FIFA 23 Nintendo Switch

[Anth James]

Thought I’d make a separate thread for the Switch version, seeings as though the gameplay is very different.

It’s on the Ignite engine and because it’s a legacy version, it comes from a time long before ‘1v1’.

I’m actually having a great time with the game so far. I’m playing full manual, slow speed and powerbar on 68 and that’s it. I’m finding it to be a real challenge. There’s a good learning curve and the CPU will destroy you if you’re not on it!

It has a lot in common with FIFA 16 and it does a couple of things better as well in my opinion. To be able to play on the go as well is a big plus.

Out of any football game with a 2 in front of it - it’s easily the closest to a sim in my books.

Anyone else playing the Switch version of FIFA?

 

[Anth James]

Graphically it’s obviously not amazing, but still looks quite decent - could definitely do worse…especially when the gameplay is solid!

 

[manmachine]

IGN gives this a 2/10 and calls for this version to be dropped because it doesn't follow the main game and is not new. No one can deny the logic, but also shows that gameplay doesn't matter to anyone at all, if it's not "new".

Hopefully they will keep releasing it with updated teams, because you just know we'll be playing these on an emulator in the future. 😅

 

[Anth James]

IGN gives this a 2/10 and calls for this version to be dropped because it doesn't follow the main game and is not new. No one can deny the logic, but also shows that gameplay doesn't matter to anyone at all, if it's not "new".

Hopefully they will keep releasing it with updated teams, because you just know we'll be playing these on an emulator in the future. 😅

I’d say it’ll be the last one now that EAFC is coming. I don’t know why I waited so long to try it on the Switch!

 

[Madmac79]

Thought I’d make a separate thread for the Switch version, seeings as though the gameplay is very different.

It’s on the Ignite engine and because it’s a legacy version, it comes from a time long before ‘1v1’.

I’m actually having a great time with the game so far. I’m playing full manual, slow speed and powerbar on 68 and that’s it. I’m finding it to be a real challenge. There’s a good learning curve and the CPU will destroy you if you’re not on it!

It has a lot in common with FIFA 16 and it does a couple of things better as well in my opinion. To be able to play on the go as well is a big plus.

Out of any football game with a 2 in front of it - it’s easily the closest to a sim in my books.

Anyone else playing the Switch version of FIFA?

@slamsoze buddy I think your presence here is required !

This version captured my attention time and time ago (we indeed talked about it with Slam in the past who owned Fifa 20 in it iirc).. would really love to try it out especially since to you it does things better than 16, but it's hard to justify the expense of the console just for a single game. Hopefully in the not so far future it will be emulated and so, most important, ignite engine will surely be preserved in some form!

 

[Anth James]

@slamsoze buddy I think your presence here is required !

This version captured my attention time and time ago (we indeed talked about it with Slam in the past who owned Fifa 20 in it iirc).. would really love to try it out especially since to you it does things better than 16, but it's hard to justify the expense of the console just for a single game. Hopefully in the not so far future it will be emulated and so, most important, ignite engine will surely be preserved in some form!

Yeah I wouldn't buy the whole console for it. If you're into Nintendo retro games at all, it's definitely worth it - but for the FIFA experience alone I wouldn't say it's worth it.

I still need more time with it to really discover the depth of the gameplay, but on initial impressions I would say the animations aren't as jerky as 16 and the ball physics are naturally more balanced. The ball doesn't quite shoot out from the foot and then slow up like on 16. The shooting also feels really nice. It feels like a smoother experience overall.

It's missing lots of bells and whistles from the presentation of 16 unfortunately, but the matches I'm playing have been great. The ball feels quite free, lots of 50/50s, midfield battles, random moments. I haven't detected even a little bit of Frostbite in there at all. On the CPU side they misplace more passes/shots than on 16 and are a little more direct in approach - but not crazy direct, they still play football.

Control wise, I found it takes a little bit to get used to but once you've adjusted it's great. I find manual the best way to play this version, it feels more precise than semi/auto when aiming with the joy cons.

Tactically it's the old Ignite set, the only thing missing are the individual instructions.

@slamsoze How did you find it?

 

[slamsoze]

To be honest, i do not own 2023, neither 2022, nor 2021. I am still playing 2020 , out of afraid if they broke something in the future versions.

But if i get sure that they kept the general gameplay the same, and it is only a menu recolour, plus squad updates and the new competitions, then i am all in to buy it, latter in the year of course, when it gets a better discount. The pricing is dramatic

Checking right now and both 2022 and 2023 cost 39,99€ , digital version in Nintendo e-shop.



Bigger mystery, while i seach for a physical copy, cartridge, in my country's e-shop platforms: FIFA 23 costs 35 € which makes sense, FIFA 22 starts from 25€, which makes sense too, BUT FIFA 21 for Switch, is available only in 2 shops by now, and it costs 40€!!!!!....

