By Ross Waters
Ultimate Team Is Back! Following the huge success of FIFA 09: UT, EA Sports have once again released the Downloadable Content, so you can put together your dream team to take on the rest of the world.
However, what’s the point? Why should I buy it this year? And does that mean I can make Wayne Bridge and John Terry play on the same team?
Fortunately, FTL has spent the last weekend glued to their 360 to give you the low-down on whether its worth spending a fiver on again this season.
The Basics:
Simply put, if you have played the old one, the main aim is still the same. Assemble your dream team (or as not in FTL’s case, having Bramble and Boumsong at the back wasn’t a stroke of genius) and take on every other player to prove your the best manager and the best player of FIFA online.
However, there are a few tweaks. Firstly, the amount of players. Around 7,500 players this year compared to the 4,000 Fifa 09:UT had. This means more depth, more variation in the teams, and more chance to find that lower league gem (e.g. Jermaine Beckford) who can destroy other lower clubs with ease.
Another new feature is tourney restrictions and multiple squads. Instead of just having one team with the Ronaldo’s, Messi’s and Rooney’s, you can have as many squads you feel you need to win every trophy. With the restrictions on such tourneys, like ‘only bronze players allowed’, ’5 players from the same nation allowed’ etc, finding that 90 pace, Bronze striker is just as important as getting the world-class playmaker on the cheap. Therefore, depth and quality are hugely important this year.
The Gameplay:
Once again, the key emphasis is on team chemistry. However, this year, in-game, the level of team chemistry is massively different. With a 100% team chemistry, passes from player to player seem to always find each other, compared to teams with 10% chemistry, where simple, five-a-side 10 yard passes seem to miss.
A good point to the changes is the shift of importance away from nationality. For Fifa09:UT, the only way to have a good team chemistry was to have players from the same nation. However, this year, you can have teams with full chemistry with different nationalities (there’s even a Xbox360 achievement for it!)
In FTL’s view, the use of team chemistry is very clever, although it can stop you from assembling your ‘dream team’. So, YES, you can put Wayne Bridge And JT together, but they won’t shake hands on it!
How Do You Get The Players?
If you’re not a Ultimate Team player last season, it seems very strange. It has once again kept the auction and pack system. Players can be brought in packs, and each pack has a different level (Bronze, Silver And Gold). Higher cost packs increase your chances of better players. So, to get Rooney, you’re best bet is a gold pack. However, if you don’t want to chance it, or are head-hunting that last signing, there is still the auction system.
The auction system operates like eBay. Players are brought and sold with other users, and the winner is the highest bidder. There is no negotiating of contracts like on Football Manager, they are renewed with Gameplay cards. This year, however, there is less risk of losing players as FIFA have quite rightfully brought out a little reminder pre-game to show you what players are injured, tired, or contracts expiring. This addition is very useful, as last year FTL lost plenty of great players through simply forgetting and playing in-game and realising they had no stars left!
However, the auction system is very clever and a success with Fifa 09:UT, so why change it?
So….Anything New?
The key addition is the use of the website www.easportsfootball.co.uk . Instead of just checking it with Facebook broken and nothing else to do, you now have a real reason to go on it. This is through an ‘Ultimate Team’ section online. Paul Hossack, the man behind Ultimate Team is really excited about this addition, describing the addition of the feature as “whether you’re at work, whether you’re at school, put on the laptop, jump in and start playing with your squads”. It seems a really good idea and a good way to kill time, get ready to go home and put FIFA on and destroy your classmates with your newly assembled team.
FTL Thinks..:
That it’s very much worth the money. For about 4 quid (the equivalent of a week’s Red Bull), you can have access to a highly addictive, very deep game mode which is a lot of fun. There is many questions in the FTL office on why it’s not released as part of the game, but, nonetheless, it’s very much worth getting. The gameplay is solid, if sometimes laggy (but what game isn’t?) and the level of management options is very good, and a great way to waste away your upcoming Easter holidays.
