FIFA 18 developers EA has revealed it’s taking the Nintendo Switch version ‘very seriously’ as rumours of a heavy downgrade continue to gather pace.
Speaking at a FIFA 18 event in London last week, EA producer Sam Rivera reassured gamers that the Switch version is more than just an afterthought.
“The only thing I can tell you is that there’s a big team of people working on this,” he told Dream Team Gaming.
“It’s being created in a very serious way – the gameplay, it’s fun and different.”
The comments come amid news that the Switch version will not use the latest Frostbite Technology or feature The Journey.
It’s thought to be powered by the FIFA 16 Ignite engine, which will once again power this year’s Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
FIFA 17 on the last generation of consoles was panned by gamers who bought the game only to find two of the main selling points absent.
FIFA 13 was the last game in EA’s massively popular football series to appear on a Nintendo console.
What platforms is FIFA 18 on?
FIFA 18 is on Xbox One (Scorpio), PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Ps4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Eurogamer noticed publisher EA SPORTS confirmed two different FIFA video games will be shown at EA Play 2017 during E3: FIFA 18 and “EA Sports FIFA on the Nintendo Switch”.
Now small print on FIFA 18’s reveal trailer has revealed some key differences between the game and the Nintendo Switch version.
The new video (below, at 0:40) includes a line of text that reads: “Frostbite game engine technology and The Journey: Hunter Returns mode are available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC platform versions only. Not all features available on all platforms.”
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There are still thousands of gamers who play on last-gen technology – especially given that a new console costs upwards of £200.
It’s not the first time last-gen gamers have had a parred down version of a blockbuster game.
FIFA 17 was massively parred down for Xbox 360 and Ps3 – as the hardware wasn’t able to use the newer Frostbite technology (It was powered by Ignite – the FIFA 16 engine on last gen).
So, will it look better on current-gen platforms?
In short, yes – but don’t expect a huge improvement. It’ll be powered by the same engine.
Speaking to Dream Team Gaming last year, Frostbite Studio Director Jonas Skantz revealed: “I can assure you that Frostbite continues to be a true differentiator.”
“With more and more games powered by Frostbite – whether it is FIFA, Battlefield, Mass Effect or others – our development teams can spend more time building new groundbreaking gameplay innovations.”
FIFA 17 was the first game in the series to be powered by Frostbite – which replaced Ignite used the previous year.
While graphics took a noticeable boost this year, especially facial and player animations, FIFA 18 will see more subtle improvements as it’ll run on the same Frostbite 4 engine.
Expect player movement and animation to look sharper – not to mention greater detail and likeness.
Other peripheral graphical tweaks, such as improved crowd detail, will also be present.
PS4 Pro owners and PC gamers will once again receive the best-looking versions of the game.
The former will once again capitalise on ‘Pro Mode’ – allowing for increased detail and more stable framerate at above 1080p resolution.
Pro Mode offered tangible improvements in FIFA 17, but this year, EA will have more time to push this even further and make greater use of Pro’s substantial GPU grunt.
What about Legends?
EA Sports has ditched Legends in favour of multiplatform Icons.
Icons will be available on all platforms – and the first one is Brazilian Ronaldo.
You can find out more information about FIFA 18 Icons here
Will it play the same as FIFA 17?
FIFA 17 has come under fire for some aspects of its gameplay – but as FIFA 18 will be powered by the same engine, we doubt much will change here.
Input delay – the time it takes for a button press to translate into an on-screen action – has led to some negative feedback in FIFA 17.
There have also been claims of ‘EAaids’ or ‘scripting’, which refers to the game dynamically adjusting online matches to favour weaker players.
Whilst the former issue is a result of the game’s severs compensating for ‘Ping’ or connection strength variance between online players, we’d expect to see action taken over ‘EAAids’.
Whether this will be the re-introduction of a “momentum” bar, as in FIFA 06, or just a tweak of the alleged in-game code remains to be seen.
Either way, fans want something done about it.
When they release a trailer?
EA Sport have released the trailer for the new game here – you can watch it here.
When will it come out, and will there be a demo?
