to see my team actually win on the pitch — and after spending some time with EA Sports FC 27 on PS5 Pro, here’s my verdict on this year’s game.
The good
The Grounds is the closest to FIFA Street we’ll get
Much to my disappointment, we may never get another full FIFA Street title. But at least we now have The Grounds. This open-world hub offers the chance to partake in small-sided games (1v1, 2v2 and 3v3) and mini-games, such as a soccer-themed spin on basketball. While not a mode anybody is likely to play for the whole season, it’s a great way to blow off some steam after a crushing UT defeat. However, the open-world aspects feel rather superfluous thanks to bland environments. I would even prefer its novel kickabout modes were accessed via a series of menus. Still, it’s a worthwhile inclusion, and the closest approximation of the retired FIFA Street subseries we’re likely to get anytime soon.
Career mode transfers feel more authentic
The big upgrade to Career mode in FC 27 comes to the transfer market, and while it’s still not a perfect recreation of the real-life window, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. You now have a wealth of options to structure deals, including paying/receiving a percentage of the fee in installments, inserting a buy-back clause, or adding favorable bonus payments. It all serves to make transfers feel just a little more authentic. Granted, in my experience so far, other clubs seem reluctant to accept deals that aren’t just a single lump sum paid upfront.
Crossing and corners have been reworked
Last year, EA Sports FC 26 introduced two gameplay presets: Competitive, designed for online play, and Authentic, for offline modes. This excellent upgrade has been retained, with FC 27 making smaller gameplay refinements. These are largely felt in the new corner mechanic — you set the corner taker’s aim/power and then control a player trying to meet the ball in the box — and crossing has also been altered, with less generous auto-targeting. You've got to earn those headers. These additions give you more control, which is appreciated.
The bad
Ultimate Team (still) wants your money
In basically any FC write-up, it’s almost customary for the author to grumble a bit about Ultimate Team, the series most-played and most cash-hungry mode. FC 27’s new feature is The Gallery, letting you proudly display your virtual player cards and unlock new rewards. But the bones of UT are largely unchanged. It’s a mode ruled by pay-to-win systems that reward those willing to fork over additional cash on pricey microtransactions, and that seemingly won’t ever change.
Goalkeepers have forgotten how to save
Blaming the goalkeeper when you concede is an age-old FIFA/FC tradition. After all, in a standard match, it’s the sole position you don’t control. But even with the caveat that many "goalkeeper blunders" are more the fault of poor defensive play, in FC 27, goalkeepers seem particularly susceptible to producing howlers. Keepers will often parry the ball rather than catch it, or tip it around the posts, leading to a simple tap-in for the on-rushing opposition. Of course, a keeper palming the ball back into danger isn’t exactly rare in real-life soccer, but the frequency of this occurrence in FC 27 has had me cursing out my keeper more than usual.
The ugly
Menus remain an eyesore
For years now, I’ve booted up each new FC with my fingers crossed that the UI and menus will be overhauled. Every year, I’m left disappointed. It’s no exaggeration to say the menu system is atrocious. Menus are sluggish, prone to glitching, a nightmare of negative space, and often demand multiple clicks to perform actions that should be done in one. In a sports game where tabbing through menus and submenus is something you do a lot, it’s ludicrous how the situation hasn’t been earmarked for major improvement. I can only hope that when EA Sports FC 28 rolls around, this is one compliment that is finally resolved.
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