FIFA 18 (Console Versions)

Ancelotti: "Make FIFA 17.2, say its FIFA 18 & charge these fckin momo's £50 for it, Capeesh?"

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After doing a bit of digging and research, I found out that lower rated teams that doesn't have a unique team style setup is actually the hardest team to beat because they are by default set to tiki taka and get 90%+ passing accuracy. So right now, it seems my suspicion was right. If any team gets the tiki taka playing style, they will automatically master it disregarding how good/bad the team is. So if we want to enjoy career mode this year, we have to make sure no team is using tiki taka other than teams like Man City, Barca, Arsenal, etc. Such a shame they can't get passing accuracy fixed even to this day.
 
presentation is amazing, as players are shown in line up, players in huddle and camera work, like real tv. This kind of stuff is what sells games... Konami take note!
 
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I also hope that bad dribbles are actually slow at turning and slow defenders are actually slow. I don't want a nobody from skybet turning better than Messi and Hazard combined. But for online, it's definitely FIFA for me. However FIFA's AI is the worst so for offline, probably never.
 
I played 2 games. I play 20 minute halves so I have a lot of time to evaluate. Default sliders. Both games City (Me) v. United.

Pros:
-Dribbling is pretty FANTASTIC. Both Pes and Fifa this year are the two best dribbling systems I've ever played. No touch dribbling is moved to the right bumper and works like it should have in the first place. Hard to get your player to not explode out of the dribble every time after using it however.
-Misplaced passes are real, both for you and the AI. Very encouraging especially while playing on default sliders and assisted settings.
-Midfield play overall is awesome. Turns, protecting the ball, first touches. Contextual passing. It's all greatly improved. I dominated the midfield my first game.
-The presentation, especially to start games is absolutely on a new level.
-Lofted passes seem better, saw some lovely short dinks as well. Pes still wins handsdown here
-Saw some gorgeous scuffed shots. One from Carrick on the volley with his left. He almost flat out missed the ball. Next corner same situation, Carrick hit it much better but this time with his right. I just hope it isn't an automatic volley like Pes' AI. Get's way to predictably annoying.
-Related, body positioning really matters on your shots.
-Ai dribbling from wingers is finally realistic. Rashford did a couple stepovers then cut inside, had to replay it.
-Interceptions by AI teammates are much better, regardless of advanced instructions
-Rashford missed a WIIIDE open teammate far post. Never saw em. Hopefully this is due to low vision stats than poor coding. Was refreshing because I felt like the AI was crossing to the far post every time for a while.
-Celebrations have changed a bit and they are incredible. Didn't notice the shaking camera anymore though. Might have just not noticed. I personally liked when it did the last couple of years.
-Fouls are present. About the same as last year. Saw a couple of fantastic one where I got pulled back on a counter and the line judge raised their flag right away. Not bs'ing around. They called it right away.
-Close dribble is back and its nice to have. Would like it to be more effective, maybe a bit slower.
-Bravo finally has a face :SMUG:


Cons:
-Wingers still too wide defensively despite tactics. Always my biggest pet peeve with footy games.
-Tactics still the same as last year as of now.
-No movement from your forwards while you have the close to the halfway line. Maybe this was City specific but it was very discouraging seeing Sterling staring at you while you're looking for a viable passing option time after time.
-Fullbacks defensively seem even more clueless. I had Rashford cutting in from outwide without the ball giving him two identical goal opportunities. He burried the first one.
-Fifa seems to be having the issue Pes has of the back 4 tracking runners too deep, rather than simply stepping up.
-Team styles aren't in the beta.
-It's a good idea but just poorly executed right now, but defenders seem to have too much momentum going in one direction while crosses come in. The develop Mertesacker like agility pretty consistently. I could see this making crossing online OP if not addressed.
-@Matt10 will probably hate this but Im pretty sure I saw the backwards save animation again.
-Would like to see outside the foot lob passes, player specific (Modric, silva, etc.). Pes has had this for years
-Ai is a bit too fast on possession. Would like to see them slow things down and know when they should go forward
-Keepers are too passive like someone else pointed out. Not enough catches and too many punches. Small sample size though.
-Maybe it's tactic specific but Man U crosses alot. Maybe a bit too much.
-What adds to this crossing OPness is two factors. 1. CB's are too close together positionally on offense. Cb's cover for fullback much better on Pes, youll see them get wide protecting the flanks. 2. Fullback are too slow recovering on defense.
-Fullbacks weren't overlapping well enough despite advanced instructions. Maybe this can be fixed with sliders.

