FIFA 21 Beta review: changes and first impressions
FIFA 21 is coming in a week – here is FIFA 21 Beta review to see what you can expect from new EA football game. Players are used to the fact that not a single year can do without the next part of the FIFA series…
Despite the frequency with which EA Sports makes new games, sales of the football simulator continue to remain high, and the total number of copies sold per year exceeds 280 million.
What to say, if some buy consoles solely for FIFA. However, in the case of FIFA 21, the developers found themselves in an unusual situation due to the coronavirus, which could potentially allow them to show their best side. And judging by a few days in beta, EA Sports is on the right track.
FIFA 21 Beta review
In 2020, sports competitions had a difficult time for the reason already indicated above. Football was no exception, and as the world’s most popular sport, it suffered the most.
Each championship, even if the fans supported different teams, united people in the spirit of a football celebration.
And 2020 was deprived of these emotions. Watching important matches with completely empty stadiums is a rather sad fact.
But the virtual world of FIFA cannot be affected by any epidemic. And this is where EA Sports has a chance to become the main provider of the football holiday feeling in 2020.
Developers can not only recreate reality, but supplement it with matches and events that we never saw due to quarantine restrictions. After all, surely EA is aware of the entire football behind the scenes thanks to agreements with various sports organizations.
FIFA 21 New Leagues information: EA revealed all leagues and teams
People, deprived of the opportunity to visit real football, will try to compensate for the lack of positive emotions with virtual competitions. After all, even if major competitions have already begun to take place, there are no previous crowds at the stadiums due to quarantine restrictions. The developers are only required to release essentially augmented and improved FIFA 20 with a slightly updated list of teams and minor improvements. And even under such circumstances, the football simulator is sure to break all sales records.
The greatness of big football
But EA Sports is not an ordinary entity. Already one list of gameplay innovations hints at how much work has been done on FIFA 21.
And with playing FIFA 21 beta, all doubts are dispelled. The developers are still trying their best to move the series forward, while trying not to break what’s been working so well so far.
In the beta, there were two main modes to choose from: standard football with several types of championships and VOLTA street football.
With the first one, everything is clear even without additional explanations. We see good old FIFA without any global changes.
How good is it? It is not yet possible to determine precisely, because EA Sports is hiding all the details of the version for the next generation consoles. Perhaps it is EA who will bring the series to a fundamentally new level of quality. In the meantime, we are working with what we have.
FIFA 21 Agile Dribbling Tutorial: New Game Changing Technique?
In FIFA 21 Beta, absolutely anyone can easily start playing, even if they have never held a gamepad in their hands before. Numerous settings will help you choose the level of comfort from the gameplay for yourself, and the gameplay itself is felt almost at a reflex level.
FIFA 21 Beta can be called the friendliest part of the series, with literally every aspect of the match being customizable.
And the ability to rewind time and replay any moment will come in handy during training. However, it is logical, because the more accessible the game, the more potential players it has.
Improved dribbling and player training. New features coming to FIFA 21
New features will add even more realism to the game.
While working on FIFA 21 beta review we noticed that the real change begins at deeper levels. For example, the new collision system of players in a close fight for the ball really gives new feelings. And over the entire time of the game, we have not come across any of the known bugs when players pass through each other. Already small, but a victory.
Also, the system of control of the team mates closest to the footballer you control is highlighted. That is, even by controlling someone specific, you can adjust the movement of the team as a whole. And this is not just a useful innovation, but a mechanic that often changes the entire course of the game. Now, due to the positioning of several players, you can think of several potential tactics at once for several forward passes.
In total, changes are aimed at making positioning a key element of every match. There will be fewer random goals and hurtful defeats in FIFA 21, because now the game appreciates competent tactics and unusual strategies. And no amount of skill moves will help if your defense is poorly built.
How FIFA 21 will differ from FIFA 20
Many small changes that you will only notice under a microscope.
In general, standard football in FIFA 21 does not differ from the previous parts, but it gives noticeably more pleasant emotions. It is impossible to describe in words, because the tactile response from every action of your team is felt only personally.
It is noticeable that EA listens to fans of the series, so many innovations in FIFA 21 beta are based precisely on the feedback from the players. And this is the correct vector of development, when developers first of all listen to their audience.
Freedom of street football VOLTA
With VOLTA-mode, things are the opposite, and radically. It feels like the developers were given complete creative freedom in relation to it. And it is noticeable in everything, from locations to items of clothing for athletes.
VOLTA is street football with all that it implies. This mode first appeared in FIFA 20 and immediately gained decent popularity. After all, VOLTA didn’t just add variety to the familiar FIFA mode scheme. It also gave the long-awaited freedom in everything.
VOLTA is street football with all that it implies. This mode first appeared in FIFA 20 and immediately gained decent popularity. After all, VOLTA didn’t just add variety to the familiar FIFA mode scheme. It also gave the long-awaited freedom in everything.
In FIFA 21, you can easily customize the look of any footballer of your street team, as well as come up with an original name for the team. Stadiums differ among themselves not only in appearance, but sometimes even in rules. When the bounce of the ball off the walls does not stop the match, you force yourself to adjust to the new conditions. And the local neon arena seems to predict what football will look like in the cyberpunk era.
The number of variations of clothing for football players tends to grow. Because of this, matches sometimes resemble a riot of colors, and at first you have to remember who and what you dressed. But this way the individuality of each player is emphasized even more.
The FIFA 21 cover is presented. It shows 21-year-old PSG forward Kylian Mbappé
After a few difficult games, you begin to remember what each of your players is capable of. The scenes in the finals of matches, during which the best players show all sorts of tricks, also help to perceive them as personalities.
And a separate plus is that each player in the team can be replaced by a live person from your friends list. A very timely innovation, given how many people stay at home.
But the main thing is that even those who are far from traditional football will be able to love VOLTA. Ironically, some people who love FIFA from an early age did not like street mode very much.
And the reason is simple: VOLTA is targeting its own audience of people, which almost does not overlap with the traditional fans of the series. But through street football, you can already fall in love with the traditional variation of this sport.
Summing-up
Although the innovations in FIFA 21 evoke pleasant emotions, FIFA 21 beta review confirmed that in terms of standard football, the developers are gradually hitting the ceiling.
To some extent, you can understand them, because the rules of real football change minimally. The FIFA series has to evolve iteratively, gradually bringing all the elements to perfection, but generally remaining recognizable.
Against this background, VOLTA seems like a breath of fresh air, a riot of creative madness. Even the menu for this mode is visually different from everything else in FIFA. The developers seem to be extremely happy to develop street football themselves. And even if in interviews they very carefully talk about its prospects, it was noticeable that they did not plan to forget about VOLTA for a long time.
In the end, FIFA 21 does not yet resemble a revolution, but it does all its mechanics and elements much better. This is a gradual development, which will seem to some to be stagnation, but only until they themselves play the new part. Because FIFA 21 knows how to surprise you.
