EA SPORTS FC 25 review: Giving new life into a household staple

EA SPORTS FC 25 has released worldwide on 27 September and SPORTbible were lucky to be afforded some hands-on time with the game.

With any installation of FC, an undeniable staple of modern gaming, there’s pressure to deliver and innovate. How is this different from last year’s game? How many times can you makeover a similar concept? And how can you keep a stronghold on what people love about the game but still keep it fresh?

It might seem like an impossible task, but EA might’ve done just that with FC25 — sporting some completely game-changing new features that will redefine the FC experience entirely.

All the bells and whistles of the games we know and love are still there, but now with sharper graphics. In the Ultimate Team space, where my mates and I really thrive, new features have been added that at first might seem minimal but completely transform the online experience.

First, there’s the addition of FC IQ. Touted as FC’s “new tactical system designed to give you more strategic control and freedom”, it represents a new level of personalisation that makes your gameplay truly feel like yours. The implementation of player tactics, which can be taken across accounts and consoles, helps you maximise your own playing style, and takes some of the fiddly bits out of playing FC at someone else’s house (the bane of my existence).

Not only that, with Player Roles, there’s a clear effort to make players within the game more accurately mirror their IRL counterparts which feels like something fans have been clamouring for for years. Every possible player in FC 25 will do better or worse in certain Player Roles, based on their performance in past seasons, and there are 31 different roles to choose from. It’s a great way to reflect the way I like to play, but also the ways my mates like to play. I’m a more aggressive attacker, and one mate in particular really values a stable defence. As opposed to just playing offensively or defensively, now we can implement roles and tactics that have more nuance to it. My style of play really feels like mine now.

Speaking of my style of play, as someone who can get fatigued by how focused and dedicated players in the Ultimate Team space can be, FC25 has added what is ultimate a perfect antidote for it: Rush. Less ‘cosplaying as professional footballer’ and more ‘having a kick-around with your mates on the weekend’, it’s a casual, 5v5 mode that facilitates high-goal scoring and is a much lighter play than Ultimate or Career. If you’ve been scared to take the dive into FC because of fears of being unable to keep up with the diehards who play every instalment, Rush is your gateway in — trust me.

Of course, one thing that makes every instalment of FC iconic - and has for decades - is the soundtrack. An inclusion on an FC soundtrack can give budding artists their big break, and help shape your music taste in ways you couldn’t expect. There’s heavy hitters on here, like Charli XCX, Billie Eilish and J. Balvin, but there’s plenty of artists you might not have ever heard before — Balu Brigada, Dawn Richard and Obongjayar just to name a few.

On top of that, the Aussie representation on FC25 is strong. 1300, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Flight Facilities and Owl Eyes all get some love.

Overall, FC25’s new features help elevate your gameplay, no matter the style. Thanks to new implementations like FC IQ and Player Roles, as well as new modes like Rush, will give you, at the very least, a refreshed look at FC as a whole. This isn’t just some sharper graphics and slightly sleeker gameplay — this can open up FC to an entire new realm of players.