Overall verdict:
I like it a lot. I'm somewhere inbetween good and great. Didn't sweep me away like Pes' beta did, although, I did have low expectations. With slider adjustments, I think itll be a really close race this year. Especially after you can implement the new team styles. We should have two great footy game to choose from regardless. If I think of anymore stuff, Ill keep you all updated :TU:
 
Fantastic long post, Talucchesi. It's thoughtful and articulate posts like this that keep me coming back to Evoweb each year.
 
I could play with Barcelona this entire time!??? Here I was thinking I only had access to the Prem :NO:


Updated notes (Barca vs Espanyol) [World class. Slider adjustments-Width 35/35 Length 35/20]:

Pros:
-La liga presentation is unreal. I already saw the new player intros with the Premier league, but there was just something about the la liga music with the specific banners seeing Barca's starting XI that gave me chills, Crowd noise, "Camp Nou" whistling the second the Keeper begins putting down the ball for the GK, I'm 90% sure they freaking chanted "Meeeeeessi" after my first goal which was, of course with you guessed it.
-You forget at times that the camp nou isn't even licensed with how much it looked and felt like a Barca game. The banners around the stadium are beautiful.
-The slider adjustments made all the difference. Defensive shape was nearly spot on. Unfortunately, this effects the perfect pressing shape that is present with default sliders.
-Dribbling, dribbling, dribbling.
-This will sound so stupid but one of the reasons I was so upset with Neymar's transfer was I was so looking forward to using him in this years Fifa with the knowledge they were overhauling dribbling. Some of the runs I made with him and Messi were unreal how lifelike they felt. Ball close to feet, full speed, notouchdribble feint one way get the defender off balance explode the other way. Protect the ball with Messi, feint one way, create space, look for a dink over the top or a incisive pass. It was all a dream until I realized 222mil :ANX:
-Saw more movement from my forwards with Barca. I changed their passing distance to 35 instead of 29 and this made the difference I think because City's is some low number by default as well.
-Passing is crisp and the animations are better. Driven passes arent as rocket like. Passing speed should only need a slight decrease come slider time.
-Busquets, Iniesta actually mean something now.
-Lob passes really are better. Not where they should be however but I saw some great one with some actual bend while switching the play
-Keepers seemed much better as of late. I may have judged their command of the box too soon.
-Something I completely forgot to mention in the last post but is HUUUUGE is your striker will actually stay close to the oppositions back 4 offensively. No more "always a false 9" look from Aguero and Suarez when I played. They did check to the ball in the correct situations so it was extremely refreshing to see that fixed, one of my biggest cons last year.
-Held Espanyol to 78 passing% in the first half. It did jump up to 85 by the end of the game though

Cons:
-I've dreaded making this statement for a while now because of how angry it makes me but FOR THE LOVE OF FOOTY FIFA CAN YOU ALL PLEASE FIX THE "CPU, DOWN BY ONE, FRANTIC MAN TO MAN PRESSING THAT HAPPENS AFTER 3 BACKWARDS PASSES." This has driven me insane since it was implemented in last years edition. No team EVER presses man on man, let alone down one in the 3freaking5th minute. I've been meaning to make an entire detailed post on this issue alone but just haven't had the time or energy. I just banked on them fixing it this year. Nope. The second it happened during this beta it sucked the life out of me. But yes. I do know it's only a beta and there's still time but I feel like marching to EA Canada myself and hijacking their computers just to fix it myself.
-Fullbacks are wayyy too narrow offensively. This is likely due to the slider changes. Slightly too narrow defensively as well but that seems to be a problem on default also.
-Defending seems frantic at times. Defenders lose shape too easily and you still feel like you're trying to control all eleven players simultaneously. Still I kept a clean sheet against Espanyol despite my style of playing 20 minute halves.

