"Football isn't just a game, it's a way of life," goes the maxim. And the next best thing that you can do after the full-time whistle is grab a controller, sit with your mate, pick a team and get hooked on to developer EA sports' biggest sporting phenomena of every year – EA Sports FIFA.
EA's Sports FIFA gets overwhelming response every year, which is a sort of eye-opener for all those who think only the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield make the most dough in the industry. Sure, Konami poses a modest challenge to the the title, but not so much as to actually dent its popularity.
We may already be engrossed with the previously released FIFA 15, but we are abreast of the online buzz about FIFA 16. Recent reports suggest the game is almost upon us, with several additions, changes and fixes to its name.
But before the final title is out (or even a detailed trailer of it, for that matter), fans have been flooding the web with their views on the kind of changes they want to see.
Here's a list of top eight changes fans are hoping to see in FIFA 16.
How About a 5-a-Side Footy Mode?
If you love the original game, chances are you will never stay away from it, although your friends will keep complaining "it's the same old thing, over and over again." It wouldn't hurt if EA actually decided to introduce a sort of 5-a-side gameplay mode. It needn't necessarily be a grand remake of FIFA Street, but we would absolutely love the option to choose any five players in a team and go about a mini game of footy with our friends.
A Women's Football Mode
Let's admit it. If football is a universal game, played and followed by people of different age, sex and colour, why are we leaving women's football out of the equation? Contradictory to uber-chauvinistic beliefs, there are a number of good women footballers who have more tricks up their sleeves than you could ever think of. It's high time they got a mode of their own.
Do We Finally Get the UEFA Champions League?
Weeknights are a major prospect in the life of any football fan, since that's when Europe's biggest footballing spectacle unravels, courtesy UEFA Champions League. For a long time now, the Champions League has remained fixed to Konami's PES, and EA would do itself a world of good if it secures the licence to showcase the mode in the next FIFA. Imagine the UEFACL theme blasting out while you and your mate slug it out to secure the "Champions of Europe" tag.
Can We Have Less Cut Scenes/Replays, Please?
One of the major complaints fans have had with FIFA titles each year is the ridiculous amount of cut scenes and replays that are accompanied with the game. No wonder, you have to mash the A button (Xbox 360) endless number of times to escape the horror. Can we have reduced number of such cut scenes for the next game, please?
Will a First-Person Mode Work Out?
This is one of those features that evokes mixed reactions. We know how FIFA plays and what things you are capable of in the game, but would a first-person mode be a good addition to the game? May be. Not that it would be that difficult an addition, given we are already backed by technology such as the Oculus, but how would you control the players? The jury is open on this one.
Is Playing in the Rain That Difficult?
There's a reason why we want to play out matches sometimes with different weather settings, though we usually back out of it. And that is quite evident when it's raining and it seems like all your players are zombiefied. When it's raining, players cannot run, can't control the ball and even end up missing sitters. EA needs to change that with FIFA 16 and more so, since most of us are waiting to fall in love with the rain, again.
Career Mode Needs A Complete Overhaul
Oh my! Where to start on this one. EA has to understand that not all players are willing to get into the multiplayer aspect of things every time they pick up a controller. Some of us still enjoy the "dated" FIFA career mode, but EA has transformed it into a sort of lifeless grind that goes on mechanically. For starters, the FIFA Career mode needs a complete overhaul, and we are looking forward to that day when things like backroom staff and coaching will affect a player's overall ratings. Also, total overhaul of the scouting system is required.
The Manager Has More Presence
Behind every successful team, there's this one grey-haired guy who draws the illustrations and devises strategies that his team will take into the next game. Men such as Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger tell you how important a good manager is to a team, and for FIFA 16, we want to see more managerial presence in and around the dugout. Is that too much to ask?
