FIFA 22

FIFA 22 is a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts. It is the 29th installment in the FIFA series, and was released worldwide on 1 October 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Players who pre-ordered the ultimate edition, however, received four days of early access and were able to play the game from 27 September. Kylian Mbappé is the cover athlete for the second consecutive year. FIFA 22 introduces “HyperMotion Technology,” (you have to score a power shot to see it) which uses motion capture data collected from 22 real-life players playing a complete, high-intensity football match in motion capture suits. The data collected from player movements, tackles, aerial duels and on-ball actions is used to power FIFA 22 gameplay.

According to an EA Sports press release, FIFA 22 uses this data in its machine learning algorithm which uses over “8.7 million frames of advanced match capture” to generate life-like player movements and animations on and off the ball in real time. This “HyperMotion” feature is only available on the 9th Generation and Stadia versions of the game, and has given rise to the slogan “Powered By Football.” A single player “career mode” is featured in FIFA 22, where the user can play as a player or manager throughout a 15-year career. FIFA 22 introduces a create-a-club option in manager career, allowing players to design a new club with customized kits, crest, and home stadium. 

Career mode introduces a level feature where users can advance their player by collecting experience points that unlock player skills and “perks” to improve stats. FIFA 22 Ultimate Team is a game mode where users can create a team and play online or offline games to earn various cards like “FUT Heroes to add to their team. FIFA 22 Ultimate Team introduced “FUT Heroes” cards that represent different players with special ratings and attributes. The full heroes card list includes: Mario Gómez, Tim Cahill, Diego Milito, Jorge Campos, Fernando Morientes, Sami Al-Jaber, Robbie Keane, Abedi Pelé, Lars Ricken, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Antonio Di Natale, Iván Córdoba, Freddie Ljungberg, Jürgen Kohler, Jerzy Dudek, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Joe Cole and David Ginola.

As in FIFA 21, notable former players are given “icon” cards, similar to “FUT Heroes”. New players added for FIFA 22 include Iker Casillas, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Cafu. Players have the option to preview Silver and Gold player packs as in the previous game, by allowing players to preview what they would receive from a pack before deciding whether to purchase it. “Icon” cards are classified as extremely rare, the probability of getting one from a player pack is below 1%. New VOLTA mechanics in FIFA 22 will allow players to trigger special abilities during a match that would boost a player’s avatar in a specific attribute. There will be three Signature Abilities available: Power Strike, Pure Pace and Aggressive Tackle.

Players of FIFA 22 will also have the opportunity to play with up to three players in various online mini game modes, which will be part of the new VOLTA Arcade. Pro Clubs is a game mode where players are able to create their own virtual character, to take part in 11v11 online matches. Players can play with up to 10 other friends in an online match where each player controls their own virtual characters on the pitch. Players can also adjust the physical stature of their avatars, which has an effect on in-game abilities. A taller avatar, for example, would generally have a lower running speed than a shorter avatar. Pro Clubs avatars also improve over time as they play more games and perform well in matches. 

Players also have the ability to change a variety of features about their team, such as the team’s crest, kits, and the stadium appearance. Traits are qualities a player possesses that affect their behaviors in-game. Each trait has a specific function that relies on how the player is controlled, either by the user or computer. Traits are divided into four different categories: Standard traits, CPU AI traits, Career Mode traits, and VOLTA Football traits. The Standard traits influence the user’s and CPU’s control over the player, these traits consist of different kinds of shots, throw-ins, passing skills, dribbling skills, and player health. CPU AI traits offer similar skills compared to the Standard traits however, only influence the player when the computer controls them.

Career Mode and VOLTA Football traits only impact the player in their respective game modes. The game features more than 30 officially licensed leagues, more than 700 clubs, and more than 17,000 players. For the first time, the Indian Super League and its eleven teams were added, as well as the UEFA Europa Conference League, the third tier of European club football established in 2021. New stadiums added in the game include the Estádio da Luz, home of S.L. Benfica, the Estádio do Dragão home of FC Porto, and the Nuevo Mirandilla, home of Cádiz CF. Additionally, in January 2022 via an update, the Brentford Community Stadium, home of Brentford, was added to the game, thus ensuring all 20 Premier League teams have their respective stadiums.