If I can fix the full back issue and if Ea can fix the blitzkrieg bop press, this will be a day 1 purchase for me regardless of how good Pes turns out to be.
 
Here lies pes problem this year ..fifa is reading very positively and if it's close between gameplay people including myself will go with FIFA purely on bells and whistles and complete package ..bring on the demo
 
RockyJJP said:
Gee Whizz, the nets look absolutely amazing! I don't care if i make a fuss. i'm a net whore
Click to expand...

I am also a net whore and I find the nets still looks like a cage of steel. I always play on 'loose' settings to see the nets wobble at the max. I still think that we can get far more possibilities about goal nets though.

- Realistic nets for each team at least for the Premier League and La Liga
- More settings: super tight, super loose for example.
- Depth of the goal nets: Real Madrid and Wembley deep goal nets style
- More variations in goal net styles. For example: in Brazil there is a different 'goal net culture'
- Changing patterns and colors of the net (PES example)
 
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talucchesi said:
I could play with Barcelona this entire time!??? Here I was thinking I only had access to the Prem :NO:


Updated notes (Barca vs Espanyol) [World class. Slider adjustments-Width 35/35 Length 35/20]:

Pros:
-La liga presentation is unreal. I already saw the new player intros with the Premier league, but there was just something about the la liga music with the specific banners seeing Barca's starting XI that gave me chills, Crowd noise, "Camp Nou" whistling the second the Keeper begins putting down the ball for the GK, I'm 90% sure they freaking chanted "Meeeeeessi" after my first goal which was, of course with you guessed it.
-You forget at times that the camp nou isn't even licensed with how much it looked and felt like a Barca game. The banners around the stadium are beautiful.
-The slider adjustments made all the difference. Defensive shape was nearly spot on. Unfortunately, this effects the perfect pressing shape that is present with default sliders.
-Dribbling, dribbling, dribbling.
-This will sound so stupid but one of the reasons I was so upset with Neymar's transfer was I was so looking forward to using him in this years Fifa with the knowledge they were overhauling dribbling. Some of the runs I made with him and Messi were unreal how lifelike they felt. Ball close to feet, full speed, notouchdribble feint one way get the defender off balance explode the other way. Protect the ball with Messi, feint one way, create space, look for a dink over the top or a incisive pass. It was all a dream until I realized 222mil :ANX:
-Saw more movement from my forwards with Barca. I changed their passing distance to 35 instead of 29 and this made the difference I think because City's is some low number by default as well.
-Passing is crisp and the animations are better. Driven passes arent as rocket like. Passing speed should only need a slight decrease come slider time.
-Busquets, Iniesta actually mean something now.
-Lob passes really are better. Not where they should be however but I saw some great one with some actual bend while switching the play
-Keepers seemed much better as of late. I may have judged their command of the box too soon.
-Something I completely forgot to mention in the last post but is HUUUUGE is your striker will actually stay close to the oppositions back 4 offensively. No more "always a false 9" look from Aguero and Suarez when I played. They did check to the ball in the correct situations so it was extremely refreshing to see that fixed, one of my biggest cons last year.
-Held Espanyol to 78 passing% in the first half. It did jump up to 85 by the end of the game though

Cons:
-I've dreaded making this statement for a while now because of how angry it makes me but FOR THE LOVE OF FOOTY FIFA CAN YOU ALL PLEASE FIX THE "CPU, DOWN BY ONE, FRANTIC MAN TO MAN PRESSING THAT HAPPENS AFTER 3 BACKWARDS PASSES." This has driven me insane since it was implemented in last years edition. No team EVER presses man on man, let alone down one in the 3freaking5th minute. I've been meaning to make an entire detailed post on this issue alone but just haven't had the time or energy. I just banked on them fixing it this year. Nope. The second it happened during this beta it sucked the life out of me. But yes. I do know it's only a beta and there's still time but I feel like marching to EA Canada myself and hijacking their computers just to fix it myself.
-Fullbacks are wayyy too narrow offensively. This is likely due to the slider changes. Slightly too narrow defensively as well but that seems to be a problem on default also.
-Defending seems frantic at times. Defenders lose shape too easily and you still feel like you're trying to control all eleven players simultaneously. Still I kept a clean sheet against Espanyol despite my style of playing 20 minute halves.