Don't know, what's the deal, is it something special about 21 Switch, that i am missing, or is it just a moneygrab (by the sellers).

To conclude, if i get assured, through videos and by reading here, that 2023 is as good as 2020, or even better, i will give it a purchase, just to refresh my rosters and my menus!

 

[BillyKong]

Anth is right. It plays great. I actually prefer it gameplay wise to FIFA 16 mainly due to the ball physics. Unfortunately it doesn’t emulate perfectly either on Yuzu or Ryujinx. I was hoping to play it in 4K 60 but whilst it does play and sustain those frame rates there are some graphical glitches with no player shadows and more importantly no player indicator or even FIFA trainer appearing.

Hopefully it gets fixed soon by one of the emus. In the meantime I will play it on the actual Switch hardware.

 

[slamsoze]

@Anth James as i said before, i still don't own the game (2023). As for the controls feeling, (always based on 2020 that i play) , in the beginning i was afraid , cause the Joycons sticks are too sensitive, and given the PS4 versions, being jerky and need an input every 2 nanoseconds, but it seems the game's response is well optimized, meaning it's a very OK experience.

I mean, i expected FIFA with it's demaning input to cause damage and driftting to Joycon, and bought a Nintendo Pro Controller in order to play properly,but finally it was prooved, that playing in portable mode with Joycons, is still ok and safe, and that other games, i did not expect, are putting my Joycons in danger!

From a video i just watched, there is still the "bug/glitch" it cuts and jumps frame when a goal is scored, the time the ball passed the goal line. It's more graphical though, not gamebreaking of course!

In the plus size (ALWAYS judging through Youtube videos), the ball size is again "perfect" , not as tiny as 2016/2017, not as "huge" as it looks in early 2023 PS5.

And it is again possible to have a PES UI in game, meaning, both nameplates and player indicator with power bars in both plate and player overlay.

Maybe it will sound ridiculoys, but i want to have both of them, the name plates, to keep track of the dymanic fatigue and the player indicator gauge, cause after so many year (since PES 2010 basically) i am so used to look in the player power gauge, that i can't combine, to controlling a player, and have my other eye in name plates, to check for power bar.

 

[Anth James]

@Anth James as i said before, i still don't own the game (2023). As for the controls feeling, (always based on 2020 that i play) , in the beginning i was afraid , cause the Joycons sticks are too sensitive, and given the PS4 versions, being jerky and need an input every 2 nanoseconds, but it seems the game's response is well optimized, meaning it's a very OK experience.

I mean, i expected FIFA with it's demaning input to cause damage and driftting to Joycon, and bought a Nintendo Pro Controller in order to play properly,but finally it was prooved, that playing in portable mode with Joycons, is still ok and safe, and that other games, i did not expect, are putting my Joycons in danger!

From a video i just watched, there is still the "bug/glitch" it cuts and jumps frame when a goal is scored, the time the ball passed the goal line. It's more graphical though, not gamebreaking of course!

In the plus size (ALWAYS judging through Youtube videos), the ball size is again "perfect" , not as tiny as 2016/2017, not as "huge" as it looks in early 2023 PS5.

And it is again possible to have a PES UI in game, meaning, both nameplates and player indicator with power bars in both plate and player overlay.

Maybe it will sound ridiculoys, but i want to have both of them, the name plates, to keep track of the dymanic fatigue and the player indicator gauge, cause after so many year (since PES 2010 basically) i am so used to look in the player power gauge, that i can't combine, to controlling a player, and have my other eye in name plates, to check for power bar.

That glitch when you the frame jumps right after a goal is still there too! Frustrating. I'm pretty confident it's the exact same gameplay from 20-23.

 

[Anth James]

I don’t really know how to record longer than 30 second clip on the Switch but I thought I’d post a few moments of gameplay which are quite nice.

I think you can see the flight of the ball is a little different to FIFA 16 here.



Here is a nice shot attempt from Odegaard

 

[Chris Davies]

I don’t really know how to record longer than 30 second clip on the Switch but I thought I’d post a few moments of gameplay which are quite nice.

I think you can see the flight of the ball is a little different to FIFA 16 here.



Here is a nice shot attempt from Odegaard

Wow, the overall speed and the ball physics look more natural than FIFA 16 does to me (I adore 16, I really do, but the core of the game is a little too frantic for me).

Damn, I might have to buy this. I have the portable-only Switch, so I couldn't play it full-screen, but... This might be my answer to having a football game to play this year!

How are you finding the difficulty level(s)? Are you seeing a variety in the results you're getting or are you largely winning/losing based on the difficulty level?

Do the AI teams feel different to each other in their approach and/or the quality of the players?

 

[fear]

In a few words Switch received the best version of FIFA. The incompetence of EA has reached the ceiling.

