FIFA 20 vs. FIFA 19: What’s New?

What new bells and whistles can we expect in the brand new version of FIFA?

With each passing year, EA unleashes another version of its FIFA franchise upon the world and every time it does it claims that it’s made considerable improvements to the whole thing. This is, usually, bull-honky and what we end up with is just a few cosmetic improvements and maybe a new pair of boots that you can buy for your Pro. So, when the same company line seemed to be being towed before the first virtual ball had been kicked, you can forgive me if I just sighed, rolled my eyes, and prepared for the inevitable disappointment that usually comes with these situations.

Well, and I hate to admit it, it looks like I was wrong. It seems that FIFA 20 has had a massive overhaul and is now brimming with all-new features, as well as having a lot of the core mechanics tweaked or just completely changed, meaning that it could finally be that EA is actually listening to their customers instead of just trying to fleece them for every penny they can. What can you expect in this all-new all-improved FIFA? This article has you covered.

FIFA 20 vs. FIFA 19: Everything You Need To Know

Ultimate Team

Let’s get this one out of the way right from the off, shall we? FUT is a huge moneymaker for the company, but it’s also one of the most controversial aspects of EA’s business model. It has been proven that with only a 4.4% chance of getting an 84+ player in a premium gold pack that they’re, basically, lying to you to part you from your hard-earned money, or your parents depending on your age. It’s so bad that Belgium has out-right banned it and they’re one of the nicest countries on the planet. But regardless, FUT is back again this year, and it’s bringing a whole host of improvements with it. First off, House Rules is coming to FUT, which means that you’ll be able to play that school-yard favorite, “Next Goal Wins,” over the internet and make some coinage while doing so. There’s also a nice new selection of Icons that you can seek out, such as Zidane, Pirlo, and…er…Ian Wright. Also, season and milestone objectives have got the make-over treatment, and now you’ll have more reason to keep playing as each one you hit will reward you with new players, packs, and club customization options and if you do specific things then you’ll get OTW cards for your team as well.

Dynamic Player Potential

From something that makes my blood boil to something I’m looking forward to, Dynamic Player Potential is going to be a great addition to FIFA 20 and will help to keep Career Mode fresh and exciting as the seasons roll by. Take a young player from your squad and give them enough playing time and, as long as their performances are decent enough through-out the season, then you’ll see a change in their OVR/Potential the following year. This means that you’ll no longer have the simple choice of flogging off every youngster that isn’t a Rashford or an Alexander-Arnold, as long as you’re willing to put the time into their development, and possibly on a lower setting so you can make sure that they hit the heights that you want them to. You can change their fortune at your club and turn them into a world-beater.

Gameplay

To be honest, I could’ve written a whole guide on the gameplay improvements that EA have made to FIFA 20 and filled it quite quickly but as I’m going to be doing a lot of FIFA work over the next few months, I thought I’d just knock out a bulletin point entry for this article instead.

Better One-On-One’s: No longer will you find yourself bearing down on goal and realize that it’s easier to score a tramp than try a shot. This should be the end of super-human goalkeepers.

Better AI Defending: Thank God, this is something we’ve been demanding for ages. Defenders will now defend like they should and not go wandering off when you need your back four to be united.

Better Player Motion: No more jerky runs or weird looking animations. Or so they claim.

Strafe Dribbling: Glide around the pitch like a young Ryan Giggs.

Controlled Tackling: If you time it right and get the ball clean, then there’s a much higher chance that it’ll stick to your boot, rather than bounce off into the path of the opposition.

Better Free-Kicks And Penalties: With an aiming circle and the ability to do knuckle shots, among other things, we’ll all be able to ping the ball into the top corner like Fake Ronaldo from here on out.

Timed Finishing: Hold your nerve and composure while you’re shooting and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best long-range screamers, or one-one-one dinks, that you’ve ever pulled off.

Improved Ball Physics: They’ve improved the ball physics, ‘Nuff said.

Customization

For a very long time, there was little to no real customization options when it came to playing through FIFA, but now EA has seemingly gone mad and given you more choices than you can shake Jerzy Dudek’s wobbly legs at. It’s across the board as well, meaning that Career Mode, Volta, and Pro Club has so many items to choose from when creating each avatar, that there really should be no excuse for your player not resembling you. And as for FUT, you can see in the picture that accompanies this entry that it’s never been easier, or quicker, for you to customize your club.

Career Mode

This is probably the biggest update to FIFA and one that fans have been screaming for, for such a long time now, that I’m surprised we all haven’t gone deaf. It’s not just the fact that you can now choose your gender before you start on your road to glory, though this really should’ve been implemented ages ago, it’s every other new addition to the game mode that will make this the best thing going when it comes to football games with a management element included. Well, until Football Manager 20 comes out anyway. The most important part of the new revamp, outside of being able to hold negotiations in a variety of places and being able to retire any player in-game and making them your choice for Manager, is morale. No longer a tagged on, unimportant mechanic, morale is at the heart of everything you do in Career Mode. Press Conferences, Player Interaction, playing time, winning games, there is a whole host of new things for you to worry about and to get right to keep team morale up. Get it wrong, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve got more trophies than Sir Alex, Jose, and Pep combined, you’ll be fired.

Volta

Elsewhere on Gamepur, Sam O’Hara has taken an in-depth look at what Volta is all about, and I highly recommend that you read it, but in a nutshell, Volta is simply FIFA Street, and that can only be a good thing. One of my favorite games of all time, FIFA Street was the perfect place to show off your skills, if you had any (I didn’t), and the fact that EA has decided to bring it back in FIFA 20, fills my heart with glee. You can play in career mode and take your chosen avatar to the top of the Volta world as well as being able to play a fair few different modes as well as being able to take it online and get your ass handed to you by some ten-year-old in Australia. Whatever way you choose, Volta is going to be the one part of FIFA 20 that I can see most people spending their time with. As long as EA gets it right.