If I can fix the full back issue and if Ea can fix the blitzkrieg bop press, this will be a day 1 purchase for me regardless of how good Pes turns out to be.
Click to expand...

What was the passing completion rate of Espanyol? Thanks for your detailed post
 
elfie said:
Watch it while you can. Disgusting vid really seeing the player do millions of tricks, but at least it's some fifa 18 footage.
Click to expand...
That's the first footage I've seen that actually makes the game look S-L-O-W slow (which everyone seems to say it is, but it just hasn't looked it to me)!

Topaz said:
What was the passing completion rate of Espanyol? Thanks for your detailed post
Click to expand...
Good point - also, been meaning to say this.

A few people are looking at team instructions and saying that the "team styles" mentioned in all the PR aren't there.

Does that mean...

A) They've not been implemented in time for this beta (which I can't really believe - there's a Career Mode beta and it's a majorly promoted feature so it should be in by now, but I hope this is the case given the reports that tiki-taka is still prevalent)...

OR...

B) They're hidden, and uneditable?
 
elfie said:

Watch it while you can. Disgusting vid really seeing the player do millions of tricks, but at least it's some fifa 18 footage.
Click to expand...
This guy put lowest AI difficulty level just to make tricks and score like crazy. :FAIL:
 
elfie said:

Watch it while you can. Disgusting vid really seeing the player do millions of tricks, but at least it's some fifa 18 footage.
Click to expand...

Simply the worst kind of ad you can put out for a sim. This is why a closed BETA is a joke, Make it available to the public like PES2018 was.

Let everyone judge and feed back.
 
elfie said:
found another one *snip*
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Positive: Be A Pro looks amazing. When he gets the ball around the box and scores, in terms of AI defensive positioning etc., it looks just right.

Negative: I'm seeing so many of the same type of goal. Winger dribbles in a straight vertical line (from the sideline camera), into the box, hits a rocket past the keeper.

Also, one of my biggest bugbears with 17 is defenders doing nothing even when you've positioned them properly and you're holding "press" / "stab tackle". Doesn't look like defending has improved on this front.

I'm also desperate to know if shielding is still overpowered as hell - I mean, 17 was (and is) a laughing stock because of it. No mention on Twitter if it's any different...
 
Topaz said:
What was the passing completion rate of Espanyol? Thanks for your detailed post
Click to expand...
No problem! I love doing it. I played I think I said it got up to 85 by the end of the game. But I replayed the same matchup last night and I held em to 78 or 79 I think. I will admit that passing inaccuracy does seem less prevalent than I initially thought but there's little doubt it is better.

Chris Davies said:
Good point - also, been meaning to say this.

A few people are looking at team instructions and saying that the "team styles" mentioned in all the PR aren't there.

Does that mean...

A) They've not been implemented in time for this beta (which I can't really believe - there's a Career Mode beta and it's a majorly promoted feature so it should be in by now, but I hope this is the case given the reports that tiki-taka is still prevalent)...

OR...

B) They're hidden, and uneditable?
Click to expand...

The announcers mentioned at the start of my rematch against Espanyol something to the tune of "This team likes to press and win the ball back high up the pitch within seconds of losing it." This statement seemed more generic like it as due to my team's tactics than they were talking about Barcelona specifically. But Fifa's version of the "gegen press" definitely isn't present in the beta game I played. I'm 1000% sure of that from watching the short twitter clip of the example.
 
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Played the same matchup late last night around 3am. Couldn't keep my hands off. I have a few more minor things that I noticed.

