FIFA 18

Port

Nintendo Switch port of FIFA 18, which runs on a custom engine.

Released: 29 September 2017
Platforms: Nintendo Switch PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Genres: Association football Sports
Developers: EA Vancouver EA Romania
Publishers: EA Sports
Modes: Co-op Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Non-fiction
Age ratings: CERO A PEGI 3
Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Spain)

About

FIFA 18 is a football simulation video game developed and published by Electronic Arts and released worldwide on 29 September 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It is the 25th installment in the FIFA series. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, at the time contracted to Real Madrid, appears as the cover athlete of the regular edition, as well as the alternate covers of the Icon and 2018 FIFA World Cup editions of the game.

FIFA 18 featured several gameplay improvements over its predecessor, FIFA 17. The game was introduced by Real Player Motion Technology, which provides more realistic player movements and animations. The PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Xbox One versions include a continuation of "The Journey" a story-based mode that was originally in FIFA 17 titled "The Journey: Hunter Returns", which continues the story of fictional footballer Alex Hunter as he seeks to make a name for himself in the football world. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, marketed as FIFA 18: Legacy Edition, were not built on the Frostbite engine and do not contain any new gameplay features, and are hence identical to the previous release aside from updated kits and squads. FIFA 18 also includes the standard modes from previous FIFA games, including Career mode, Ultimate Team, and Online Seasons.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

FIFA 18 is a sports game that simulates association football. The game features 52 fully licensed stadiums from 12 countries, including new stadiums, plus 30 generic fields for a total of 82. All 20 Premier League stadia are represented in the series. Commentary is once again provided by Martin Tyler and Alan Smith with Alan McInally (in-game score updates), Geoff Shreeves (injury reports) and Mike West (classified results).

FIFA 18 Ultimate Team Icons, the new version of what has previously been called Legends is playable on the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions of the game, as Legends were exclusive to Xbox One. Diego Maradona was added as a legend to the Ultimate Team, joining Brazilian stars Pelé and Ronaldo, Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, and French star Thierry Henry for the 95-rated card. New goal celebrations featured include Cristiano Ronaldo's "Siii" jump (accompanied with a voiceover from Ronaldo), Wayne Rooney's "Knockout", Samuel Eto'o's "Old Man" routine, Robert Lewandowski's "X", and Raúl kissing his ring finger. The Cruyff turn – a feint named after 1970s Dutch star Johan Cruyff – is one of the four new skills added to the game.

Development

FIFA 18 was developed and published by Electronic Arts. In January 2017, during the Nintendo Switch Presentation, EA announced a custom-built port of FIFA 18 on the Nintendo Switch console. It runs on an internally developed game engine, as opposed to Frostbite engine that several versions of the game run on. While the Switch version includes a career mode, it excludes the story-based Journey mode.

The Switch version runs at a resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second when docked to a TV, and 720p at 60 frames per second in the handheld/tabletop mode. The Switch version marks the first time Ultimate Team ever made an appearance on a Nintendo system. Features exclusive to the Switch version include local multiplayer in the form of the new mode Local Seasons, allowing up to two Nintendo Switches to connect and compete in a five-match sequence. Another mode exclusive to Switch is the Switch Kick-Off mode, allowing players to instantly get into local/solo matches.

Reception

FIFA 18 received "generally favourable" reviews for the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions of the game, while the Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

In their review scoring 7 out of 10, GameSpot wrote, "From the variety of game modes on offer and how everything's presented, to the constant updates in FUT's Team of the Week, Daily Objectives, and discussion of real-world happenings in commentary, FIFA 18 captures the world of football and confidently translates it into a video game. On the pitch, however, EA's soccer series is still lagging far behind PES 2018's more fluid, satisfying football." IGN gave it an 8.1/10, saying, "A sharp focus on attack but few new additions make this a spectacular if somewhat shallow experience."