FIFA 18 launches on September 29.
For those wanting early access, the demo usually lands a week or two before the game launches – but expect EA Access members to get first dibs.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo still be the best player?
It’s been an incredible year for the Portuguese, so he’ll definitely remain the game’s best player in FIFA 18.
Some believe he may have a stats downgrade, though – especially with regards to his pace and dribbling (which we’ve mocked up below).
Lionel Messi, who has been in blistering form of late, will keep second spot.
Who will be the cover star?
Cristiano Ronaldo is the cover star – marking the end of an incredible season for the 32 year-old.
On the news, Ronaldo said: “It is a real pleasure to be on the cover of FIFA 18, It’s a great feeling and I am grateful to have been chosen.”
Will The Journey feature again? (SPOILER ALERT)
Absolutely.
According to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, The Journey Season Two will feature new characters and story-lines and will ‘build on the foundation created with story mode this year’.
Alex Hunter’s debut was largely well-received by critics and fans alike.
One of the issues with The Journey was that player choice did not affect the story as much as many would like.
As a result, expect improved dialogue wheels with actions that genuinely affect Hunter’s fate.
The EA-published Mass Effect series saw a similar evolution of the dialogue wheel – eventually allowing your character to interrupt NPCs mid conversation.
This feature would be a welcome, and easy to implement, addition.
Will free kicks and penalties stay the same?
Penalties won’t change much, but free kicks could see an overhaul.
The new “momentum” system that governs the set-pieces is incredibly hard to master and has been panned by FIFA players.
As a result, we’d expect this to revert back to the more “traditional” shot power and curl mechanic.
The system works wonders for penalties, though – allowing for much more control over shot placement and power.
Goalkeeper AI during spot kicks is often found wanting, so expect EA to address this.
What will be the best new feature?
Dynamic weather will almost certainly feature in FIFA 18.
Need For Speed (2015) and Battlefield 1 -are both powered by the same engine and make use of unpredictable in-game weather systems.
Speaking to Metro last year, EA DICE’s Patrick Bach explained why weather is so much more than just a ‘pretty effect’.
“We often talk about these different dimensions in Battlefield, where you have the rock, paper, scissors and then you marry that with the destruction and you create unpredictability from different angles. And with the layer of weather we actually change the way you play in a very drastic way,” he said.
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“So, if you have the tactics of being a sniper and it starts to rain then you probably have to change tactics. And the same with fighter planes, once the fog rolls in it’s like, ‘Okay, this is not as effective anymore, so I probably need to go back on the ground’.
“It’s not only a pretty effect, it actually changes the way you play the game.”
Dynamic weather would add a whole new layer of tactics to gameplay in FIFA.
For example, weather taking a turn for the worse could negatively affect player ground speed, passing accuracy and injury probability.
Players could fall over more easily, goalkeepers could be more likely to fumble fast shots… the list is endless, and would all help add an extra level of realism to the game.
How much will it cost?
FIFA 18 will cost around £49.99 – but given the demand, some outlets may undercut this.
We expect the cheapest the game will go for at launch to be around £45.
When will pre-orders start?
FIFA 17 pre-orders have kicked off now.
Pre-order now to get incredible offers, including three days early access with the Ronaldo (Deluxe) and ICON (Super Deluxe) Editions. Plus, kick off your FIFA Ultimate Team™ season early with special bonuses and items.
You can find more information by visiting the FIFA 18 website
What is in each package?
Icon Edition
- Play from September 26th with 3 Days Early Access
- Up to 40 FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (two per week over 20 weeks – worth up to $120)
- 3 match FUT Team of the Week loan player (one three match loan player for 20 weeks)
- Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for 5 matches
- Ronaldo Nazário FUT Icon loan player for 5 matches
- 8 special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists
Ronaldo Edition
- Play from September 26th with 3 Days Early Access
- Up to 20 FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (one per week for 20 weeks – worth up to $60)
- Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for 5 matches
- 8 special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists
Pre-order for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Standard Edition
- Up to 5 FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (one per week for five weeks – worth up to $15)
- Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for 5 matches
- 8 special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists