There are hiccups along the way of course; flaws that come in the form of this and that. Nothing big.
Well they're quite annoying actually.
Screw it; they're f*cking infuriating.
EA's pride and glory, Ultimate Team, is a flawed mess, and here is why.
There's Nothing To Play For
Would anyone believe it wasn't until this years FIFA 13 that EA finally put in a season's mode? When I played FIFA 12 I couldn't believe we still had pretty much the same system from 09; play online against some person and then, when you feel ready, brave the tournament mode.Luckily, 13 switched things up (phew) with this new mode that basically takes the online Head-to-Head seasons and applies it here. It works. It's fun. But just like the old UT it gets old - fast.
FIFA Ultimate Team still lacks anything proper to play for. You still earn just coins for completing standard matches, and a few extra goodies like packs or high coin prizes for completing tournaments. The season's mode is shallow and lacks any unique features that make it that different. To be honest, it is basically the exact same format as FIFA 12, except EA justify playing match after match by allowing you to 'get promoted'.
The fact that real money is spent a lot in Ultimate Team by players, yet the actual core gameplay features - like the seasons and tournaments - are still as boring and repetitive as ever is madness.
New game options to spice things up have to be incorporated. The market and auctioning system has expanded big time, but the match options haven't, which leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.
Stop With The Stupid AI Form
This is probably one of the most infuriating things about UT. It's easy to go, maybe, 10 games with consistently good form. Players are performing well, the AI is being good - everything is fine.Until EA decide it's time to end your awesome streak of wins.
Why do players randomly go out of form? Why, for some ludicrous reason, do the AI defenders that are out of the players control (only 1 player can be controlled at a time, remember), go AWOL and wander way out of position? Stop marking altogether and leave MASSIVE gaps in the defence for the opposition to exploit? Why do the attackers suddenly stop making runs, or, if they do make some, completely cr*p ones? Not to mention the fact that they miss easy opportunities that they surely would've taken a few matches back.
Stupid defenders, rubbish attackers and midfielders who can't pass; what is going on?
It gets to the point where one is left wondering: "Am I out of form?" "Am I just cr*p at the game?" "I was good before, what's happened?" But then the craziness stops and players are back to their good old selves.
Seriously EA, making players become about as useful as Stewart Downing in a match is a terrible idea.
The fact of the matter is that real, online players are against each other and having a form system that basically screws matches up for people is stupid. It should always be the player's own skill determining the result, not a stupid form system.
Packs Are Still Pretty Stupid
I never had a massive problem with packs. But then I never spent much real money on them. Since FIFA 13, however, I've had a bit of a change of heart. After spending nearly £100 to date (which isn't a massive amount compared to other people) on packs, I can safely say they are pretty damn stupid.Something EA seems to forget is this is a game. There may be the option to spend real cash, but it's still a game. Meant to let people have fun. Not to be ripped off by nearly every pack purchased.
Obviously getting a Messi or Ronaldo every other pack is a ridiculous thought, but maybe actually getting decent players that can earn some profit would be nice.
Like said above; it's still a game, so making the packs so frustratingly lacking in good players is hard to understand. In a way it just enforces the proposition that EA are, just like every publisher and big company: money snatchers.
STOP WITH THE DNF'S ALREADY
This point is easily one of the most frustrating and highlights many issues with the entire game in general (hence the capitalised heading).Getting a DNF (Did Not Finish), which is caused by indirectly quitting a match, like turning the console off instead of Forfeiting from the menu, can be justified. Making players receive less coins in future matches is there to prevent rage quitters from ruining games, but receiving a DNF from EA's own server disconnects, online crashes and other issues is disgraceful.
It's easy to accumulate lots of DNF's (like me) all because of EA. When their servers crash online and the game freezes forcing a return, directly, to the Xbox Dashboard or Playstation Home, it's the player who pays in the form of a DNF. These DNF's make a real difference to match earnings too. Instead of getting an average 500 coins per match it's more likely players receive something closer to 300.
What's more; these aren't one time deals. A DNF % is in order here and the more DNF's, the less players earn. The DNF % slowly decreases over time, but it won't be a while until coins per match go up again.
EA Servers
EA servers are inconsistent and probably one of, if not the most hated thing about the FIFA series. They are the cause of many DNF's, disconnects, and unnecessary and unfair losses, among other things.Need more be said?
And A Lot of Others Are The Game Itself...
FIFA 13 is, altogether, a very flawed, issue ridden game. The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of problems with the actual gameplay. Tons of in game problems and frustrations are prevalent and they affect every game mode; career, Head-to-Head season, friendlies, Ultimate Team - anything that involves actually playing the game.So this isn't a problem with UT itself, but a lot of frustrations playing matches in UT can come from these too.
So there you have it. Ultimate Team is a flawed, problem-ridden mess of a game mode. It might even be classed as a fail.
But the format is pretty unique and nothing as big as this can be found in other footie games. So, as always; we take and take the problems shoved in our faces by EA, we play the game and we give them more money.
What are your issues with the game though? And what are your thoughts on EA as a publisher and company? Sound off in the comments!