FIFA addiction is real! Here are 5 reasons why…
First of all I would like to forward this by saying “FIFA addiction” is certainly not something that I am proud of, and many people in the same boat as me may very well feel similar, and will even go as far as to deny their addiction and simply play down how many hours they sink into EA’s juggernaut… But I am here to stand up for my fellow sufferers and say “you know what? It’s okay”! There’s a reason why this addiction runs deep; in fact here are 5 of those reasons…
I think most gamers can relate to this one. There will come a time in all our lives where, seemingly out of nowhere, the amount of 6-12 hour gaming sessions we all loved during our childhood and teenage years will reduce to maybe a once per month treat if we’re lucky. Replacing that is the more common “I’ll try squeeze in an hour after work before popping out with the Mrs to do the weekly shop”. In steps FIFA. For me personally this is where FIFA steals most my gaming hours, if I only have an hour to spare I’m not going to be launching up Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2 and wasting precious minutes staring at a loading screen or picking out a costume to wear for my small, likely to be cut short, adventure. Nope, for me it’s a quick game or two on my career mode as I take another step in taking my beloved Aston Villa to Champions League glory. This leads onto my next reason.
Unless you’re lucky enough to support a European giant of the game, then chances are you will never get to experience the moment your favourite team reaches the highest level of football… But with FIFA’s career mode, you can take Forest Green Rovers from the lowly depths of League 2 football all the way to the glitz and glamour of a UEFA Champions League final, rubbing shoulders with the world’s elite players. With that being said FIFA’s career mode is far from perfect, with some major issues still persisting due to being neglected for a few years now, but that’s another story for another time.
Now, admittedly, this can be applied to pretty much any game that has an online feature to it, and there are plenty of games that have a bigger online communities than FIFA… But there is no denying the sheer scale of people who play the likes of FIFA Ultimate Team or just enjoy a quick online kick about. I should probably say that FUT really isn’t for me, and I am more on the side that FUT is slowly killing offline modes such as Career Mode as FUT is obviously where the money is for EA – EA focusing on the profit? Doesn’t sound like them does it?! With all that being said, I really do enjoy jumping online with close friends for a quick game, or an online season where we can pass the time away catching up and sharing stories while we turn our brains off for what is essentially an easy pick up and play game.
Confession time, I watch replays in FIFA. That’s right, I’m one of those guys… And I sincerely apologise to everyone that’s had to sit there and watch the slow motion action replay of the ball hitting off the back of Jonjo Shelvey’s shiny bald head and finding it’s way past the opposition goalkeeper while I sit there drooling over how good a particular stadium looks at night under the floodlights… And it’s not just the realism in the graphics that I love, it’s also the licensing. Now, I realise some people aren’t bothered by this, but I have no interest in taking West Midlands Villians up to whatever the unlicensed name for the Premier League would be. I take probably way too much satisfaction from seeing my team all suited up with their official kit with the correct badges representing the competition they’re in – With the recent addition of the UEFA Champions League license, this has all got even sweeter for this weird football game nerd.
I started this article by saying that one of my main loves for FIFA games is how you can play it in short bursts; it’s worth finishing by saying that long sessions are never out of the question in recent additions. A lot of FIFA fans will point at EA, criticising them every year for not adding enough new features, and often I agree with this complaint… But it’s worth noting that all the little modes or extensions of modes that have been added through the years have mounted up to quite a large option of things to do. Whether that’s building your Ultimate Team, building your fantasy team through Career Mode, or just setting up a fantasy tournament and playing your way through it at ease. Not to mention the addition of Journey Mode in recent years where you can actually play through a story mode with fully fledged cutscenes and all! Though don’t get too excited, the story of Alex Hunter can hardly be compared to the Metal Gear Solid series.
In conclusion, I think it’s safe to say FIFA addiction is a real thing and I am rooted deep into it… But now hopefully you understand why. Anyone have time for a quick game before I get back to work? If so, check out some of our affiliate links below if you haven’t gotten your hands on the latest iteration of FIFA… See you on the pitch!