It would be impossible to talk about the most popular sports franchises in gaming without mentioning the FIFA series. EA's landmark soccer franchise has sold hundreds of millions of copies all over the world, with each annual entry driving fans wild as they flock towards the latest game in the series.
The first game in the series was released all the way in December 1993, and FIFA has never looked back since. With gameplay innovations that have transformed the title in ways one couldn't have imagined, the series has discarded some classic tropes along the way. Here are some of the most notable aspects in this regard that are notably absent from the modern series.
8 Games Decided Purely On Skill
There was a time when FIFA games used to be hotly contested on the basis of player skill, and nothing else. The quality of the teams picked also mattered, but it was the individual skill of a player that ultimately governed their chances of winning.
However, in modern times, FIFA games tend to focus more on RNG as opposed to a player's inputs. FUT has made this dynamic even more commonplace — now, players with deeper pockets can make up for this gap in skill instead of actually getting better at the game.
7 Be A Pro Mode
The Be a Pro mode was a great addition to FIFA. Creating a custom-made player and controlling them in various scenarios was genuinely entertaining. The fact that players could play as a goalkeeper as well in this mode made it even better.
Considering fans enjoyed this element, it was rather puzzling as to why EA removed this beloved Be a Pro mode from modern FIFA titles. This was just one of the many omissions from the FIFA series that have left many fans disappointed, and one aspect that makes modern games in the series play differently than older titles.
6 The Journey Story Mode
The announcement of The Journey felt like a fresh change of pace from the somewhat repetitive career mode that fans were stuck with for the longest time. Now, players could step into the shoes of a brand new character in the form of Alex Hunter, and guide him through his journey to become a professional footballer.
After three years, FIFA brought the story of Alex Hunter to a close. Most players wondered why EA didn't just choose to continue adding the Journey for future games with a different protagonist, as fans had enjoyed this story mode.
5 Realistic Commentary
For the most part, FIFA commentary used to be rather generic. More often than not, the commentator would just start rattling off names as the ball was being passed, until some major event happened in the game. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing — after all, most people didn't care all too much.
However, over time, the commentary of FIFA became way more advanced. Each and every action now has a fitting reaction of its own, with the commentators going so far as to break the fourth wall at times. Though some players preferred the simple comments of the previous games, many appreciated the advanced commentary.
4 A Legendary Commentary Duo
Speaking of commentary, it would be impossible to not mention the legendary duo of Martin Tyler and Alan Smith, who were mainstays of FIFA for a long time. Unfortunately, not everything is meant to last, and it was only a matter of time before this legendary duo would utter their last words for FIFA.
In FIFA 21, Martin Tyler and Alan Smith were replaced by Derek Rae and Lee Dixon. The latter duo has featured in the games as an alternate option before, but now these commentators have taken center stage in this soccer gaming franchise.
3 Funny Exploits
The early editions of FIFA used to feature hilarious exploits and crazy glitches that added a ton of fun and enjoyment to the game. While one could argue that these exploits could be slightly gamebreaking at times, most players didn't care as long as they were laughing and punching the air whenever they managed to pull off one of these exploits.
The modern editions of FIFA don't feature any entertaining bugs at all. Instead, most of the glitches in this game are quite frustrating, since they tend to come at the worst time and end up hampering one's fun with the game.
2 Unbalanced Difficulty Levels
There was a time when FIFA used to only boast three levels of difficulty — Amateur, Professional, and World Class. While the first difficulty level was fairly simple to deal with, things really stepped up a notch when players decided to try out the Professional difficulty. The sheer jump in difficulty was too much for most people to bear at times.
Understandably enough, EA decided to fix these difficulty levels so that they were more balanced. Now, the new difficulty levels for players was Beginner, Amateur, Semi-Pro, Professional, World Class, Legendary, and Ultimate. The final difficulty was reserved only for FUT mode, for players who want to hone their skills against near-perfect opposition.
1 Simple Set Pieces
Set pieces used to be extremely fun parts of FIFA's gameplay, where players used to attempt ridiculous shots and planned crosses to great effect. The ease of using these set pieces was one of the major reasons why so many people enjoyed messing around with this system.
However, the evolution of FIFA has brought about new set piece systems that have divided fans. One can argue that these set pieces never needed to be altered in the first place, which is the major reason for this fan backlash.