5 Things You Need to Know about FIFA 16

FIFA 16 is almost upon us. Here's what you need to know before it drops on September 25th.

Image via EA SPORTS / Complex UK

There are three things that gets every football fan excited each calendar year: the opening day of the Premier League season, the first El Clasico of the year and the launch of latest title from EA SPORTS' FIFA franchise.

To any football fan under the age of 30, 'FIFA' has come to mean a night in with friends as opposed to a club of corrupt old suits. It dominates the world of sports video games and has become a melting point for fans of football – new and old – to gain deeper understanding of the names, faces and abilities that players possess beyond their shores.

FIFA 16 drops in the UK on September 25th (and in the United States three days earlier) and it already marks the franchise's third game on next generation platforms. We get the impression that EA SPORTS have hit their rhythm on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One by now, which makes this new release just as sweet as the previous 22 iterations.

Here are the 5 big things you need to know about FIFA 16.

They've made FIFA Ultimate Team better

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FIFA Ultimate Team has become EA's biggest cash cow and it's the reason we can actually play FIFA all year round – because it really does take a year of non-stop gameplay to finally afford Cristiano Ronaldo (if you're lucky).

This year, EA SPORTS have added 'FIFA Ultimate Team Draft' to the gaming equivalent of fantasy football. In 'Draft', you will choose from one of five formations, then a captain, and then go on to fill out the rest of their 23-man squad by selecting a player from a choice of five in each position – and then play an opponent who's done exactly the same thing.

Fans will be tested as they choose between picking the best players and creating a team with the right chemistry before they enter their games. It's a completely independent game mode from your regular FUT tournaments or seasons and should give you more of a chance to play with the players who are at the top your transfer wish list.

The more games you win in FUT Draft, the more coins you'll win to improve your standard FUT squad. Your dream of making Lionel Messi your captain just became a little bit more achievable.

 

There's more stadiums than ever before

FIFA 16 promises to retain the series' crown of being the most lifelike football game on the market with the addition of nine new stadiums when it launches on September 25th.

Once again, the game keeps a strong bond with the Premier League by having every single stadium recreated seat-by-seat, while there's also new stadium additions from the Bundesliga, MLS and Ligue 1. There's even an entry for Portsmouth's Fratton Park as a tribute to Pompey fan and creative director of FIFA Simon Humber, who passed away earlier this year.

In total there's 50 licensed stadiums to sample in FIFA 16, here's a look at the new batch.

Borrusia Park, Borussia Mönchengladbach

Carrow Road, Norwich City

Vitality Stadium, AFC Bournemouth

Vicarage Road, Watford

CenturyLink Field, Seattle Sounders

El Monumental, Club Atlético River Plate

Fratton Park, Portsmouth

King Abdullah Sports City, Al-Ittihad & Al-Ahli

Stade Velodrome, Olympique de Marseille

There's even more FUT Legends than before

Career Mode is getting an overhaul

One of the biggest complaints from the FIFA community in recent releases has been the way that 'career mode' has been overlooked. Picking a team from League Two and turning them to Champions League contenders in five seasons was the way everyone used to play FIFA until Ultimate Team changed the game half-a-dozen years ago.

Now, EA SPORTS are going back to basics to deliver a career mode that gives gamers everything they've been missing when playing offline.

You'll finally be able to control player development.

Previously, player development on FIFA's career mode has seemed too pre-determined. It doesn't seem to matter how many times you play or score goals with Brighton & Hove Albion's fourth choice striker – he'll never climb above an overall rating of 60.

Now, that's all changed. In FIFA 16, managers will be able to train their squad to increase player attributes and boost player development. Each week, select up to five squad players to train from a number of training drills, each focused on developing specific attributes. You'll finally be able to play an active part in building the world's next wonderkid.

Players actually develop rivalries.

FIFA 16 commentators will actually pit players against each other before a game, just like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher do every week on Monday Night Football. Commentary teams will remark on storylines in your season, player debuts and transfer rumours.

There's also an end to some of the most obvious oversights that have plagued recent career modes. You can finally sign free agents outside of the transfer window, transfer budgets will now be carried over from one season to the next and player values will finally match the real world. That's right, Olivier Giroud won't cost you £40 million anymore.

It promises to be the most authentic experience yet

Matchday experiences are more realistic than ever in FIFA 16.

There's now authentic on-screen overlays from Bundesliga and the Premier League to give everything an even slicker broadcast feel, while there's now nine different weather conditions and over 900 new fan chants. 

There's even vanishing spray.

It's not a change that should excite us, but it does.

Finally, pace isn't the dominating factor anymore.

Anyone who's played FIFA Ultimate Team will be familar with the sense of dread at seeing Sturridge, Aubameyang or Ibarbo lining up in the opposite team. If you're facing an attacker with 90+ pace, your defence stands no chance.

This year, dribbling ability and controlling the game in midfield is the new way to win. No touch dribbling offers limitless creativity on the ball and the passing dynamics have completely changed, giving precision passing and possession football more importance than ever before.

FIFA 16 is released in the UK on September 25th and in the United States on September 22nd.

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