It's that time of the years where the sports games and demos are being released, and of course, FIFA is the biggest of them all. How does this year's demo stack up in terms of gameplay?
The main action, 11v11
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this anywhere near as much as I have done.
For years, I've bemoaned FIFA's gameplay for being too floaty or flimsy or unbalanced, and whilst there are still strong elements of that in the game, it feels better than I can remember for a long time. Maybe that's in comparison to other games, or maybe a placebo effect of some sort, but I've genuinely enjoyed what I've played so far.
Passing feels sharper, shots come with a punch and whilst player movement isn't great, it's better than it's been. I've taken off the timed shots and that immediately helps me to enjoy my experience a hell of a lot more than in previous years.
Tackling is incredibly deliberate and defending overall is a very manual experience, which I do like, and defensive positioning to cut off passing lanes is top-notch.
I think that once the full game drops, I'll be experimenting with sliders, but I can definitely see myself enjoying this year's game.
Volta
The spiritual successor to FIFA Street is back in a BIG way. Volta has been one of the big announcements this year when it comes to FIFA 20s colossal overhaul in terms of their game modes and since the demo has dropped it certainly hasn't disappointed.
A slightly more matured, realistic version of FIFA Street, volta utilises the built-in gameplay mechanics rather than a custom setup like its predecessor, which is strangely more difficult in this scenario.
Whilst you'll often be tempted to try and bring the tricks out, you'll often find that those simple one-twos and pass-and-move build-up work best, with the AI often resulting to little more than the occasional stepover.
I think had they reverted back to the trick-stick layout of FIFA Street, it would have been more fun and flair-based, rather than a scaled-down version of the main game, but regardless, Volta is a solid representation of the street game, and in similar fashion, will require a solid mix of natural ability and practise to gain the upper hand.
Shooting can be unforgiving, with a tiny goal to aim at, it's easy to miss the occasional open goal from an angle, and against the AI, you'll be punished because they simply don't miss those.
The game lets you take a slightly tactical approach to even the most casual of street football with a simple set of formations, but as you can expect, there's little to no rigidity and they're effectively pointless at this stage, particularly in 3v3.
That said, regardless of how you choose to play it, Volta is a lot of fun and definitely one to get stuck into with your friends.