FIFA 22 is set to hit the shelves on the 1st of October of this year (2021). Since 1994, EA Sports (it’s in the game) have amassed an eye-watering 260,000,000 sales, worldwide; making it the most popular sports game franchise in history.

Despite its ever-growing popularity, however, fans of the sports series so often complain about how alike each new title is from the last; yet they still go out and purchase it every year, without fail. It seems that EA has finally listened to these hypocritical fans and has announced there are going to be over 50 new features in FIFA 22. While I’m unsure of what all of these features are to be, I have taken a closer look at what’s in store for fans of the bar-setting sports franchise.

New Features

Hypermotion technology will be making its debut on the franchise when FIFA 22 rolls out. For the first time ever, EA Games will use machine learning to bring a real-life soccer experience as they write animations in real-time, and based on 8.2 million captures taken from professional soccer players during intensive games. EA released a video showcase that shows this new technology in action. http://ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-22/new-features-and-modes/gameplay-features.

Goalkeepers have been treated to a much-needed re-write. Goalkeepers now make smarter, split-second decisions that will better reflect the skills of each individual keeper. No more ‘WTF?’ moments as you watch your keeper standstill as the ball flies towards the back of the net (yay).

Explosive Sprint will offer the player increased control on the ball and allow for new defensive techniques and methods.

Fresh Attacking Tactics will offer an intricate system that will allow you to fully customize how you play FIFA. Hang back and await opportunities, or go full Braveheart on your unwitting opponent; the choice is yours.

The Game Modes of FIFA 22

Division Rivals has also become party to a complete overhaul. A new ranking system will see divisions reset at the end of each season. Furthermore, win streaks will help you progress through the divisions at a far quicker pace. While this doesn’t sound like an ideal, it will give canonical wins a sharper edge.

A brand new Elite Division coined ‘Beyond Division One is a gift to those hardcore players that find even Division One games a little lackluster. Sadly, I doubt this is a feature I will ever pay privy to but those skilled players at the dizzying heights of the top division will more than welcome this new addition to FUT.

With the resounding success of previous career modes, EA Games have stepped up their career mode game and will now allow the player to create their very own club and take it from the proverbial rags to riches. Start as a lower-division start-out club and end dominating Europe.

Volta is back and now with more flair than ever. Connect with your teammates in a brand new way and experience Volta in all of its exaggerated glory as you form the perfect team to take to the streets in a true freestyle fashion.

Pro Clubs also makes a return with an improved shine. The all-new player growth system will allow deeper, more intricate fine-tuning of your player’s development. Furthermore, social play has now been tweaked and refined to allow for quicker access to games with friends and players the world over.

What I think About FIFA 22

Having played games from the franchise since 1994, I would class myself as an avid, original fan. With that being said, the games were starting to take on a cookie-cutter process that made each title a near carbon copy of it’s predecessor. With EA Games finally listening to fans (or maybe they saw some of the memes), FIFA 22 is -hopefully- going to bring a fresh, modernized appeal to a franchise long-suffering from lack of originality and innovation.

I’m looking forward to testing out the features and additions mentioned above, with my fingers firmly crossed. While I have griped in this very article about stale offerings, I do hope it still feels like a FIFA game. Too few changes and the fans will be going for their pitchforks and burning torches; whereas too many changes will alienate loyal fans of the award-winning catalog.

FIFA 22 is to be released on the 1st of October on PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and the Nintendo Switch.