FIFA 15 at E3: “Emotional intelligence” and more


Check out the official FIFA 15 gameplay trailer above

EA officially unveiled FIFA 15 at the E3 expo tonight, but it was mostly style over substance from the developers. But don’t worry, there are plenty more changes yet to be announced

The game will feature improved graphics (they look stunning), better ball physics, and corner flags that wobble when hit by a ball. Yes, moving corner flags.

But while these changes seem minor, the cumulative effect will (hopefully) result in a much more realistic, immersive game. Boots will leave marks on the pitch when you slide in for tackles, the crowds look amazing and kits get dirty – I’ve lost count of how long I’ve been waiting for that change.

FIFA 15 is set to feature "emotional intelligence"

FIFA 15 is set to feature “emotional intelligence”

The biggest announcement so far

In terms of gameplay, EA were pushing what they call “emotional intelligence”. What it basically means is that everything a player does affects how their teammates react to them. Passing a ball to a player will improve his perception of you, while if a goalkeeper lets a shot through his legs his teammates will react negatively. Missing a shot early will result in encouragement from fellow players, but missing a crucial effort late on will make them less sympathetic. It all sounds rather interesting.

Polygon have spoken to FIFA producer Aaron McHardy, who described how “every action will chip away or add to the specific attitudes of players on the field.”

He continued: “Now, players are actually reacting and behaving appropriately in real time, and our presentation team can point the camera at the action and see it play out.”

But what will it actually mean for gameplay? My teammates may not like a certain player, but at the end of the day I’m controlling them all anyway; it’s not like they can refuse to give the ball to him. Is this actually a big development from EA, or is it just another minor tweak with an impressive-sounding name? We’ll just have to wait and see.

FIFA 15's E3 unveiling mostly focused on the visual aspects of the new game

FIFA 15’s E3 unveiling mostly focused on the visual aspects of the new game

What EA didn’t reveal

But despite that, there was very little from EA on the new title’s game modes. No news on career mode changes, extra leagues or game types or even any news on Ultimate Team.

We’ve heard nothing on whether the youth system will be improved or changed, nor whether they’ve fixed the GTN bugs. We don’t even know if GTN will still be in FIFA 15. It’s all a mystery.

Will any of the changes I said I want to see actually get implemented? As with emotional intelligence, we’re going to have to wait this one out and see what happens. It’s all a bit frustrating.

So is it simply a case of FIFA being so far ahead of the competition that EA felt they could get away with focusing almost entirely on graphical changes at E3? Or are they just teasing us, getting everyone worked up for the big announcements that will inevitably come later? Probably a little bit of both.

McHardy says there are a lot more changes to come, which is good news to anyone who watched the EA FIFA 15 unveiling and was left slightly disappointed.

“When you look at features like team tactics, and other features we haven’t yet announced that are coming down the pipeline, you’ll see the amount of changes we’re making in FIFA 15 is immense,” he says. “But yes, we’ve finished our homework first, and it’s allowed us to try things like emotional intelligence. You need to deal with the fundamentals first.”

I’m sure we’re all looking forward to hearing more and seeing some more concrete changes to the way the game works. Because God help us if moving corner flags are the flagship feature in FIFA 15!


What did you think of EA’s FIFA 15 reveal? Did you like the look of the new features and graphics, or were you left disappointed? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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