"FIFA 20" Review

Racking up more club and player licenses than rival PES, "FIFA 20" continues its steady march forward. "FIFA 20" may not reinvent the series, but does manage to push it forward in many significant ways.

Chief among the advancements is a mode that has nothing to do with the soccer game proper.

Street soccer takes a step to the forefront in the form of Volta, a side mode that encourages stylish, wild play. Whether you're knocking passes off the walls, pulling off ludicrous spin moves or slamming balls into the goal from the area around your own goal slot, Volta provides fast-paced fun that allows players' personalities to shine.

Player Carer mode, which plays it straight, marks the franchise's continuing direction away from story-heavy narratives of the past. The upside is you get more freedom to select your team, rather than play through a preset, cheesily-written story with fewer variables.

FIFA Ultimate Team continues to be EA's cash cow, as well as an addictive obsession for virtual card collectors. Patching your squad together from a bare-bones roster, scoring major upgrades along the way with big players and savvy chemistry upgrades until you can dominate both in offline challenges and online play is a rewarding enterprise. Those who prefer to avoid being bombarded by pay-to-win microtransactions, though, could be turned off.

The base game provides the smooth, entrancing brand of soccer that EA has had down pat for the past decade. With convincing physics, top-notch presentation and fluid strategy-shifting adjustment capabilities that put you in full control of your offensive and defensive philosophies, "FIFA 20" continues to replicate the beauty of the beautiful game.

While franchise mode could use more of a touch-up in next year's edition, and even more player likenesses would continue to drive home the sense of realism, "FIFA 20" offers up a package that's tough to beat. There's a reason the series continues to dominate the mindshare of video game soccer fans year in and year out.

Publisher provided review code.