Electronic Arts announced today at Gamescom that EA Sports is rewriting the way goalkeepers work in FIFA (calling it Next Gen Goalkeepers) in an attempt to bring a new level of realism to gameplay in FIFA 15 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, backed up by the new Ignite engine.
Goalkeepers in FIFA 15 will supposedly look, move, and think similarly to their real world counterparts with new AI that allows them to anticipate shots and passes, move with positional awareness, and display a variety of new animations. Next Gen Goalkeepers is just one element of this season’s gameplay innovations that aim to make FIFA 15 more immersive and responsive than before.
FIFA 15 adds all 18 clubs from the Turkish Süper Lig and gives the Barclays Premier League, the most played league across EA sports FIFA, an authenticity overhaul. Fans will be able to play FIFA 15 in all 20 stadiums of the Barclays Premier League, with fan chants captured from live events of the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season, and new commentary - matches will showcase broadcast overlays that are synonymous with the international TV presentation of the league. Another improvement is that more than 200 new realistic player faces have been 3D scanned and rendered for FIFA 15.
“We’re delivering innovations and improvements that have been at the top of our fans’ wish list: new goalkeepers, more responsive gameplay, and the Turkish Süper Lig. This year we’ve put the game in the hands of fans earlier than ever before, listened, and delivered what they want in gameplay, authenticity, and modes,” said David Rutter, the Vice President and General Manager at EA.
The most popular game mode in the franchise, Ultimate Team, will add new features to help fans build and manage a team of their football heroes. Loan Players gives fans a chance to determine if some of the most highly sought after FUT players are suitable for their squads by signing players on loan via EA Sports Football Club Catalog and playing with them for a limited number of games. A powerful new squad planning tool Concept Squads gives access to every player available in Ultimate Team so fans can view team chemistry and plan their next line-up or transfer market move.
Once fans have their squad built, they can play Friendly Seasons in FIFA 15 Ultimate Team. Fans can challenge friends in a five match season format and track their stats in a new progress menu. Ultimate Team will also see the arrival of a number of new Ultimate Team Legends, although this feature will only be available on Microsoft’s Xbox.
In Career Mode, an all-new Team Management system gives fans the chance to customize up to six different team sheets and alter formations, tactics, and roles based on their next opponent – this will try make transitions a bit easier as they progress from game-to-game throughout their careers. Team Management also offers fans the chance to personalize gameplay by assigning up to five different attacking and defending player Instructions to each of the 10 outfield player positions.
EA Sports Football Club is also now more interactive and will connect fans to their club, friends, and favorite modes. Fans can now share news, interact with friends, and redeem items all via a new EA Sports Football Club widget that will give fans direct access to the Football Club Catalog and news feed - strengthening the connection to clubs and leagues around the world. FIFA 15 adds a live football news hub too, called Match Day Live (powered by Goal.com) which will update itself as news is published, Match Day Live will bring stories, stats, and league tables directly to the FIFA 15 menu so that players can stay up-to-date with information from different leagues around the world.
