FIFA 15 Review: Breaking Down Upgrades in Latest EA Sports Release

The release of FIFA 15 is something like a global holiday, only one that stretches out over the course of a few days as the game makes its way into different geographical markets.

Now that the title is on the shelves, football fans around the world are set to engage with their favorite players and clubs and enjoy another rollicking edition to this flagship video game franchise.

Video games are about emotional engagement—just in the way that films, songs and television shows draw us in by eliciting emotional and intellectual responses.

FIFA 15 is another fantastic world football simulation that draws out the fan in you every time. It improves upon its predecessor and has enough new features to justify the price tag. It's not all about the players wearing new kits and wondering whether or not Eden Hazard's ball control rating will inch closer to Lionel Messi's. It's about the impact the game has on you.

Let's review the key features in EA Sports' latest edition of every footy fan's favorite simulation, so you know what to expect when former NFL wideout Chad Johnson—who knows how to make a kick count, albeit in a different sport—challenges you to a match.

Physics Engine Amps Up Realism, Excitement

FIFA 15 takes simulation one step closer to reality with a redesigned physics engine that allows players to feel every pull, push, kick and shove.

This is a result of the Correct Contacts feature, and it is positively wonderful and a big improvement over FIFA 14.

A truly perfect weighted through ball feels like a wonderful achievement, and hitting Theo Walcott down the flank in stride never felt so good, especially knowing he has speed to burn. However, one must avoid a burly centre-back like Vincent Kompany, who now smartly uses his strength to dispossess opponents. Indeed, these enhancements add more panache to the virtual players.

Some might argue that the increased realism enhances the difficulty level even on lower settings, as it becomes more difficult to master the chaos at hand. Indeed, control is one reason people love to play sports simulations, but the engagement factor is much more important.

The effort into putting together the perfect build-up play for a game-winning strike comes with a much greater payoff after one realizes all that it took to get that far down the field.

Seeing the way the ball realistically caroms off players' bodies or takes flight after a well-taken free kick makes the game more dramatic for the player. It's especially noticeable when one's shot is blocked and there is a scramble in the box for possession.

Everyone knows these are panicky moments in actual football matches, and the way the ball and players move in these situations feels incredibly intricate and is rapturous to behold.

Better Player Visuals, Attention to Detail

In a sport with thousands upon thousands of professionals, the incredible details that the FIFA 15 developers put into some of the more notable names may strike some as a bit elitist, but football is a star-driven show and it's fun to watch and control virtual avatars that so closely resemble their real-life counterparts. 

This aspect of the game dovetails in nicely with the physics enhancements and makes one really feel like they are playing with the tiki-taka masters at Barcelona, should you happen to choose this side.

The Guardian's Jonross Swaby also notes a small but vitally important feature that enhances realism:

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The game now has disallowed goals, rather than laser-accurate robotic linesmen that will instantly stop play for offside the moment the ball goes anywhere near an offending player. That rollercoaster of jubilation followed by disappointment when your team is stripped of a winning goal in the dying moments of injury time is, to borrow a phrase from EA Sports, 'in the game'.

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This will indeed make playing games with your friends all the more dramatic and compelling. It's a similarly small improvement, like when players began chasing after the ball for throw-ins rather than the game dissolving to the player automatically standing in the correct spot on the sidelines. Everything flows better with those types of improvements.

The crowd noises and supporting chants also enhance this category. Whether it's Inter vs. AC Milan or watching the incredible detail on the stars faces combined with the immersive ambient sound makes the game an even more emotional and rewarding experience.

If you're a fan of some lower-profile clubs or players, you may be disappointed, but the developers are human and can only do so much if they are to deliver a top-notch video game title year in and year out. Thankfully, FIFA 15 doesn't break the streak.

Goalkeeping Enhancements

There are plenty of changes made to the goalkeeping artificial intelligence, most of which are welcome because they now seem to act in accordance with their 10 teammates on the pitch.

Joe Hart isn't just acting of his own virtual volition but is instead working with the back line and taking better angles on the ball.

However, this is a simulation and sometimes it feels like it is impossible to score an easy goal, which as we all know happens in real life and which few players take for granted. Still, it's nice to see this position get a boost.