With 29 iterations, 29 years of experience, you would have thought that the launch of FIFA 23 was going without a hitch. It was without counting on its anticheat on PC which seems to pose a lot of problems.
[Updated on October 3, 2022 at 3:22 p.m.] FIFA 23, the most famous sports simulation game license, has been back for a few days for its final year of existence. An release awaited by all fans, who carefully scrutinize the technical innovations of the game, particularly on PC since the platform joins for the first time the “next-gen” versions, namely Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X in terms of content. Except that, surprise, the game is currently undergoing a huge review-bombing on Steam, displaying a majority of negative opinions. The reason ? Its anticheat which simply and simply prevents the game from being launched.
We are coming to the end of a difficult weekend for EA Sports employees, who are seeing the fruits of their labor dismantled by negative reviews on Steam. It must be said that on a technical level, FIFA 23 on PC encounters a rather big problem due to its anticheat, which fails to self-check, conflicts with other anticheats, and refuses to launch the game. complicated for many players who just can’t get FIFA 23 to open, venting their frustration with intense review-bombing on Steam. The game has 76% negative reviews (out of 6900 ratings) and becomes de facto one of the lowest rated games on the platform this year. A rather funny situation when you know that the versions of FIFA 23 on PC include for the first time in their history the same technical improvements as their cousins ??on PS5 and Xbox Series. A situation that forced EA to react, indicating that it had taken stock of the situation, without indicating a date for a possible patch. Case to follow.
For now, French-speaking reviews of FIFA 23 are quite limited. We still find the criticism of JVC, which gives it a good 16/20. The webjournal salutes the innovations of Hypermotion 2, the new system of set pieces (which takes up the principle of previous FIFA games), and the good part given to women’s football. The FUT mode remains true to itself, both competitive and rewarding for veteran players, and difficult to access for novices. Across the round, the Guardian gave it 4 stars out of 5, praising the animations of the Hypermotion 2, the realism of the game situations, and slightly criticizing its microtransactions system.
For IGN France, the game did not convince, the newspaper gave it a score of 6/10: “Like a decisive goal canceled for an offside position, FIFA 23 misses the mark. It manages to sublimate a Frostbite engine definitively aging and the many animations added via Hypermotion 2 make the replays eye-catching. Unfortunately, due to inconsistent and buggy collisions, a game that seems set on rails and based on speed and depth, the gameplay is definitely not up to par. height. The addition of the powerful shot sounds like the final blow on the simulation to permanently switch to an arcade game.” Indeed, FIFA can sometimes seem very close to arcade games and less to high-end sports simulation. For TheGamer, same note, 6/10: “FIFA 23 is exactly the same as it has always been, maybe for the last time.”
Divided opinions, this is what characterizes the tests and reviews of FIFA 23. For the moment, the game peaks at 78/100 on Metacritic, average of 22 tests carried out on its PS5 version. A rather special score when you consider the FIFA 22 rating, which is strictly identical. Proof that the new releases of FIFA are quite divisive, with some acknowledging the impact of technical innovations on gameplay, others criticizing the immobility or lack of risk taken by the license, a gimmick that seems to be spreading in all sports game franchises, including NBA 2K. But from the point of view of Electronic Arts, or 2K Games, their licenses are selling like hot cakes, and are the source of an astronomical amount of microtransactions, so why revolutionize a format that works?
Electronic Arts offers two versions of the game, the Standard version and the Ultimate version. The latter contains various bonuses and advantages that we detail just below, but also the possibility of upgrading your game from an old-gen version to a next-gen version. In concrete terms, if you buy the game on PS4 in the Ultimate edition, your switch to the PS5 version will cost you nothing, the same for Xbox One and Xbox Series players. An expensive but good option if you plan to sell your old console soon to switch to the new generation.
Prices are set at: Standard version €79.99 PS5 and Xbox Series and €69.99 PC, PS4 and Xbox One) and Ultimate version (€99.99). The Ultimate version includes various benefits, such as a FUT World Cup 2022 hero, 3 days of early access to the game, the possibility to upgrade to a next-gen version for free (if you buy it on PS4 or Xbox One), a FUT item to watch, Mbappé on loan on FUT, 4600 FIFA points, a Local Talent in Career mode, and a FUT Ambassador on loan.