Barca v Espanyol game 2 (World class, 20 minute halves, Width 35/35, Length 35/25)

Pros:
-Downward headers are much much better and realistic. Sent one just wide with Gomes and it seemed much more useful and powerful compared to last year.
-I had a prime free kick with Messi and he put it right in the top right corner. I began standing up with my controller in the air because I knew I hit it perfectly. I was quickly and pleasantly surprised when I saw Diego Lopez cover ground quickly and fly up to make the save. It was an absolute automatic goal in years past. The only concern I had was I wondered if goalies were just going to be Op on Fk's this year. Then late in the game, a bit closer, this time Neymar. Hit another great one, had Diego Lopez beat, but I hit the underside of the bar and it came out. Looked beautiful and the reaction of the crowd and announcers made me smile.
-I won 4-0 with Messi scoring all 4. Did that once in all of last years game but this might have more to do with the cons than anything...
-My last goal with Leo was a classic cut inside bender right into the top corner. Didn't feel too easy though because I had already tried similar goals with different players and the shot was either blocked or the defenders anticipated my cut in. Had one where Messi just took a poor dribble with his right foot which brings me to...
-Dribbling individuality. I'm not sure it's a obvious as it should be yet but dribbling with Fernadinho compared to Messi or even Aleix Vidal is noticeable. This is due to mistouch dribbles. Meaning players will take some bad touches while dribbling due to their rating. I noticed this because I had a few with Fernadinho and gave up a costly turnover because of it. Promising
-I noticed Jordi Alba running exactly like he does in real life.
-Keepers are pretty great. Not at Pes beta level though.
-Fans definitely chant Messi. Crazy awesome.
-La Liga crowds are 100% different than the Prem ones.
-Crowds are overall much louder. Gets you hyped before the game starts.
-Heard some Barca specific chants. The crowd also doesn't yell "SHOOOOT" on the edge of the box like the prem one does. The announcers seem to think they do however as theyve been commentating on it without it actually being there.
-You can hear some of the chatter and players clapping hands during the pregame. Beautiful little touch.
-Almost forgot, I saw one of the best things that I've seen in video game history. Piatti just made a slide tackle on Aleix Vidal. From the ground, he proceeds to make a sweeping leg pass to an open teammate. I replayed it multiple times. It was pretty incredible.
-Game overall feels better than it looked while watching the Madrid stream. Kind of like how how felt with Pes' Beta.

Cons:
-The reason I had so many goals was because I had two pens and my exploitation of the "blitzkrieg press". The first pen was really concerning. It was simply me protecting the ball with Neymar in the box. I was being hounded from behind but nothing abnormal. A bit of a push/tug from the back and the whistle blew for a pen. Neymar never even fell too the ground. It was a moment where I felt like a pen could be coming due to the direness of the situation, but it was comical to see the ref pointing to the spot after what had happened. My second pen could have present in any prior Fifa but it was Diego Lopez taking out a potential pass recipient. The problem was the ball was quickly intercepted. No way it would get called in real life. Something that should be looked into.
-Fullbacks are definitely too narrow offensively. I try to switch play only to have them almost in the midfield. Ill try playing with default width my next game. I do remember this being a problem with last years demo only for it to be fixed when the full game came out.
-Players get stuck in this weird running animation sometimes. I noticed it in one of the Twitter clips. Looks like they're running with a stick up their...
-It seems as though they removed walking without having the ball. Ill test this more but it would be ironic if pes has it now only for Fifa to take it out in the same year.
-Defending is still too hard despite me once again holding a clean sheet. The defensive line issue really is a problem. Hopefully Matt can figure something out here. Might just need to slightly increase line height.
-I noticed Neymar getting caught from behind a few times. I know when Ney is in full stride, he's gone. It doesn't really matter how far he pushes the ball out in front of him. This might be due to speed ratings of others around him. I know others will disagree with me here and that's okay, I just felt like I've been caught a bit too easily by the CPU from behind. It's nothing drastic though. You definitely feel the difference running with the ball with the top dribblers in the world than with Kolorav.
-AI seems a bit robotic offensively at times.

If you all have any questions, let me know. I have off today so you all know what I'm spending my time doing :BYE:
 
talucchesi said:
Played the same matchup late last night around 3am. Couldn't keep my hands off. I have a few more minor things that I noticed.

