In this regard, there were still some glaring flaws in its design: Why were players still forced to participate in full matches in the same way that they did in console versions of the game? Furthermore, in an era of games-as-services, are annual iterations of the game, like the developers do in console versions, still necessary? FIFA Mobile answered these questions by completely distancing itself from its brother by feeling, and playing, like a true game meant for mobile devices.
Nevertheless, it still didn’t feel like a standalone game it wasn’t yet ready to be sold as a good free-to-play game. Furthermore, it managed to establish a multi-layered monetization system with genuinely exciting incentives that could last the players for long periods of time. This trend continued into the following year with FIFA 16, which showed no signs of stopping.įinally, FIFA on mobile devices had reached an interesting milestone it had established its very own identity despite sharing its name with its console versions. In fact, the 2015 version marked the time when the game dropped all pretenses of trying to imitate its console counterparts and focused exclusively on developing and expanding upon the Ultimate Team card-based system. The success of this feature in mobile devices reached top notoriety in FIFA 15 Ultimate Team, which saw tremendous success in the market, to the point of being the first game in its category to single-handedly set a trend. This new game mode clearly proved that those who had already paid full price for a boxed copy of the game were also more than willing to drop extra cash on in-game products and purchases. This trend continued for several years, until the arrival of the 2014 iteration of FIFA, which included the Ultimate Team element - the card-based mode in which players could create their own dream team, and which was initially released in FIFA 13 on consoles.
By following the same (albeit somewhat repetitive) formula, FIFA on mobile devices continued to add more elements and features to its core gameplay, though would still ultimately fall short due to the inherent limitations of the platform, such as the inability to create high-definition graphics, as well as the restrictive virtual controls of cell phone touchscreens. Up until FIFA 13 in consoles, the mobile ports would conform to trying to imitate their counterparts, without bringing anything new to the table. To answer these questions, we have to first explore the story of FIFA throughout its many, many versions on mobile devices. However, we can’t help but question: what makes this version of the game the most exciting and entertaining of them all? Furthermore, why has FIFA Mobile seen so much success where its predecessors had managed to only be mediocre copies of their console counterparts? Fortunately, when booting up the game, you can immediately tell that this one is, by far, the best iteration of the game for this platform. That being said, FIFA Mobile is EA Mobile’s latest attempt to bring an enormous console franchise, to the market of mobile video games. In other words, if you’re forced to take out your credit card and purchase stuff on the in-game store in order to genuinely enjoy the game, then odds are that it has some serious designs flaws that can seriously detract from its overall quality. When it comes to great mobile games, more often than not we find ones that genuinely hook us with their awesome mechanics, as well as captivating plots and narratives, only to have it all ruined when you are completely destroyed by a guy your same level, only because he decided to whip out his wallet and you didn’t.įor this reason, it’s important to weigh the incentives, or buying pressure, exerted by the game upon the player to make him want to buy stuff from the in-game store, the potential benefits obtained from every transaction, and the amount of content offered by every purchased item, in order to determine the true value and quality of the game. It’s difficult to find a mobile game that doesn’t actively attempt to squeeze your wallet dry with in-game purchases that give you an unfair advantage over your opponents.