EA Sports stands on shaky ground with a new open-world hub, but the realistic, intuitive Tactics system shows promise.
I find myself in a weird place with EA Sports FC 27. On one hand, worthwhile strategic elements have finally been added that reflect real-world tactics in a concise, intuitive way. On the other hand, the promised improvements to the behavior and pathing of computer-controlled players on the field still ring hollow, carrying over many of the same issues the series has had for over a decade. Couple this with the dreaded introduction of open-world elements via The Grounds, and the result is yet another year where nearly positive change is balanced out by a negative one.Ever since NBA 2K14 introduced MyPark, which eventually evolved into The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 and The City in NBA 2K21, I figured it was only a matter of time before EA brought a similar open world full of activities to its other sports franchises. While The Grounds isn’t without merit, it often feels like EA is trying to solve a problem that didn’t really exist.
After hours of exploring The Grounds, it’s clear FC 27 didn’t need to have an open-world environment to deliver a more communal online mode. I don’t need to run through a visually saturated, low-resolution city populated by lifeless NPCs just to find a game mode to start up when simple menus devoted to the same function can do that in a more efficient manner. Sure, it works well as an active lobby for matchmaking and makes it easier to find other players and move between activities, but between the framerate drops and unnatural character animations, nothing is immersiveness enough about this hub to justify its existence.