FC 27 Review – DID IT TOP LAST YEAR?

So, you know how each year when the next FIFA or FC would roll around, your mate Barry would say, “Hey, look! It’s the same game again with a new number! Hehehe!”, and you’d be sitting there trying to explain why it’s not, without sounding like a giant football nerd? Well, this time, you’ve actually got quite a strong case for FC 27.

Living in the City

The biggest and brightest new feature this year is easily The Grounds. I thought it was gonna be some gimmicky, PR nonsense by EA, but boy was I wrong! Once you get past the obligatory opening slog of cutscenes with Mbappé and Alex Hunter, you’ll be hooked on the amount of arcade-y game modes and FIFA Street shenanigans. FYI: I wasn’t able to try them all out due to lower player numbers in early access. Though whether you’re playing the 1 vs 1s, 2 vs 2s, Rush, or a personal favourite of mine, Bucket Ball (where you have to score through a big basketball hoop to win), you will literally be glued to your chair before you know it.

When you open up The Grounds, it’s structured like a mini city, with different spots corresponding to different events. You can walk between each one, or fast-travel from the map screen and see how many of the 100 people per server are queued up for events. You can also create and customise an avatar, choose a PlayStyle and progressively upgrade their base stats. I just wish there was a restart option or less loading times between each event, because it can really stuff up the momentum. Doesn’t help that some events straight up wouldn’t load, even though there were clearly enough people to do so. And just say you went AFK while taking too long to make a sandwich, the game would then casually kick you out of The Grounds for inactivity. I mean, you can’t be serious, man. You cannot be serious!

In all honesty, The Grounds is still a ripper of a good time, but it definitely needs some TLC. That said, it’s simple enough to get your mates involved, and the presentation (especially the courts and interface) makes for some easy-breezy spectacle. Just don’t mind the visuals occasionally glitching out like an Assassin’s Creed game, or having to encounter a few absolutely cursed-looking avatars.

Almost… But Not Quite

But how does the game play in FC 27? You ask. Well, it’s relatively similar to the rounded awesomeness that was last year, but this time I’m firmly on the fence… Let’s start with corners. Crossing straight from corners has two phases: you first pick your target, then move them (or someone else) into a solid position as the ball’s being kicked. This makes corners feel more in-depth than before, and actually a viable option this time around. Unlike FC 26, where I probably scored 1 cross-to-head corner goal in 150 hours—yikes.

Another thing that’s been changed dramatically is the lofted through ball. Last year, it was brilliant for squeezing the ball between nearby defenders on the wing or top of the box. Whereas now, it’s the most pathetic pass in FIFA history. Now, before you remind me to get good, manual passes are great and all. Yet, they’re not particularly effective at short range like the lofted through ball was.

Speaking of manual things, FC 27 is all about human defending, with less reliance on AI and more on timed standing and sliding challenges to win the ball. That’s all well and fine… in theory. Though, much worse than last year, sometimes your AI teammates will make the dumbest decisions in the back that you couldn’t possibly account for. So, in their attempt to make the art of defending more risk-and-reward based, EA also shot themselves in the foot. Big surprise there.

Pushin’ That Pencil

In terms of Manager and Player Career, the notable changes are mostly behind the scenes. A player’s overall can change rapidly throughout the season, meaning that you’ll want to take a sneaky peek each week to see how everyone’s doing. And the same applies to a player’s development, as they can peak and trough at different points throughout their careers. For both of these aspects, you don’t necessarily have to dive into the weeds and be locked in like an accountant, but it is nice that these options exist.

You can also create your own custom Career Challenges and share them online, while 25 new Unexpected Events keep you on your toes. Because what every manager really needs is more problems, am I right? But seriously, there’s supposed to be more frequent injuries when a player’s being exerted week-to-week, or they’ll have a few awkward slips in the rain, though I didn’t exactly experience these myself. That said, I do like how press conferences are saved for bigger moments, instead of prompting you every 5 seconds to repeat the same spiel over and over.

The most obvious switch-up, however, is the way transfers work. Instead of watching one cutscene of your favourite manager go back and forth until you’ve suddenly got a sick number 9, the exchange is now spread out over multiple days, so it feels like an ongoing process. Plus, there are several new aspects you can add to deals like loan/buy-back clauses, alongside dynamic wage adjustments where (as the name implies) you can dynamically adjust a player’s wage based on how well the team is faring. If you’re failing miserably like my team, Tottenham this year, then these options are a no-brainer.

Decision

FC 27 finally gives your mate Barry a bit of a problem when he starts yelling “same game, new number!” This year, The Grounds is the star of the show, bringing addictive FIFA Street-style chaos, while Career Mode gets smarter transfers, dynamic development and enough random problems to remind you that being a manager isn’t stressful enough already. The downside? Some gameplay changes are a tad bit cooked, with the lofted through ball going from hero to absolute zero. Meanwhile, your AI defenders feel like they’ve been recruited from the local Sunday league.

Still, between The Grounds, deeper Career modes and plenty of new stuff to poke around with, FC 27 feels like more than EA slapping a fresh number on last year’s game and calling it a day. It’s not perfect, but it remains a bloody fun time.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PS5

Great

Your mate Barry can be quiet for another year.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by EA. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.