FC 25 preview: EA kills off Volta for new five-on-five experience – and revamps career mode

GamesSportsEA Sports FCEA Sports FC 25FC 25 preview: EA kills off Volta for new five-on-five experience – and revamps career modeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesSportsEA Sports FCEA Sports FC 25FC 25 preview: EA kills off Volta for new five-on-five experience – and revamps career modeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: EA) (Image credit: EA) PES dispenser If you’re a traditionalist emitting groans at this point, rest assured that – having been weaned on the glory years of Pro Evo – I was too. Here, then, is some eleven-a-side news to offset that Rush cynicism: FC 25 is getting a Simulation option. Selecting it slows gameplay down in comparison toFC 24, and supposedly utilizes AI learning to adopt realistic opposition tactical approaches. Wind affects aerial balls, particularly in smaller stadiums, while inclement weather causes players to slip over. It’s an offline-only option, clearly included to appeal to career mode veterans who’ve become dismayed at that once-great mode’s decline. (Image credit: EA) More on career mode shortly. Because ultimately the success of that feature, and Rush, and the forever-imposing return of Ultimate Team, all hang on the football itself. You’re therefore right to wonder whether this feels much different from FC 24. Well: yes and no. From a pick-up-and-play perspective, there’s an immediate familiarity. But fiddle around in tactics menus and you discover some key differences to be explored and tinkered with. That’s down to something called FC IQ. Building on the popularFC 24 PlayStylesfeature, EA has introduced 31 unique player roles which directly affect how every team-mate (and opponent!) thinks when you’re not in direct control of them. During a demo at EA Vancouver, FC 25 producer Thomas Caleffi calls them “the missing piece of player personality,” with each player also assigned a specific focus as part of his role – such as Jude Bellingham being placed in a Playmaker role, with a Roaming focus. “Considering all the roles and focuses in any given team and formation, you have between 100 and 400 million possible combinations,” says Caleffi. (Image credit: EA) Caleffi demonstrates multiple examples during one passage of play. As his team moves upfield, its RB with a False-back role drifts into central midfield, while a CM set as a Half-winger pulls wide into the space created. On the other flank, the LB with Attacking Wingback overlaps to support the current attack, and the team’s CAM, designated as a Shadow Striker, makes a late run into the box. As such, a traditional 4-1-2-1-2 formation becomes promisingly fluid, to mirror the convention-shattering success of dugout pioneers such as Klopp and Guardiola. Middle management Underpinning these choices is an overhaul to the way team tactics work. You can still use formational presets, but reconfigured menus show exactly where your players will be when on and off the ball. A neat summary also analyzes the pros and cons of your current approach, while saved set-ups can be toggled in-match using the D-pad, and even shared with other players using a unique code – across all formats. In a welcome upgrade, you can also set three corner assignments: near-post player, back-post player, and main attacking target. So while there is an air of FC 24 reskinned, subsurface nuances should transform that over the coming weeks – particularly in online fixtures. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more (Image credit: EA) Finally, and formidably, there really are encouraging signs for career mode. EA is touting this as the mode’s biggest leap forward in a decade, with a suite of tweaks and upgrades – not least that Simulation option – and ability to train up prospects using Rush. Five-a-side youth tournaments take place every two months, and give you the chance to try out your wunderkinder, and earn stats upgrades. That’s cool, as is a 90-fold increase in the countries available to scout, for a total of 160. Five women’s leagues, and the women’s Champions League, are also integrated. Live and let fly (Image credit: EA) “There’s going to be sackings, big transfers, title fights, relegation battles, unbeaten runs, loads of things we haven’t thought about,” continues O’Donnell. “We know some of our players love exploring different games, and this is a real opportunity for us.” Rush may be steering the former FIFA series in an unexplored direction, made for Generation TikTok – but with career mode going back to the future, there’s hope here for scarf-waving old-schoolers, too. 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show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”