What a horrible game
I think it's safe to make the final conclusion of FC26, since we all know EA stops fixing games once they release the first footage of the next year.
Gameplay is a nightmare. There is some light improvement compared to '25, but it is still a serie of dumb bounce backs, players falling over for no reason, stop running, running out of position or start running in a different direction all of a sudden, running offside, not executing basic assignments that you would expect from a player in it's position, bodies and limbs that move in anatomically incorrect ways, passes that go in all directions with limited control of direction or speed. Defending is either completely AI driven, or based on attackers deliberately hiding behind defenders. Winning games is not a matter of skills, it is a combination of the AI that is giving you more advantage than your opponent, your opponent has better responsiveness for some reason, and using all bugs, glitches and flaws in the system to your advantage. Button responsiveness is terrible for two years already. Pushing the same button often gives a different outcome, often delayed, or no result at all.
The menus in FC26 are a disaster. To change something in the middle of a game takes ages. I like the ingame menu to change formations, but like a lot of developments in the FC franchise, a good idea is terribly executed. Why does the menu disappear when the camera view changes, and why is the menu hid behind every popup with useless information?
Totally not a fan of the new tactical system. This is clearly not working. Until FC24 you could at least counter the bad gameplay by tweaking your tactics and formations, but with these pre chewed position profiles of which most of them clearly don't do what they are supposed to do, there is not much you can adjust. I played Efootball the other day, the tactical system in there was really a relief. Logical, well explained, ,.. so much better compared to the mess in FC.
Conclusion: in my opinion, it's just too many things that are totally off, to be able to fix this in the new game, and from what I see and read, EA didn't . There are again a few improvements compared to FC26, but at this pace, it will still take years before we finally have an enjoyable game like Fifa14 or 17 again. For me personally, I will wait at least a few patches before I will purchase the new game
