EA FC 25's Simulation settings are everything I've wanted in the game for years
Changing one setting makes EA FC 25 the football game I've wanted for decades - and I don't want to go back.
Lloyd Coombes
08th Aug 2024 17:14
Images via EA
Football games have often toed the line between realism and being, well, fun. After all, who wants to concede a thunderb*stard that costs them the league in a match they've dominated?
In most, however, things often lean the other way. The EA FC franchise has been trying to tear players away from depending on pacy players, and this year's addition of Football IQ will help the AI counter threats more smartly.
Still, a match of Ultimate Team hasn't felt like a real football game in years, and while that may still be the case with this year's game, the new Simulation settings make a huge difference in Career Mode.
A more grounded game
In my time playing Career Mode at a recent preview, I was able to spend plenty of time with the Simulation settings switched on, and I'm not sure I'll ever go back.
It adds an element of unpredictability that many players will turn their noses up at. Shot and pass errors are more common, and you won't be able to lean on tried-and-tested methods like bursting past players with controlled dribbles, or my personal go-to of fake crosses and cutting back inside to create chances.
Even the elements feed into things, with crosses getting carried out of play by strong winds, or wet grass slowing down the ball at inopportune moments. In my time playing, I had to adjust to add more zip to ground passes, but this adds an extra degree of error when controlling it, further separating the best players from those in lower leagues.
This all feeds into management, too. Players can no longer regain their stamina within a day or two of playing, and I found myself chopping and changing starting lineups during preseason to keep players sharp, and to ensure my first-teamers were getting enough rest.
Not all bad news
Thankfully, these things apply to your AI opponents, too. They'll more accurately marshall your striker wide and attempt to stop crosses, sure, but they'll also panic in possession if you're pressing them.
More than once I caught an opponent dithering on the ball, whereas, in last year's game, they'd arguably just hoof it, almost supernaturally, straight into an attacker.
This allows the new tactical player roles to come into their own, and I found myself reshuffling tactics more often rather than trying to brute-force things by committing more players forward. In one preseason match, I went a goal down and was struggling to create chances, so switched my poacher for a False 9 to push my wingers forward while in possession.
Doing so created more chances, but also led to a drilled cross flying across the face of goal only for the opposite winger to hit it off the crossbar before colliding with the post.
These are the moments we see every season in football, and this finally feels like the closest virtual approximation of it. Sure, it'll hurt when you concede that late equaliser, but it'll make it all the more sweeter when you know how to avoid it in the return fixture.
For more on EA FC 25 Career Mode, be sure to check out our dev interview, as well as how the devs were inspired by the likes of World of Warcraft.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
