EA Sports FC 27 Full Review

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EA Sports FC 27 is one of the strangest games in the series to review.

It is, in some ways, am improvement over its predecessor. But at the same time, some of those changes create problems that can make FC 27 unbelievably frustrating.

There are moments when FC 27 feels like the football game EA has been trying to make for years.

Then there are moments when you wonder how a pass, defensive movement or AI decision could possibly have made it through testing.

After spending time with the game, my biggest takeaway is simple:

FC 27 is better than FC 26 but better doesn't always mean more enjoyable. That is what makes this year's game so difficult to judge.

Gameplay — 5/10

This is where FC 27 gets both its biggest praise and its biggest criticism.

EA has made a major push towards giving players more control. Competitive gameplay reduces the influence of AI-controlled defenders, while manual defending, attacking movement, through passes and crossing have all been reworked.

The idea is excellent. The execution is inconsistent. When defending works, it feels fantastic.

You actually have to read the attack, control the right defender, close the space and make the tackle yourself. Winning a one-on-one because you anticipated the opponent rather than because your AI defender automatically dealt with it is genuinely satisfying.

But the reduction in AI assistance creates another problem. Your defensive structure can completely fall apart.

I've experienced situations where there are enormous gaps between centre-backs, midfielders aren't close enough to the play and an opponent can simply drive through the middle of the pitch.

Instead of feeling like you've been tactically outplayed, it can feel like your team has temporarily forgotten how to defend.

This is particularly noticeable with certain formations. You can have two holding midfielders on the pitch and still somehow feel like you have no midfield. That shouldn't happen.

The new system rewards good defending, but it also exposes weaknesses in defensive positioning and player switching.

Passing is another major issue. EA has specifically targeted through passes to give players more control, but in practice there are plenty of occasions where an apparently obvious through ball gets swallowed up by a defender.

This makes attacking frustrating. You can identify the run. You can see the space. You can press the button at what feels like exactly the right moment, but the defender somehow gets there anyway.

FC 27 therefore has a strange gameplay paradox. It gives you more control while occasionally making you feel like you have less control.

That needs addressing. Still, there is enough improvement here to make gameplay the strongest foundation FC has had in a while.

The last issue is one that has been an issue for years. The dribbling. It's so unbelievably unrealistic, with the small turns back and forth a million times when playing Ultimate Team is one of the most annoying parts of this game.

Pros:

• Manual defending is more rewarding
• Better attacking movement
• More tactical variety
• More physical defensive battles
• Gameplay feels meaningfully different from FC 26

Cons:

• Defensive gaps can be ridiculous
• Midfielders can disappear defensively
• Through balls are frustratingly inconsistent
• Player switching remains problematic
• Some animations and AI decisions feel unpredictable
• The dribbling is super irritating

Career Mode — 7.5/10

Career Mode is arguably the biggest success story of FC 27. For once, EA hasn't simply added another cosmetic feature and called it a revolution.

The transfer market has received a genuine overhaul, with negotiations, valuations and AI recruitment playing a much bigger role. That makes building a squad considerably more interesting.

You can't simply identify a player, offer roughly what the game says they're worth and assume the deal will happen. The AI clubs actually compete. That is exactly what Career Mode has needed.

Dynamic OVR is another excellent addition, although it does fluctuate too much in my opinion.

Player ratings can now change based on factors including form, morale, fitness and playing time.

A player who is performing brilliantly should feel like they're performing brilliantly.

A player who has been sitting on the bench for months shouldn't necessarily remain exactly the same rating forever. It also gives squad rotation more purpose.

Early player feedback has been particularly positive about the new transfer system and Dynamic OVR, with Career Mode players reporting that transfers feel harder and more realistic while ratings now respond to form and circumstances.

There are still issues. Transfer valuations aren't always convincing, some old Career Mode problems remain and the menus can feel unnecessarily similar to Ultimate Team. The overall look of the features in the menu does look worse.

But this is easily the mode where EA's changes have the most tangible impact.

Ultimate Team — 6/10

Ultimate Team is still Ultimate Team. If you loved FUT last year, you'll probably enjoy FC 27.

If you were hoping EA would completely rethink the mode, you're going to be disappointed. The biggest addition is the FUT Gallery.

Instead of cards simply becoming irrelevant once you sell them or put them into an SBC, eligible Player Items are permanently recorded in your Gallery. You can build themed collections, increase your Gallery Level and earn rewards.

It's a smart idea. More importantly, EA has made more rewards tradeable and increased post-match coin rewards, while also attempting to slow down the rate at which cards become obsolete.

That is a welcome change. There is also more flexibility through Evolutions and changes to SBCs.

Clubs & The Grounds — 7/10

The Grounds is FC 27's biggest new feature and potentially its most divisive.

EA has transformed Clubs into a larger social experience, with The Grounds becoming the new home for Clubs and offering smaller-sided games, tournaments, activities and different ways to develop your Pro.

On paper, it sounds like EA trying to build its own version of the social hubs that have become popular in other sports games.

And surprisingly, it works. The Grounds is fun.

Playing smaller-sided football gives the game some much-needed variety and creates a more casual alternative to constantly playing competitive 11v11 matches.

The problem is whether people will still care about it six months from now. That is the huge question.

There is also an argument that The Grounds is solving a problem that didn't really exist. A large number of Clubs players simply want to load into a match with their mates.

They don't necessarily need an entire social hub around it. Some players will love The Grounds. Others will see it as unnecessary padding. Right now, I'm somewhere in the middle.

It's a welcome addition, but EA will need to continually support it to prove that it isn't simply a flashy launch feature.

Graphics — 8/10

FC 27 looks good, but it doesn't look dramatically better than FC 26. A lot of fans online have pointed out how FIFA 17 looks visually better than this version. So although the graphics are good, there has been better graphics in years gone past.

The stadiums, player models, lighting, kits and broadcast presentation remain excellent, but graphical improvements are becoming increasingly difficult to notice with every annual release. Other reviews have similarly described the visual improvement as relatively subtle rather than a major leap.

That isn't necessarily a criticism. FC 27 doesn't need to completely reinvent its visuals every year.

The bigger question is whether EA should be spending development resources on graphical upgrades when other areas particularly AI, passing and defensive positioning still need work.

For me, gameplay improvements will always matter more than another slightly better-looking face scan.

Sound & Presentation — 7.5/10

Presentation remains one of FC's strongest weapons.

The atmosphere, stadium environments, commentary and overall broadcast presentation continue to make the game feel like a genuine football product rather than simply a collection of matches.

This is especially noticeable when you're playing Career Mode. The combination of stadium atmosphere, commentary, presentation packages and licensed competitions creates the sense that you're participating in an actual football season.

There isn't the same revolutionary improvement here that we've seen in Career Mode. But there doesn't need to be. EA understands how important presentation is to making a sports game feel authentic.

The problem is that, like graphics, presentation has reached the point where improvements are increasingly incremental.

The Verdict

There are some nice new features and game modes on this version of FC, and the game genuinely does have potential.

The graphics are good, could be better, but good. There is plenty of variety within the game to please a wider range of people.

Career mode and Ultimate Team have had some nice tweaks to it, especially with transfers in career, and SBC's and rewards in UT.

But the big issue is still the gameplay on UT. In career you can tweak the sliders to suit your own style, making it enjoyable, but in UT the gameplay remains a big frustration.

FC 27 is a mixed bag in my opinion, and if EA can fix some of the obvious issues in the game then it could be one of the best versions of the game in recent history.

RATING: 5/10