RPGs are one of the most popular genres in gaming due to their vast open worlds, immersive storylines, and characters that players feel a connection with. While there is a lot more that goes behind creating a successful RPG, a few of the key features can really help games likeFIFAthat are struggling to get out new and exciting content for its fans. Over the years,FIFAhas failed to add any significant improvements to Player Career Mode, and this has resulted in fans practically completing the game mode in under two seasons, making the remaining thirteen seasons fairly dull.
Player Career Mode, like most other offline modes, hasgrown stagnant with each installment ofFIFA, only adding graphical improvements and updated player ratings. The lack of changes has made these offline game modes lackluster and outdated, forcing fans to either try their luck in the micro transaction-stacked online modes or move over to games likeeFootballto find a new experience. ForFIFAto enjoy continued success, the next game will need to add in some new ideas that give fans tons of exciting features in the offline modes, and it could find inspiration from various RPG games.
RELATED:FIFA 22: The Best Retro Kits, Ranked
Start Small, End Big
One of the biggest problems plaguingPlayer Career Mode inFIFAis the lack of real progressionfrom a newcomer in the professional scene to a global superstar. In fact, this progression system is so broken that fans can find that they have achieved everything they possibly could after two seasons. While this seems like a lot of time, the full length of Player Career Mode is around 15 seasons, and this means that for 13 seasons, fans do not have any achievable goal to chase.
Correcting the progression system should be the top priority for EA with futureFIFAtitles to make the offline game mode more challenging. Rather than starting out with decent stats in a top-tier team, careers should start in an academy squad and rise through the ranks to the senior team. This would mean that as the player gets better, the opponents will also improve in both rating and difficulty.Games likeSkyrimdo this perfectly through a detailed progression systemthat requires time and effort, with opponents getting tougher as the player does.
Better Player Creation Options
To give fans a more immersive experience where they feel a connection with their players, FIFA should let gamers customize their players in more ways than just their look.FIFA’scurrent creation suite is not bad, but it lacks a lot of diversity, and the lack of morphing can make it hard to recreate a face on the screen. Further, all created players will act the exact same, so including some form of backstory and personality for the created players, and even managers in Manager Career Mode, would go a long way to making theofflineFIFAgame modesmore enjoyable.
RPGs are masters at character creation, with many giving fans a chance to completely detail their character, from their history and personality to looks and features. Each choice made will also impact conversations and interactions in the game. Games likeTiny Tina’s WonderlandsandCyberpunk 2077have great character creation optionsthat make each created character unique. Backstories can impact future choices in the game and can help create better partnerships with certain players in the team. Including a more advanced character creation suite would only improveFIFA.
RELATED:FIFA 22: 7 Players Who Should Have Higher Base Ratings In The Next Game
Better Leveling System
FIFA 22introduced a new leveling systemthat gave players the chance to improve certain stats using a skill tree. This was a step in the right direction, but the small number of accessible skills and the fact that players get to the highest level in about a season or two are big problems that take away from the longevity of the Player Career Mode. Instead, progressing through the levels should be time-consuming and should require rigorous training, something that players in the real world must do to improve their own skills.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhallafeatures a comprehensive skill tree, with each skill providing a small but noticeable increase in stats. This sort of skill tree would work great forFIFA, as it would take time for players to develop skills and would require a lot of training in the mini-games to rack up the points. This sort of leveling system would also ensure that players do not reach the highest level in the first two seasons and would ask fans to put in more playtime to achieve this.
Better Conversation & Negotiations
As a football simulator,FIFAoften leaves out a lot of real-world experiencesthat are integral to both teams and players. One of the things that fans have been asking for is a more refined interaction system between the created player and the management they are playing under. Asking for new contracts, requesting more or even less game time, and interacting with teammates are essential features that could greatly improve immersion in the game mode.
Many of the annoying features in Player Career Mode often stem from the lack of communication between the player and the team. Games likeMass Effecthave deep communication optionsthat shape relationships between characters and can help the player get a better idea of the character they are speaking to. WhileFIFAwill need to do things a bit differently, the core idea of having deeper communication options would open the game mode up and give fans more options. Whether it is requesting a transfer or sitting out the next game, there could be a conversation scene where the player may need to justify their stance before the manager accepts.
FIFAhas been in dire need of an overhaul, especially for its offline game modes, which have recently grown stagnant and repetitive. Withthe anticipation around the upcoming gameUFL, EA needs to ensure that players are able to enjoyFIFA’soffline modes for more than a few months, and the perfect inspiration for this is RPG games likeSkyrim,Assassin’s Creed,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, andMass Effect, all of which provide fans with tons of content. Including certain RPG features inFIFAcould help the offline game modes like Player Career not only become more interesting, but also add a lot of immersion and customization options, not to mention making the game more challenging and awarding.
FIFA 22is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S.
