FC 26 core gameplay review

This discussion is not only about FC26 but EA football game series in general. We all know the core gameplay has been going down hill year by year.

Let’s discuss point wise:

1. Interface: The menus have become so slow and unresponsive that even while simply navigating through menus, we see game pauses like “initialising”. Why? Have we asked the launch Apollo 11 to the moon that the game on new gen console needs to “initialise” before completing a simple command?
2. Playstyles: Playstyles are so strict and one dimensional that players on the field strict follow the their roles even when common sense of a 10 year old would say to do differently. Players don’t utilise space, they do not come close to ball carrying team mate for support. Players don’t feel like a team on the ground but like action figures lying around. and some playstyles dont even function like wingers on versatile.
3. Playstyles vs Stats: why have two different ways of judging a player? What attributes really matter? a tiki-taka playstyle player with low passing attribute vs high passing attribute player without tiki taka? It does not make any sense. and further more what is the tangible difference playstyle and playstyle plus? how much is the difference between the two?
4. Defending: If you select a CB a move it, you will be punished because they will become heavy, slow and go out of position if already not. Nobody switches to their CB. People’s best bet is to let the opponent take a shot at the goal rather than going for a CB to tackle with. We are forced to pick FBs & CDMs for defending.
5. Tackle: Gone are the days of shoulder charging, physicality and standing tackles. EA wants you to stand your action figure in the way of your opponent’s path or the shot’s path. EA oblivious to the days of Maldini, Nesta, Pepe, Ramos, Bonucci and many more. What toothless defending is this?
6. Attacking AI: this is the most unintelligent AI I have ever witnessed, either players will not make runs when they should or they will make runs when just not needed. Players will never come near your ball carrier to support. All you can do is with the ball in your feet, move round and round in circles hoping to reach in the penalty box.
7. Boring Scorelines: boring scoreline does not mean 0-0 but every game ending in 10 to 13 goals is not fun. Goals need to be earned, not given for free. Goals are unimaginative and do not feel pretty. You will never look back at these goals and say “wow what a play!” I still look back at my goals from FIFA 09 to FIFA 18 and be like “that was awesome” and not just goals scored by me but goals that I had conceded. This game has become basketball.
8. Team Tactics: this aspect has become so limited in choosing and non functional in practicality. Already there are only three options to pick team strategy “balanced, counter and short passing” and non of them make any difference in the gameplay. Short passing does not mean you can have possession play, similarly Counter does not mean your team will try to attack on counters. Similarly, team height does make any difference on the field.
9. Skating: Players feel like they are gliding or skating. They just cant place their feet on the ground. Zero control. on the top of that EA has added unnecessary Hypermotion animations make their movement even more cumbersome and slow. which brings me to,
10. Hypermotion: Delete hypermotion. This was just not required. we need a fun football game, we do not care if players are taking 15 extra real life steps before doing a simple pass or 10 movement to receive a simple pass. We are here to play a game and games are supposed to be fun. Hypermotion is not fun, nobody asked for this. EA is wasting time and money on ruining the game. 
11. Enemy of free flowing football: this game and past 7 games have but enemy of free flowing football. EA has taken 7 years to reduce this game to an unimaginative boring game that is pure time waste.

Same reason EA stopped releasing demos for their games because even they know their game is not worth buying.

Solution? EA will never improve the game till we are buying this nonsense. Stop giving money to EA. I stopped buying after FIFA 21. Nobody works until their money is on the line. For the love of the game, stop buying EAFC. Play older football games, buy different franchises/games. Or just save money for GTA6.

Hoping for better days.

Thanks