FIFA 23 is being review bombed as fans share their frustrations online. FIFA 23 officially came out on September 30, but the Ultimate Edition was available on September 27. This version of the game is primarily for gamers who play the Ultimate Team mode, as it grants them 4,600 FIFA Points and various bonus cards as untradeable items.
FIFA 23 uses new HyperMotion 2 technology that aims to give players a more realistic and authentic gameplay experience. It added over 6,000 HyperMotion-enabled animations to the game, along with new types of acceleration mechanics based on a player’s real-life attributes. FIFA 23 received mostly positive reviews upon its launch, but it looks like fans have some issues with this year’s release.
FIFA 23 players are posting negative reviews on Metacritic as a way to share their disappointments with the game. It received a rating of 77 from critics, which is classified as generally favorable. However, the user rating is currently sitting at 2.5, a massive downgrade from its critical reception. Most of the complaints sound generic, as some users feel that FIFA 23 is not a big upgrade over FIFA 22, while others believe that it’s not an accurate representation of the sport.
A lot of complaints are also being directed towards the microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics present in the game. This appears to be the norm for the FIFA franchise, as previous entries also got review bombed for various reasons. Fans will have to go back to FIFA 17 for the user rating to change from negative to mixed.
Review bombing is not limited to Metacritic either, as FIFA 23 currently holds a rating of “Mostly Negative” on Steam. However, the complaints seem to be focused on the new anti-cheat system that is preventing users from playing the game. Many gamers mention that they paid extra for the Ultimate Edition of FIFA 23 to play the game three days early, but it didn’t work due to errors related to the anti-cheat service. Some also believe that the game is not well-optimized on PC.
Many games got review bombed this year for various reasons, and FIFA 23 is the latest addition to this list. Even popular releases like Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring got review bombed, although users generally have solid reasons for doing so. In the case of FIFA 23, it seems to be a combination of anti-cheat issues on PC and grievances that have been building up for years among the audience.
FIFA 23 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Metacritic, Steam