FIFA 23 Review: 8 Ups & 6 Downs
All the good and bad from EA's final FIFA game. Does it bow out gracefully?
See above for the kind of fun you can have in EA's final FIFA ever.
This writer plucked Diego Simeone from Atlético Madrid and took him to London for a new adventure managing Arsenal. Immediately, Career Mode took on a fresh feel due to that exciting fantasy element and the fact that Simeone's avatar is gorgeously-recreated.
That's just it though - Diego's character is a mask. Suddenly, it became obvious that there wasn't much to this change beyond the superficial, and that was disappointing. Of course, new improvements to the Career suite generally, FIFA's overall presentation and on-the-pitch gameplay soothed this pain.
One gets the sense that EA, who will split from the FIFA license following one last annual entry and develop their own footy franchise, held a few things back this year. Perhaps that makes sense, but it might make a full-priced purchase difficult to justify for those still enjoying FIFA 22.
The 'Ups' and 'Downs' counts reveal something special though: FIFA 23 is the definitive version. Does the series bow out gracefully across the board though, or do some familiar frustrations remain? Read on to find out.