FIFA 18: Latest Metacritic Review Scores and Ultimate Team Mode Tips

FIFA 18 may not be out until Friday, September 29, but reviewers have had the chance to get their hands on the title, and the buzz around this year's edition has been largely positive.

Although there are no major new modes to delve into this time around, there have been plenty of tweaks to the gameplay and improvements made to Career Mode, The Journey and FIFA's most popular mode of all, Ultimate Team.

You can read up on what to expect in the game in Bleacher Report's review of FIFA 18 here.

In the Ultimate Team, there are now daily and weekly challenges to complete and single-player Squad Battles, which allow you to pit your charges against others in the FUT community, including pro FIFA players or footballers, while FUT ICONS such as Ronaldo Nazario and Pele are also available.

With the new changes in mind, here are some tips for succeeding with the Ultimate Team in FIFA 18.

Ultimate Team Tips

This year, rewards like coins and card packs can be earned through completing a variety of activities, and they can help you on your way to assembling a squad of superstars.

FIFA 18 sees the introduction of daily and weekly objectives—which can be as simple as scoring a goal with a player of a certain nationality—and meeting those requirements will dish out useful rewards.

So will the regular Squad Building Challenges, with even the tutorial-style challenges providing an easy way to pick up packs while simultaneously brushing up on your knowledge of chemistry, positioning and the like.

Dedicated FUT players might also wish to make use of the FIFA 18 Web App, which has already gone live:

As well as allowing you to manage your Ultimate Team activities on the go, from your squads to the transfer market, you'll also receive daily login rewards.

The introduction of Squad Battles allows you to rack up yet more prizes, as playing the four replayable battles each day will yield plenty of points.

Beating the squads on higher difficulties will bring better rewards, but if you're struggling, putting in a strong performance on a lower difficulty can also help you build up a healthy cache.

The other new feature, the Champions Channel, can also help indirectly. The channel enables you to watch replays of the top weekend league matches, and by doing so you might be able to pick up on-field tips from the world's best.

Metacritic Reviews

The changes and additions have been well received overall, though the game's average review score on Metacritic is slightly lower than last year's.

FIFA 17 received a Metascore of 86 on the Xbox One and 85 on the PlayStation 4, while this year the Metascore is 84 for both consoles.

PlayStation LifeStyle's Tyler Treese gave the game a glowing review, concluding it "is an incredible football game that has something to offer every gamer." He added: "There's a very human and relatable story to be found in Alex Hunter's latest chapter, and those who just want polished gameplay will find just that in its many different modes."

EA Sports

Oscar Dayus of GameSpot is less enamoured with FIFA 18 as he believes it "is still lagging far behind Pro Evolution Soccer 2018's more fluid, satisfying football," and he also likened The Journey to "the second run of a middling TV show."

However, he believes the additions to the various modes enhance what is already "excellent," while the presentation "replicates the experience of watching football and interprets the culture around the sport—the media, the fan adoration and anguish, and the obsession with following your team—more immaculately than ever."