DarthKebab
Fully Assisted Noob
- 11 May 2008
I hated the demo, the amount of space that was left unmarked and unchallenged was awful and well known about, the shooting was too fast and accurate and unsatisfying, I think it was actually a huge mistake to release the demo in that state.
When I first got the game I put it on Superstar and -1 and to be honest I wasn't happy when I started playing exhibition games, I easily won using Everton my first game and playing the same way I did play 2017, got a goal from a cross near post and the keeper dived under Lukaku's volley, to be honest I almost put it down there and forgot about it.
Then I started a Champions League on superstar using Ajax, didn't want an elite team just a team I knew a little about the players (transfer weren't updated yet so they still had some good pace up front), turned off advanced instructions and turned on Fluid Formation and man was it tough, I didn't even qualify in the end.
Bad news is I believe pace has increased since the beta/demo and its noticeable around 10%.
Good news is shooting has been pared back and while I don't think it is contextual enough and using the correct foot enough, the speed of the shots has been decreased, this makes long rangers less likely to trouble the keeper as mostly if the shots are on target they will stand and catch them, around the edge of the box though if you shoot low they do have a tendency to push the ball back into the path of a forward/defender rather than to the side, but the big difference is inside the box where it doesn't feel certain a one on one will be a goal, I need more time with the game to try and judge it fully but after 30 or so games its good.
I would say R2 shooting is not effective so far, tried a few shots and not noticed much bend, just feels like a weak shot, might be more effective in one on ones but I have trouble getting them.
The space issue is massively improved in a competitive game, ive tried chipped through balls to LWF/RWF and each time they are tracked back (sometimes not when breaking from a corner if you can get a good clearance) for an easy interception, marking seems tight in general and sprinting through the midfield has not been possible for me like it was previously.
Passing is better than the demo but not sure if its the same as the beta, the beta was a slower game so its difficult to compare, I know interceptions happen a lot more and you sometimes do have to try manoeuvre your player to the ball to stop an interception, I would both me and the CPU average about 80% successful passes per game, it does seem weightier and definitely much more so than the demo, this is using PA1.
My biggest hate is the crossing, I hate to use it, not because its too effective but because its a straight arrow in the middle, whenever I cross now I use L1 because it feels like a more realistic trajectory and outcome, why isn't single tap for far post, double tap for near post and triple for ground ball not an option anymore, this newer way of crossing feels based on how long you can hold the button down for rather than a stat based system, needs overhauling massively.
Last point is variety, I started using Ajax in a Champions league competition and they felt good to control though a little lightweight, most of my chances were created from Klaasen doing through balls to Dolberg who is quite strong.
Playing as Monaco in Champions League was a different story, they are strong, athletic and running from deep with Mbappe was quite satisfying.
Then I started a Master with Bordeaux and tried the new feature I believe is Challenge mode, you basically have a chairman who is a lot more strict now and can allegedly sack you, I have won one game in seven but enjoying the challenge, its nice playing with a good passer like Toulalan and feels like stats are actually counting, they have a front three but never feel overpower like they did on previous games, its not easy to find people in space which I like and the AI can be very efficient going forward and punishing gaps you leave.
Not claiming to be the best player but dribbling is not a OP as it was last year, I have been stopped quite a lot from cutting inside for an easy shot, not one to try the skills as I can never get the timing right to be effective so cannot comment on how effective those are, I will leave that to better players to comment on.
Overall it needs work which I don't think will improve with patches this year, the crossing especially and the shooting despite being toned down needs work on variation and context, they are the kind of fundamentals which stop this game from being good as it is to very good.
When I first got the game I put it on Superstar and -1 and to be honest I wasn't happy when I started playing exhibition games, I easily won using Everton my first game and playing the same way I did play 2017, got a goal from a cross near post and the keeper dived under Lukaku's volley, to be honest I almost put it down there and forgot about it.
Then I started a Champions League on superstar using Ajax, didn't want an elite team just a team I knew a little about the players (transfer weren't updated yet so they still had some good pace up front), turned off advanced instructions and turned on Fluid Formation and man was it tough, I didn't even qualify in the end.
Bad news is I believe pace has increased since the beta/demo and its noticeable around 10%.
Good news is shooting has been pared back and while I don't think it is contextual enough and using the correct foot enough, the speed of the shots has been decreased, this makes long rangers less likely to trouble the keeper as mostly if the shots are on target they will stand and catch them, around the edge of the box though if you shoot low they do have a tendency to push the ball back into the path of a forward/defender rather than to the side, but the big difference is inside the box where it doesn't feel certain a one on one will be a goal, I need more time with the game to try and judge it fully but after 30 or so games its good.
I would say R2 shooting is not effective so far, tried a few shots and not noticed much bend, just feels like a weak shot, might be more effective in one on ones but I have trouble getting them.
The space issue is massively improved in a competitive game, ive tried chipped through balls to LWF/RWF and each time they are tracked back (sometimes not when breaking from a corner if you can get a good clearance) for an easy interception, marking seems tight in general and sprinting through the midfield has not been possible for me like it was previously.
Passing is better than the demo but not sure if its the same as the beta, the beta was a slower game so its difficult to compare, I know interceptions happen a lot more and you sometimes do have to try manoeuvre your player to the ball to stop an interception, I would both me and the CPU average about 80% successful passes per game, it does seem weightier and definitely much more so than the demo, this is using PA1.
My biggest hate is the crossing, I hate to use it, not because its too effective but because its a straight arrow in the middle, whenever I cross now I use L1 because it feels like a more realistic trajectory and outcome, why isn't single tap for far post, double tap for near post and triple for ground ball not an option anymore, this newer way of crossing feels based on how long you can hold the button down for rather than a stat based system, needs overhauling massively.
Last point is variety, I started using Ajax in a Champions league competition and they felt good to control though a little lightweight, most of my chances were created from Klaasen doing through balls to Dolberg who is quite strong.
Playing as Monaco in Champions League was a different story, they are strong, athletic and running from deep with Mbappe was quite satisfying.
Then I started a Master with Bordeaux and tried the new feature I believe is Challenge mode, you basically have a chairman who is a lot more strict now and can allegedly sack you, I have won one game in seven but enjoying the challenge, its nice playing with a good passer like Toulalan and feels like stats are actually counting, they have a front three but never feel overpower like they did on previous games, its not easy to find people in space which I like and the AI can be very efficient going forward and punishing gaps you leave.
Not claiming to be the best player but dribbling is not a OP as it was last year, I have been stopped quite a lot from cutting inside for an easy shot, not one to try the skills as I can never get the timing right to be effective so cannot comment on how effective those are, I will leave that to better players to comment on.
Overall it needs work which I don't think will improve with patches this year, the crossing especially and the shooting despite being toned down needs work on variation and context, they are the kind of fundamentals which stop this game from being good as it is to very good.
) too much similar to the release fee of a better player (Morata 23 M )
