THE BEAUTIFUL SAME

FIFA 22’ s Jogo Bonito hasn’t changed much, but it’s enough

Soccer stopped during the UK’s lockdown. So did time, as I count it. Listless, I bought FIFA 20. When I scored, the camera shook as it does at Anfield, and I actually cried with joy. Weird time, obviously, but this is the power FIFA has. If you love soccer, in whatever hue or flavor, FIFA 22 should be part of your life. It recreates everything special about the game—but also its greed and superficiality, encapsulated by FIFA Ultimate Team.

Want to assemble your very own Galácticos? Then FUT delivers. Create that team of GOATs by slow grind, or real-world money, and challenge the world. This time there are returning greats and a new Elite Division. The challenges are fun, until you notice that advancement is glacial.

FUT IN MOUTH

Furthermore, I think it’s naive to think that FUT doesn’t come with a human cost. It’s a loot box economy, and a growing body of research states that there’s a verifiable link with problem gambling. It’s not the only loot box game in town, but it’s the biggest and most profitable. FIFA’s reach, with 31 million players and an age rating of 3+, makes any deleterious effect significant.

You may love FUT and spend no money, but someone is paying your share of the billion-dollar revenue. If anyone is paying more than they can afford, that’s too many for me. Even if I had the patience for the grind, I can’t enjoy it while a minority who may be vulnerable to the mechanics lack the protections that come with gambling legislation, like the UK’s age and marketing limits. So, as it is, I can’t recommend FUT. Don’t play it.

The score reflects this, but FIFA 22 without FUT is still vast and scrumptious. More Volta tricksy street soccer, with bearable story mode and hysterical weekend party games. Co-op Pro Clubs, kick-off quick games, House Rules, skill games, tournaments, and internationals. Something for even the dourest fan. At 45 hours in, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.

We aren’t getting the HyperMotion tech like next-gen consoles, and I bristle that it’s not available for top-spec systems, but I didn’t notice at first. FIFA games look and feel amazing to play—half TV viewer, half participant, like you’re there doing it, but talented. I was preoccupied by the slower, more realistic pace, like running in treacle, and the better goalkeepers. Then I realized this was the same game again, with tweaks.

At least the career modes are finally getting love. Player Career Mode, where you take a youth with potential and aim for the top, now has skill points, perks, a skill tree, and giant floating objectives. The dressing room animations of your teen cradling a man-of-the-match trophy in disbelief are sweet, and the sense of accomplishment is real. When dropped, you can now get subbed on, or leave with the repaired transfer system. It’s not a story mode, like The Journey, but it’s better for the narrative being player-led.

Manager Career gets some cringey animation, but pressers that play-out like a Telltale game work well. However, after your preparations, you still play the game, with no option to watch. Your skill, or lack thereof, is still the main thing. You can sim, but you’ll invariably lose.

Whether all this demands your purchase is almost moot. Regulars will want those incremental improvements, and new kits and squads. In thrall to FUT? You’ll desire the shiniest, newest things. FIFA 22 is imperfect, we deserve more, and feels expensive for what sometimes seems to me like generous DLC, or a subscription where I start from scratch each year. But ultimately those complaints barely matter—I know I’m already on board.

If you’re new, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Gentle on the easiest difficulty, the challenge rises in satisfying steps. Ignore the faults and weave a narrative within it.

That’s what soccer really is. There’s nothing like chipping one in and wheeling away to the fans behind the goal, like that amazing seven-a-side game you had once, but over and over, for an audience of millions.

We aren’t getting the HyperMotion tech like next-gen consoles