 

[vialli82]

Everything looks more natural. I don't own a Switch unfortunately but yes it looks like the Fifa's we liked in the past.

@manmachine says all : "not new > bad" from reviewer. Evolution isn't a concept which has the purpose to going to the better, not at all.

Just looking how many games being dumbed, unnatural, with tons of slogan and reduced possibilities > that's Evolution.
Here regarding the NG Fifa it's an evolution to E-sports. There's an option to set players with all the same ratings 80 or 85 : it fits totally with E-sports as they want literally every teams with the same values, no "randomness" (so no stats implied) why does they don't use that feature and leave us alone?

Thinking that a SWITCH game just a bit reworked, seems more football than the NG version...
I prefers players movements and it seems there's more inertia than the 16, feels more natural. I'm not a "16" fan but i would pay 45 euros for having it on PS5 with my eyes closed. Speed is just spot on for that version, even more "weighted" (just a bit but enough) than the 16 > global feels was like players were all too light, same for the ball. Both seems rectified just a bit, but enough for me to buy it.
Well about the 16, it's my own point of view, like PES 2013 : i feel the same "missing weight/solidity" players.

Looks like a Fifa 16 with stuffs i didn't liked corrected, also smaller pitch > more contact too. Defending seems to work. Positionning looks simple and effective. And not inspired by the humm... Real Fifa 23.

 

[PRO_TOO]

I don’t really know how to record longer than 30 second clip on the Switch but I thought I’d post a few moments of gameplay which are quite nice.

I think you can see the flight of the ball is a little different to FIFA 16 here.



Here is a nice shot attempt from Odegaard

😯 That ball flight looks ace. As wheigty and speedy as I like it to be. 👏

nice attempt by Odegard! 👌 looks so natural and I’m happy he missed. 😊

 

[vialli82]

Yes the ball physics looks more heavy than on the 16.

It should be since FIFA 17 than the Switch version would be similar and we never take a look 😅
But in those sad times, @Anth James got the good idea to open a thread and purpose to take a look at that version 👍

 

[vialli82]

That glitch when you the frame jumps right after a goal is still there too! Frustrating. I'm pretty confident it's the exact same gameplay from 20-23.

Perhaps some gameplay elements but not physics and speed fortunately. I hated the 20 lol.

Well i won't buy a Switch for it, one game, and not really better than the one i already got with rosters updated, plus it's super hard to found it at a good price but well. But that's really surprising.

 

[Anth James]

Wow, the overall speed and the ball physics look more natural than FIFA 16 does to me (I adore 16, I really do, but the core of the game is a little too frantic for me).

Damn, I might have to buy this. I have the portable-only Switch, so I couldn't play it full-screen, but... This might be my answer to having a football game to play this year!

How are you finding the difficulty level(s)? Are you seeing a variety in the results you're getting or are you largely winning/losing based on the difficulty level?

Do the AI teams feel different to each other in their approach and/or the quality of the players?

It's a great option to have, especially when you can take it with you. I had a 7 hour car trip the other day and it was nice to be able to play a solid game of football at the same time! I don't often play it on the TV anyway.

In terms of difficulty level, I've played around with a few as I was getting a handle on it. I had to drop it right down to semi-pro for a game or two just to get to grips with it - and even then I struggled. I've been absolutely battered in some games and have won a couple of tight ones on higher levels too (I'm playing manual as I find it pairs really well with the Switch joy con for some reason).

I find the ball is really free and there's lots of organic moments. I've noticed pass completion % extremely low at points also (for both me and the CPU).

In terms of difference between teams, I still need to play more to make a proper call on that. I wouldn't say it's extremely noticeable but I did notice players like Neymar dribbling more and when playing Liverpool I noticed some more long attempts at goal compared to when I was playing against Fulham for example. I'll let you know about this as I get a few more games under my belt.

If you have a Switch already then I say it's a no-brainer. It in no way plays a bad game of football. The portability factor alone combined with the solid gameplay experience means just having a copy of it lying around will always come in handy. If you don't own a Switch then I wouldn't say it's worth buying the console just for it though.

It's strangely a really nice experience having this though, I have to say I'm very pleased with it. I’m playing 20 minute matches and loving them - and the stats match up with the experience. I'll keep posting some clips.

 

[Anth James]

@Chris Davies - Salah just did this. Haven’t seen other players try that yet at all. This is on World Class. Down 4-0 haha.

 

[fear]

I have a Switch but right now I'm in football heaven with FIFA 16. With the right sliders I'm seeing everything. Cpu changing sides, attempting long through ball passes, midfield battles, fouls everywhere, misplaced passes, first touch errors and most importantly you can rely on your defense to do their job by not having to switch and control 10 players. This also without mods! I have right now a football game that plays like PES 5 or even the Limewire Edition.