Barca v Espanyol game 2 (World class, 20 minute halves, Width 35/35, Length 35/25)

Pros:
-Downward headers are much much better and realistic. Sent one just wide with Gomes and it seemed much more useful and powerful compared to last year.
-I had a prime free kick with Messi and he put it right in the top right corner. I began standing up with my controller in the air because I knew I hit it perfectly. I was quickly and pleasantly surprised when I saw Diego Lopez cover ground quickly and fly up to make the save. It was an absolute automatic goal in years past. The only concern I had was I wondered if goalies were just going to be Op on Fk's this year. Then late in the game, a bit closer, this time Neymar. Hit another great one, had Diego Lopez beat, but I hit the underside of the bar and it came out. Looked beautiful and the reaction of the crowd and announcers made me smile.
-I won 4-0 with Messi scoring all 4. Did that once in all of last years game but this might have more to do with the cons than anything...
-My last goal with Leo was a classic cut inside bender right into the top corner. Didn't feel too easy though because I had already tried similar goals with different players and the shot was either blocked or the defenders anticipated my cut in. Had one where Messi just took a poor dribble with his right foot which brings me to...
-Dribbling individuality. I'm not sure it's a obvious as it should be yet but dribbling with Fernadinho compared to Messi or even Aleix Vidal is noticeable. This is due to mistouch dribbles. Meaning players will take some bad touches while dribbling due to their rating. I noticed this because I had a few with Fernadinho and gave up a costly turnover because of it. Promising
-I noticed Jordi Alba running exactly like he does in real life.
-Keepers are pretty great. Not at Pes beta level though.
-Fans definitely chant Messi. Crazy awesome.
-La Liga crowds are 100% different than the Prem ones.
-Crowds are overall much louder. Gets you hyped before the game starts.
-Heard some Barca specific chants. The crowd also doesn't yell "SHOOOOT" on the edge of the box like the prem one does. The announcers seem to think they do however as theyve been commentating on it without it actually being there.
-You can hear some of the chatter and players clapping hands during the pregame. Beautiful little touch.
-Almost forgot, I saw one of the best things that I've seen in video game history. Piatti just made a slide tackle on Aleix Vidal. From the ground, he proceeds to make a sweeping leg pass to an open teammate. I replayed it multiple times. It was pretty incredible.
-Game overall feels better than it looked while watching the Madrid stream. Kind of like how how felt with Pes' Beta.

Cons:
-The reason I had so many goals was because I had two pens and my exploitation of the "blitzkrieg press". The first pen was really concerning. It was simply me protecting the ball with Neymar in the box. I was being hounded from behind but nothing abnormal. A bit of a push/tug from the back and the whistle blew for a pen. Neymar never even fell too the ground. It was a moment where I felt like a pen could be coming due to the direness of the situation, but it was comical to see the ref pointing to the spot after what had happened. My second pen could have present in any prior Fifa but it was Diego Lopez taking out a potential pass recipient. The problem was the ball was quickly intercepted. No way it would get called in real life. Something that should be looked into.
-Fullbacks are definitely too narrow offensively. I try to switch play only to have them almost in the midfield. Ill try playing with default width my next game. I do remember this being a problem with last years demo only for it to be fixed when the full game came out.
-Players get stuck in this weird running animation sometimes. I noticed it in one of the Twitter clips. Looks like they're running with a stick up their...
-It seems as though they removed walking without having the ball. Ill test this more but it would be ironic if pes has it now only for Fifa to take it out in the same year.
-Defending is still too hard despite me once again holding a clean sheet. The defensive line issue really is a problem. Hopefully Matt can figure something out here. Might just need to slightly increase line height.
-I noticed Neymar getting caught from behind a few times. I know when Ney is in full stride, he's gone. It doesn't really matter how far he pushes the ball out in front of him. This might be due to speed ratings of others around him. I know others will disagree with me here and that's okay, I just felt like I've been caught a bit too easily by the CPU from behind. It's nothing drastic though. You definitely feel the difference running with the ball with the top dribblers in the world than with Kolorav.
-AI seems a bit robotic offensively at times.

If you all have any questions, let me know. I have off today so you all know what I'm spending my time doing :BYE:
Click to expand...

Really appreciate your post. Thanks! Good to see that dribbling now have some individuality. I hope that will make Skybet matches more entertaining along with mis-placed passes. I love a bit of scrappy football match sometimes.
 
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