FC24 Gameplay Balance

Initial thoughts from someone who has bought every FC/FIFA title for over 15 years. This game is different. I appreciate some of the differences. It's slower and a bit sluggish, which mimics the real-world well. Not everyone should be able to tiki-taka their way through their opponent like they are prime Barcelona. The defensive AI is very good at intercepting passes, which I also think is good. I find myself looking for spaces more and "zooming out" -- signs of a good football game.

That being said, I think there are some pretty glaring imbalances that should be addressed. While I enjoy the concept of playstyles and playstyle+, I think it creates a very unrealistic imbalance. Players with rapid or rapid+, or those combined with quick step, blaze past defenders who aren't even dribbling the ball. Having pace is one thing, but having blazing pace with the ball, plus a boost to acceleration, plus a boost to top speed is too much. This is reflected in the gameplay. It is nearly the only tactic I see players using on FUT. There is no such thing as breaking the team down with a series of well-timed passes. There is only beating players to the endline--soon enough to nudge their way into the center and then shoot--or get to the endline and start doing skill moves or jam a pass into the 6-yard box. I don't see any tiki-taka or crossing. I think a patch that balances these things out a bit would go a long way. If players with quick step and rapid are going to have those advantages, then the defenders should have mechanisms to defend against that. Players should need to show one thing and do another to throw an opponent off. Not do the meta thing ad infinitum, even if the opponent blatantly sees it coming. As of right now, that is the primary thing I see in FUT. The best teams in the world are the best because they work as a team. While their players are good, they aren't so good that one of them can just dribble successfully to goal 75% of the time. 

I'd be curious to see some of the numbers behind the scenes. For example, I have a 91 pace defender, but it appears that an equal pace attacker with QS and rapid is 20 pace faster--well over 100. I suppose that isn't something disclosed, but it would help to evaluate the system. Anyway, I hope to see a patch that addresses these imbalances and creates a better football gameplay experience, rather than just having everyone chase the meta cards with the meta playstyle and then spam the meta thing in-game. End of the day, I think EA can pursue being the best arcade-style game or the best football game and this edition moves toward the former, perhaps because FUT has been its most popular mode and financial juggernaut. But I'd personally love to see it move toward the latter. Keep up the good work with hypermotion and defensive AI, but avoid adding features that add "star-power" beyond the system of player ratings that is already in place. One gamer's opinion, anyway...