 

[fear]

@Chris Davies - Salah just did this. Haven’t seen other players try that yet at all. This is on World Class. Down 4-0 haha.

Forget what I posted. I'm buying the Switch version. 😀

 

[Andriuk]

I have a Switch but right now I'm in football heaven with FIFA 16. With the right sliders I'm seeing everything. Cpu changing sides, attempting long through ball passes, midfield battles, fouls everywhere, misplaced passes, first touch errors and most importantly you can rely on your defense to do their job by not having to switch and control 10 players. This also without mods! I have right now a football game that plays like PES 5 or even the Limewire Edition.

can you share the sliders? I've bought FIFA 21 on a sale a couple of years ago and might give it another try

 

[fear]

can you share the sliders? I've bought FIFA 21 on a sale a couple of years ago and might give it another try

Yes I'll post the sliders in the FIFA 16 thread. I guess you mean FIFA 16 not 21 because 21 is a joke of a game.

 

[Anth James]

Another nice little thing I’ve just found is that the custom tactics seem to have a meaningful impact. I did a few extreme tests, and there was an immediate change!

 

[kamy100]

Well I was going to have a football free gaming year (apart from FM23) but @Anth James has convinced me to give this a go on my Switch.

 

[slamsoze]

Another nice little thing I’ve just found is that the custom tactics seem to have a meaningful impact. I did a few extreme tests, and there was an immediate change!

For the in-game on the fly tactics, does it keep the old scheme, pre2019, with park the bus/all out defense/...../all out attack mentality? Cause 2020 kept the old system.

If it uses the FIFA-modern system, with the 5 preset gameplans, it is very inconvient for me, i love the old def/att "mentality" system...I am really very lazy to build 5 preset gameplans that mess the positions.

Perhaps some gameplay elements but not physics and speed fortunately. I hated the 20 lol.

Well i won't buy a Switch for it, one game, and not really better than the one i already got with rosters updated, plus it's super hard to found it at a good price but well. But that's really surprising.

He meant the 2020 Switch version physics, not the console ones. As for the reviews/gaming ratings, i find very unproffesional that part, especially by IGN, which is from the most "maistream" websites. And while usually they lack criticism, and being too lenient with new "big games".

And here with FIFA Legacy edition for Switch, they are doing it every year. At least since 2020 that LEGACY Edition is the official label. I mean, you can bash EA for not fixing some tech staff, or creating half-arsed versions, but on Switch even 2K sports does half-arsed work, it's common.

But for not being "new" or "nextgen", or what you were dreaming to be, and giving 1 of 10 and 2 of 10 ratings, that's too bad proffesionalism for me. It's not that it was promised something different. The one and only thing that EA is 1000% honest and crystal clear, is that the game is LEGACY EDITION. It's very clear what someone can expect.

They could just give a justified low rating, and then in the comments say, "it could be better if it was differnet/newer/newgen/etc".... OF course from specs stand-point, it is impossible for Switch to have the same FPS and graphics performance as the newest consolens, not even the previous gen, PS4/ XBOX1. THat's common knowledge , i assume....

 

[slamsoze]

@Chris Davies - Salah just did this. Haven’t seen other players try that yet at all. This is on World Class. Down 4-0 haha.

Pretty lovely cilp. YOu are making me want tob buy it before any discount!!!

By the 30 seconds annoying capture time, i assume you are playing it on Switch.

UPDATE: Ok, YOu are on console, not emulator, just re-read your other post. How is it content wise? Does it have Serie B? Libertadores-SudAmericana? Romanian League?

 

[Anth James]

Pretty lovely cilp. YOu are making me want tob buy it before any discount!!!

By the 30 seconds annoying capture time, i assume you are playing it on Switch.

UPDATE: Ok, YOu are on console, not emulator, just re-read your other post. How is it content wise? Does it have Serie B? Libertadores-SudAmericana? Romanian League?

Yeah all the leagues are there, I can’t seem to find a way of playing international tournaments though.

Tactics are the old school style that you like (‘ultra attacking’, etc).

If you get it let me know how you find it!

 

[fear]

Convinced my kids to get the Switch version. For a week now all of them are like "Dad, FIFA 23 is out, why are you playing FIFA 16?" 😀😀

 

[blonde_bed_Babe]

The Switch versions have been brilliant for years in that the gameplay in them has been very watchable (***), unchanged year on year, with the game only getting real life team updates, kits players etc. Maybe a few small things added to gameplay but essentially yes, the old engine.

*** Me being CPU CPU most of the time I used to love watching the Switch version, it has very smooth animations and their is some lovely football played most of the time, and I always wondered back then (I haven't bothered for a year or so with the more recent versions) why no-one out there seemed to rate the Switch version, it was hard to find anything positive written about it.

But today, i stumble across this thread.

Fully agree with everything said about this version!!