Although it is again a cross-gen console game, FIFA 23 has the ambition of a next-gen game, especially on the technical level. EA emphasized its motion-capture system with the arrival of Hypermotion 2 in FIFA 23. This motion-capture technique was first introduced in FIFA 22 (on PS5 and Xbox Series), and offered more fluidity and realism in the interactions between the players, the ball and the pitch. Unfortunately, this feature is once again reserved for next-gen consoles, in addition to PC versions joining the PS5 and Xbox Series in the next-gen camp this year.
A feature eagerly awaited by players is also making its debut with FIFA 23: crossplay. Indeed, for the first time in a few years, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series players will share the same version of the game, the one including the technical improvements (Hypermotion 2, improved AI), and will be able to compete online thanks to to crossplay. A boon for PC players who will be able to take advantage of the excellent capabilities of their machines while accessing the cutting-edge gameplay offered by the next-gen version of FIFA. Crossplay affects all FIFA 23 multiplayer modes, and also brings PS4 and Xbox One players together.
2022 and 2023 will also be World Cup hosting periods with the competition organized for men in Qatar and for women in Australia next year. EA intends to capitalize on these two events by offering players the opportunity to participate in the two World Cups later in the year. These playlists will be introduced through two updates, the first later in November and the second in early 2023. A good way for players to get a third star?
FIFA 22 had introduced us to the idea of ??two different versions of the same game. This release being linked to two generations of consoles with different technical capabilities, EA had then decided to offer two games. The first was the next-gen version (PS5 and Xbox Series) including all the technical novelties of this new generation of football games, and the second was the old-gen version (PS4, Xbox One and PC) which remained a simple upgrade. FIFA 21. A decision that was far from unanimous, players first noting that PCs were confined to the “old” generation, and deploring the lack of crossplay between Xbox One, PC and PS4.
For FIFA 23 things are different. If the two versions of the game still exist, separating the next-gen from the old-gen, the rules have changed. PC, PS5 and Xbox Series players will be able to enjoy the same version of the game, and even crossplay has been fully integrated into the game. For PS4 and Xbox One players don’t panic, crossplay is also offered to them. These cross-platform play features are of course FUT Division Rivals (except Co-op), FUT Champions, FUT Ultimate Online Draft, FUT Online Friendlies (except Co-op), FUT Play a Friend, Online Friendlies. and finally Online Seasons.
If there is a category of players who have been quite adversely affected by recent FIFA releases, it is Nintendo Switch players. The latter must be satisfied for several years with “legacy” versions of the game, ie a copy without the new technical improvements of its counterparts on PC, Playstation and Xbox. When it comes to FIFA 23, unfortunately, this trend continues. FIFA 23 on Switch will therefore also be a “legacy” version of the game. EA say it themselves: “Gameplay and modes [of FIFA 23] will be identical to FIFA 22 on Switch and will feature the same Legacy FIFA 22 without any significant new development or evolution.” If you or someone close to you owns a Nintendo Switch, we highly recommend that you play this edition of the game.
On the sidelines of the arrival of FIFA 23, we couldn’t help but notice that this 25th iteration of the franchise would be the last to bear the same name. Indeed, you may already know it, but the divorce has been pronounced between EA Sports and FIFA. The reason ? On the one hand, FIFA wants to increase the prices paid by EA for the ownership of the license, on the other hand, it also intends to make it accept that FIFA appears in other video game franchises (Roblox, Fortnite… ). A slightly too incredible idea for EA, which has decided to go it alone from the year 2023. FIFA 23 will therefore be the last football game bearing the famous name of the International Football Federation.
As for the future of football simulation games, don’t panic, EA intends to develop its own franchise, which will bear the name of EA Sports FC. Only, EA Sports FC will have to give up content related to the World Cup, directly licensed by FIFA. As for the clubs, however, the game should have no problem according to EA. On the side of FIFA, we are all grumpy, but we intend to find another standard bearer for the official football simulation. Various candidates could enter the dance, among the biggest studios in the video game world, but for the moment, no information has emerged on this subject.
