Recently, IGN Southeast Asia attended a global event for EA Sports FC 24 in Amsterdam, where the cover star for the game was revealed to be none other than the Manchester City striker himself, Erling Haaland.
The 22-year-old footballer made a surprise appearance alongside fellow superstars from the World’s Game including Didier Drogba, Luis Figo, Laura Georges, Alex Scott and more. During the event, we also got to have a hands-on experience with the upcoming football simulator.
Other announcements made during the event ranged from the unveiling of three new cutting-edge technologies that deliver realistic in-game play like never before, as well bringing men and women’s footballers together onto the same pitch in a world first for Ultimate Team mode
All in all, there are a ton of things to be excited about with this new frontier of football video games, one that we can confidently say EA Sports FC 24 will succeed in delivering once it launches on September 29.
Once in a Lifetime
Whenever Electronic Arts debuts a new football game, one can always expect them to further beyond in presenting a realistic football experience. While there have been previous games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, EA Sports FC 24 feels like the first game made for these next-generation consoles.
HyperMotionV is the biggest leap forward in on-pitch realism with how it translates the rhythm and fluidity of real-world football into EA Sports FC 24 by using volumetric data from more than 180 professional men’s and women’s football matches for true-to-life animations.
The new PlayStyles feature brings a whole new dimension to these athletes, as it brings the on-pitch abilities that make each individual player special into the video game. This is especially true with cover star Erling Haaland as players get to really play in his unique style.
There’s also the enhanced Frostbite Engine that brings a new level of immersion through redesigned player models and smoother animations. This goes so far into the football jerseys that each player wear on the field, behaving very lifelike in motion.
Together Forever
Now’s the best time to be a fan of women’s football, with EA Sports FC 24 bringing men and women’s football together to play on the same pitch for the first time. This includes welcoming women footballers to the pitch for the first time in Ultimate Team which can make for some interesting team compositions.
With this new commitment to authenticity and innovation at its core, EA Sports FC 24 is determined to showcase the best players from the biggest clubs, leagues, and competitions around the globe no matter their gender.
EA Sports has also renewed its exclusive license with UEFA, meaning EA Sports FC 24 is the only game where teams from the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Women's Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Super Cup are featured.
Two additional women’s football leagues, namely the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga and Liga F, are featured in EA Sports FC 24, joining the Barclays Women’s Super League, the D1 Arkema, the National Women's Soccer League and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Reality in Motion
The big question is: how does the game play? Well, the same as ever, and that’s a good thing. Minor additions like how precise one can take their free kicks, numerous accessibility and graphical options, as well as the aforementioned next-generation features, make EA Sports FC 24 a great reboot for the franchise.
Especially with the HyperMotionV and PlayStyles feature, which truly is a sight to behold once players actually see it in action while playing. Regrettably, the demo we played did not feature the new women’s teams, and while the presentation is smooth on the PlayStation 5, it makes one wonder how the game will play on older hardware and the Nintendo Switch.
For what it’s worth, EA Sports FC had a lot riding on its shoulders and if this is the reboot it needed to remain relevant, EA Sports definitely succeeded. We can’t wait to see the full scope of features the full release has to offer.
EA Sports FC 24 will be available to on September 29, 2023, with early access through the Ultimate Edition available on September 22, 2023. Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Fans who pre-order the Ultimate Edition by August 22 will receive a number of player benefits, including an untradeable UEFA Champions League Ultimate Team Hero item in November.
