Oh EA... Positives and already - Really bad Negatives
Positives
The Grounds - Innovative Social Hub. Great experience. Will get monotonous after a short while. But nevertheless, a great concept for a Football product.
UI - After years of laggy menu's. You've no implemented a much more fluid UI. Great job.
Negatives
Clubs Drop-ins - Lets talk about the AI first. The defensive line is pushed up far too high. Meaning gameplay wise, you'll often get offsides or an interception. The defensive line pushes upto the half way line. Did you test this during production of FC 27? Seems very odd that this was left as it is for 1.0 release.
Interceptions and AI Movement - AI seem very much on steroids. They are far too overpowered and reactive. They intercept so much that gameplay feels quite frustrating. Were this an introduction to World of Warcraft Retail. You'd already be at level 90 doing Tier 11 Delves. Tone the AI down and let gameplay be abit more natural. You stated that Manual Defending will be paramount in FC 27. Yet, you've made interceptions via AI into God mode.
Latency - Server issues - FC 26 was horrendously bad for Server issues/Latency/Delayed Gameplay movement/Controller Responsefullness. I have seen an improvement in the Latency/Responsefullness. However. The Server issues are still there EA. I have to shake my head because for years. You've had the same Server problems. What on earth goes on behind the scenes? Because your product is an online live-service Game for 10-12 months annually. It should be absolutely paramount that Server structure is at its highest. It reminds me of Star Citizen. Minimum cost for Servers because "Players will buy the product regardless". I'm not laughing as a consumer. And neither should you. I'm not gonna beg you to fix your Server infrastructure. That's for you guys to resolve.
The Grounds - Again. Great concept. Bad implementation to join events, aswell as leave. Way too many avenues just to get to where you wanna go. I wanted to change the Height and Weight of my character. It's not in Appearence. It's in Archetype. EA - When it comes to testing your product. Do you guys not ask the right questions? - "Oh. That segment should be placed in Appearence. Not archetype. Lets make sure all Appearence segments are placed together". It really is just common sense. Yet, the FC Franchise seem overly hectic with the Menu's.
The Image I provided - Again highlights the several UI issues which FC 26 had where you have unfinished text. It really is very unprofessional EA. Indie Games that cost £4.99 can get away with it. You can't. Not when you sell your products for over £100. Unsure how you keep getting away with unfinished content. As a consumer, it really is embarrassing to see it.
Invisible Linesman - During a match. The flag was there. Moving up and down the touchline. Yet. The linesman was invisible. Again EA. What are you guys testing before you release your product? It really is disgusting.
Half-time Drop-ins Match Stuck - At half time. Second half was just about to kick off. You can see both home and away player symbols. Yet, it stuck. Didn't proceed to kick off. A couple players left after 5 mins. I waited until 7 mins. I left. As an online live-service product. It exposes all the issues and red flags which the Fifa/FC Franchise has faced for years.
This is my current assessment of FC 27. A premium product.
Unfortunately for Football fans. The FC Franchise is still the best in the current market. And just like the Sims franchise. Until competitors arrive. There are just so many aspects of regurgitated content. Even the cut scenes are the same for the half-time break. You just see a few different faces.
I'd urge you guys to consider amplifying your testing facilities before your products release. It really is embarrassing how you guys can let your product release with so many errors(already).
Battlefield took a break with BF 1. Arguably one of the best FPS Games ever made. Incredible quality in every aspect. Battlefield then took another break and released Battlefield 6. Not incredible. But you can tell the quality is there. Sound is awesome. It's a product you can sit back and go "Ya know what. Rough around a few edges. But it's a pretty **bleep** good experience".
Perhaps it's time for the FC Franchise to take a break. Give your fans a break from the recurring issues year in year out.
Thanks for your time.
Jack.
Platform: EA App - PC.
