FIFA 23 is set to release later this month, and the latest installment from the FIFA franchise features a promising take on Career Mode - though it could still be better. The series has come a long way since the first FIFA title was released back in 1993 and introduced many different modes over the years, including the aforementioned Career Mode. Career Mode allows gamers to take the role of a professional footballer or a manager, but in recent years, many FIFA fans have felt EA prioritizes the FIFA Ultimate Team community over Career Mode players.
Year after year, FIFA players would purchase the game only to see little to no significant improvements in the Career Mode. Meanwhile, the FUT players would get notable upgrades in the game's mechanics and features. Naturally, people who wanted to see an improvement in FIFA's career mode would end up disappointed and frustrated. The game mode stagnated for a while until FIFA 21 was released, which promised a host of new additions. While FIFA 23 looks to be the best Career mode in a long time, there is always room for improvement.
The Slow But Steady Progress of FIFA's Recent Career Modes
FIFA 21's Career Mode was a remarkable improvement over its predecessors and rekindled the faith of many gamers. Fans now could jump in and out of matches using the Interactive Sim feature, and a player could sim the entire match but also had the option to intervene at any point. In addition, the Player Development feature allows gamers to form a development plan for each player and mold them as per their wishes, as real football managers do. Other features like Schedule Planning, Match Sharpness, and Active Training were also introduced.
FIFA 22 retained all of these features and added many others like Squad Builder and Board Priorities. Notably, FIFA 22 significantly improved the Player Career Mode by giving it a new look. Fans could now come on as a sub, something which they wanted for a long time. Manager Rating and Match Objectives were also added. EA also introduced RPG-like mechanics to FIFA 22, where players would spend XP to level up their created characters, using the concept of a skill tree.
FIFA 23's Many Career Mode Improvements
FIFA 23 promises to build on the above-mentioned enhancements and introduce a brand-new version of Career Mode. A key additions to FIFA 23's Career Mode is Playable Highlights, which is possibly the best new feature added to FIFA 23 and is available in both player and manager Career Modes. The game's AI calculates the scoring chances in a match based on the attributes of two teams and spreads them across the match. Each scoring possibility triggers a highlight, where gamers can intervene to either convert the scoring chance into a goal or prevent the CPU from scoring. These highlights will include everything from penalties, free kicks, counter-attacks, and solo runs.
EA has also revamped the Career Mode menu in FIFA 23 to make it more accessible and easy to use. The new main menu will bring key elements like player contracts, squad depth, and youth academy players to the forefront. Now, users don't have to browse through multiple layers of menus to get the information they need. Dynamic Moments is another brand-new FIFA 23 feature that is essentially a series of cutscenes that will play at crucial moments in both player and manager career mode. These cinematics will trigger after accomplishing specific achievements like signing a star player, making it to the starting eleven, or switching clubs.
FIFA 23 will allow gamers to take on the role of a real-world manager, including many famous names like Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti, and many others. Fans can choose from a roster of 350+ managers. Transfer analyst is another new addition to manager Career Mode, which improves the quality of player transfers. This analyst will assign ratings from A to F to the ongoing transfer deals based on the club's financial health and squad depth.
Player Personality is a particularly exciting feature in the upcoming FIFA title. FIFA 23 will have three personality types, Maverick, Virtuoso, and Heartbeat, each with different traits and attributes. A player's on and off-pitch activities will give them personality points that can be used to expand their personality. The Player Personality system will closely monitor the actions like passing the ball often to create chances or being selfish in front of goal and shape the personality accordingly.
Lastly, there are off-pitch activities, which will be a welcome feature in FIFA 23. For the first time in FIFA's history, gamers can take control of a player's off-pitch decisions that also play a crucial role in defining their personality. Players can choose to invest their hard-earned income on various assets like stocks or open a clothing brand. Otherwise, players can spend this money on purchasing luxurious items like sports cars and watches or donate to charity to gain heartbeat points.
How FIFA 23's Career Mode Can Still Be Improved Upon
The aforementioned features in FIFA 23's Career Mode have given it an entirely new look. However, some fans feel EA could've done more to make the game more immersive and realistic. Football clubs roll out new kits every season, and fans were hoping to get this option in FIFA 23's Career Mode. While EA has provided the option to alter the third and the goalkeeper's kits, gamers were hoping to see a feature that enabled redesigning the primary kit every season.
Furthermore, sponsorship deals are one aspect that EA has completely ignored. Football clubs have deals with prominent brands for a set number of years. Typically, after the deal expires, a new sponsor is usually seen on players' shirts. FIFA 23 has no such mechanic where players can choose the sponsor, leaving some fans disappointed.
Meanwhile, some FIFA fans hoped to see moving speeches by managers and team captains before or during an important match. EA could have added a dynamic cutscene based on the manager's or player's prompts, which would eventually alter the team's morale, and in turn, the performance. Hopefully, these potential mechanics are kept in mind for the first entry in the EA Sports FC series.
FIFA 23 is set to release on September 30 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.