Summary
Despite EA’s loss of theFIFAlicenses, many of the core elements that fans have grown to love about soccer titles are still being maintained. Specifically in the aspect ofFIFAthat fans loved, like itsofficial leagues, players, teams, and most of the popular licenses, it will still be present for players to experience inEA Sports FC 24.
Related:Best FIFA Games Ever
Whilst EA’s domination may be the current phase of football titles, fans will be aware of new competitors, specificallyMan of the Match. Promising to offer afree-to-playfootball video game experience that is unique and genuine for football fans,Man of the Matchappears to be one of the many competitors that EA may be rivaling in the next few years, and based on its plans, could turn out to be the best one yet.
5Career Mode Focus
Whilst the game is still suggested to be within its concept phase after the release of a short trailer and explanation video, CEO ofMan of the Match,Gilad Tsur Mayer’s suggestions point towards a genuine focus on the title’s career mode. Said to feature multiple unique perspectives such as playing through the players on the pitch, through the eyes of a custom-made manager or player, or even a spectator during a match, plans for career mode seem to be the highlight forMan of the Match.
For many years, soccer fans have called for EA to implement multiple elements ofFootball Managerin each game as much as possible to no avail. IfMan of the Matchcan replicate most of the impressive and game-changing features EA has implemented in their formerFIFAtitles over the years while adding its own unique spin on the matter, it could very easily be on its way to standing far above and beyondEA Sports FC 24and any other future soccer games.
4Mod Friendly/Edit Mode
One of the biggest issues fans have been aware of with multiple of EA’s football entries is the lack of freedom in editing players and teams according to their own liking. While mods exist only available to PC players, it is no secret that EA is against players attempting to modFIFA23 in any form, with their anti-cheat in place and each update making any added mods void, and will likely carry over intoEA Sports FC 24.
Related:Gameplay Changes EA Sports FC Must Make
Fortunately,Man of the Matchpromises a title that is ‘built for the community, and by the community’, which very much implies that players will have the freedom to adjust their playing experience from top to bottom. This was aprominent feature of Konami’sPro Evolution Soccernow known aseFootball, which gave players the freedom to import kits or official logos for non-licensed teams. With the presence of a custom game face, capture said to be present for players to use,Man of the Matchwould do itself and many fans a favor by making modifications a pivotal factor.
3Weighted Realistic Gameplay
Despite the presence of the option to slow down the pace of matches inFIFAand supposedly the upcomingEA Sports FC 24, it still is not sufficient for a plethora of fans who have been in search of a realistic soccer game experience. While multipleaspects of EA’s Frostbite engineimplement realism in each game, it is felt that the speed or movement of players matches something more of an arcade game, rather than a weighted experience.
From the looks of the concept gameplay fromMan of the Match, it suggests that the final build or at the very least early builds will emphasize slow-paced, weighted, and attention-to-detail gameplay, in an attempt to bring the simulation as close to life as much as possible. It may be hard to eclipse the numerous amount of animations featured within most recentFIFAgames and the anticipatedEA Sports FC 24, but the suggestion of a slower and steady gameplay experience is certainly promising.
2Variety Of Animations
Speaking of animations,Man of the Match’s potential success can either be made or broken by its animations, and whether they are satisfying enough or great in number. For almost all football games, this is arguably the most important aspect inthe realm of both gameplay and the game overall, as only implementing a small number of animations can very easily lead to monotony, and unsatisfying or unrealistic animations can break immersion.
Related:Players With The Highest Potential In FIFA 23
As aforementioned, EA has multiple animations featured inFIFA 23andEA Sports FC 24, which is a mixture of upscaled and improved animations from predecessors, and new sets entirely. Given the fact thatMan of the Matchis still supposedly only still in its conceptual phase, developers have the opportunity to try to match the number of animations players are familiar with, and ensure that variety is a key component.
1In-Game Decisions
With titles such asFIFA 17and its special story mode known as’The Journey' featuring multiple decisions and options for players to make leading up to its final stage inFIFA 19,seeing something similar to this translated inMan of the Matchwould be a delight for all fans. Whilst it would not have to be a story-based mode alone, the presence of actions having consequences would suffice.
WhileFIFAhas featured elements of consequences for players' managers from a lack of promised playtime or the lack of discussion surrounding new contracts, it can often feel repetitive with the same email messages or players that have invalid reactions to particular events. IfMan of the Matchcan implement this, and tweak this accurately, it will no doubt stand on its own aboveEA Sports FC.
Man of the Matchis in development for a 2025 release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
