FIFA 23 Review: 8 Ups & 6 Downs

Ups...

8. Stadium Atmospheres

Onto the good.

Pre-match cutscenes will get samey after a while, but they're often breathtaking when playing in the bigger stadiums. Simply seeing the masses gather outside Anfield for a winter evening game vs. Chelsea is a humble joy, and watching the ground staff busily prep the Old Trafford turf for Harry Maguire to fall face-first onto it is cool.

Crowds inside these arenas sound a bit livelier too. They'll respond contextually to things happening in front of them - bag a winner in the game's dying seconds, for example, and they'll explode like they've just won the lottery. The way fans cheer then settle down post-kick off is also realistic.

It's clear that EA put a lot of effort into pre-match scenes this year. They want everything to feel big, grand and in-your-face. Dramatic music works for the box office games, and the quiet drone of background ambient noise makes smaller fixtures feel real.