FIFA 16 is the first FIFA with playable women's national teams. Technical limitations are visible on PS3 but FIFA gameplay remains solid. For fans loyal to the console even at end of life.
Your verdict
Category
Sports4 players3+
Description
EA Sports football simulation recreating the 2015-2016 season with particular focus on dribbling, defense, and Ultimate Team. Published by EA, released in Europe in September 2015. Driven Goalkeepers, FUT Draft, expanded Skill Games modes, improved defensive intelligence, and new French commentary for the PS3 experience.
FIFA 16 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The redesigned goalkeepers are the edition's great visual motif. Sharper and more legible, they dive, rise and parry with a gait of their own that finally gives presence to the last line. Beside them, the Draft mode stages player cards you draw and assemble, a collector's dressing in the colours of rarity. The art direction tends the man between the posts as much as the display of cards.
The sound of the collection modes takes a place of its own here. Opening a card pack, landing a Draft pick, completing a squad: each step has its jingle, its brief fanfare, its chime keyed to the rarity obtained. This liturgy of reward, distinct from the pitch's murmur, paces the long hours spent outside matches, in the menus where the roster is built. The music dresses the wait as much as the play.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
The care given to dribbling and defending sharpens a pitch where every action is earned, but it's the Ultimate Team ecosystem, with its card collecting and endless challenges, that opens a near-bottomless time sink. Multi-season career and online competitions round it out. This pairing of collection and competition explains the lasting attachment players feel.
An annual iteration of EA Sports' simulation, FIFA 16 refines the midfield play with better control of the centre of the pitch, a more solid defence and the arrival of international women's teams, a first for the series. The passing precision, the depth of the Ultimate Team mode and the quality of the presentation win over football fans. The progress stays incremental and the closure of online servers trims part of the experience. A good simulation for football enthusiasts and fans of career and team management.
