The iconic Lionel Messi graced the cover of FC 24 which is fitting because the all-time great player led a pretty great game. This installment added to the new Ultimate Team mode and made it one of the most popular in the entire franchise. The game was also praised for adding more licensing that made it all the more realistic and included fun things like personalized goal celebrations. There were some flaws found with the A.I. but it wasn't enough to EA FC 24 Coins really make it a lesser game.
Back in 2001. the EA Sports FC franchise was still relatively new and was showing impressive signs of growth. This was the ninth entry and it added little things to the experience like bars for passing and more club emblems. The real thing that stood out for this game was that EA Sports made sure to update the tactics and graphics. Those were two important aspects that earned EA Sports FC Football 2002 the runner-up slot in GameSpot's award for the Best Traditional Spots Console Game.
With so many releases over the years, it is next to impossible for these sports gaming franchises to remain fresh. It is a problem that NBA 2K, Madden, and MLB The Show have all encountered and the same goes for EA Sports FC. Thankfully, FC 24 found a few ways around that by adding the "active touch system" to the gameplay mechanics and changing the timing on kicks. There were also introductions for various leagues, making for more replayable situations and moments.
Released in between FC 24 and EA Sports FC 11 came 2010 EA Sports FC World Cup South Africa. Unlike the mainline installments of the franchise, this was meant to focus purely on the World Cup that took place in that era, featuring nearly 200 teams that were in contention. The inclusion of so many nations made it so anyone from anywhere would have a team to play with and get emotionally attached to. Most reviews were positive though the versions for the iOS and Wii were mostly met with a mixed response.
A lot of sports games that were released during this era had to Fut 24 Coins deal with moving over to a new generation of consoles. That is part of what hurt EA Sports FC 08 in some reviews as the newer versions for systems like the PlayStation 3 got mixed reviews while the PlayStation 2 iteration scored stronger than the rest.
The biggest addition to this game was the Be A Pro mode, which is also a highlight of EA's NHL series. The mode allows you to control one player (other than a goalkeeper) throughout an entire game, making for a totally unique experience on the pitch. Improvements to manager mode and goaltending A.I. were also welcome.
History was made with the release of EA Sports FC 16 as for the first time ever, female players were included in the game. That was especially timely given how much the United States Women's soccer team had impressed around the globe during that era. That was a huge change that was made for the better.
The gameplay itself continued to be a strong suit, with praise going towards how realistic things ultimately felt, especially when it came to defense and passing. It was also appreciated that the female games felt different, similar to what the NBA 2K franchise has done since adding the WNBA to games.
