Playing sports video games can be both thrilling and nerve-racking all at once. As our gaming moves online this becomes true even when we play alone, physically. This is because we rarely play along anymore. Playing against friends in person and playing against online opponents are key pieces of what make sports video games so much fun. The actual competition gives a realistic quality that makes the games feel alive. Whether you enjoy calling the plays like a coach or guiding an individual player, modern sports video games offer intense realism of graphics and, of course, gameplay. Fans of football video games know that no game series brings this concept together better than does it better than the FIFA franchise.
Ever since its humble beginnings in 1993, the FIFA series has been a yearly bestseller all across the globe. This is despite intense competition in the space from rivals like Winning Eleven, This Is Football (TIF), and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). The FIFA series’ advantage was the realism portrayed thanks to the official license. The likeness of professional football players, authentic kits, and real-life stadiums has given FIFA the extra advantage in popularity. Currently listed as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world. FIFA is available in over 50 countries and offers up to 18 different language options. Being available in Arabic is believed to be the main factor behind the success of eSports games in the Middle East and the same can be said for many other countries where English is not commonly known.
Not every iteration of the FIFA franchise is created equal. EA Sports, the publisher, has been constantly trying out new features but not always to great success or popularity. There have been a few misses to go along with the great hits. This is bound to happen in a gaming franchise with yearly releases. Recent versions have seen a few more fan complaints regarding the quality being released. It seems that every time EA makes a positive change like in FIFA 2001, there’s a FIFA 20 that erases the featured gains. With that said, we’ve examined the franchise over the years to come up with our list of the best versions of FIFA.
FIFA 17
Released in September 2016, FIFA 17 was the first FIFA game to be developed using the impressive “Frostbite” engine. With improvements in gameplay, set-piece system, player’s physicality, and attacking techniques, FIFA 17 was the dawn of a new age for the franchise. The game also introduces a gameplay mode called: The Journey. This single-player mode essentially introduced story-based gameplay. This first version revolved around a young player, Alex Hunter, trying to make a name and career in the English Premier League.
FIFA 17 also saw a huge improvement in the fans’ favorite mode, FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT). New features were added but most important was the Squad Building Challenges and FUT Champions addition to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.
FIFA 17 was released to a host of positive reviews and remains the fastest-selling FIFA game in the history of the Franchise.
FIFA Football 2003
The tenth game in the FIFA franchise, FIFA Football 2003 was published in 2002. It featured the football’s biggest stars on the cover with Edgar Davids, Ryan Giggs, and Roberto Carlos appearing together for one cover while former United States’ soccer superstar Landon Donovan appeared alone on the other cover. This edition of FIFA saw the addition of realistic player responses, as well as improvements in likeness for some popular football stars.
EA Sports also added a broadcast package, similar to those on the TV back then, which provided highlights during half-time and at the end of the game.
FIFA 11
Awarded the best sports game of the year at the Golden Joystick Awards, FIFA 11 was released to critical acclaim. It received an impressive 9.5/10 by IGN UK reviewers. The game introduced new features like Pro Passing which allowed players to manually control and determine the accuracy of each pass. Additionally, a new Career Mode laid the foundation for future modes like The Journey by allowing the opportunity to take charge of a manager, player, or player-manager and play for at least 15 seasons. Other gameplay improvements like 360° dribbling enabled players to perform more visually impressive tricks.
Released in September 2010, FIFA 11 sold over 15 million copies across all platforms throughout the globe in less than one month.
FIFA 12
FIFA 12 brought out the introduction of “Tactical Defending”, which improved the game mechanics of positioning, tackling, and interceptions. This edition of the franchise also introduced “Impact Engine” which added improved accuracy, better collision physics, and momentum preservation. Precision dribbling built upon the previously new 360° dribbling by adding more realistic features. FIFA 12 also improved on the Career Mode by adding more emphasis on relationships between managers and players which could often include player demands and transfer rumors.
FIFA 12 was labeled a “Revolutionary Edition” by David Rutter, who was the line producer of the game.
FIFA 10
The 17th edition in the entire FIFA franchise and arguably the best one made to date FIFA 10 introduced a more detailed football experience for players. There were significant improvements in the popular “Manager Mode.” A better player growth and development system, club finances and sponsorships, team news events, results, and greater AI realism all added significant pieces to the game.
FIFA 10 also saw the improvement of the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), which had been released in the previous year’s edition. The game was the fastest-selling sports game in Europe when it was released with over 1.5 million copies sold in its first week. FIFA 10 received critical acclaim and still holds a 90% rating on Metacritic. Game critics. Even notoriously tough reviewers at GameSpot gave it a 9/10 rating, citing the gameplay as the best released at that point.
