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A Game of Two Halves

I have been here before.

Another EA title, another Ultimate Team pre-release sneak peek, gently navigating my way through the menu with dread as usual. It’s no secret at this stage in my life that I am a Career Mode person, and personally, I always will be. Just give me a semi-detailed grid of youth player potentials and drab midweek trips to Rotherham, and I’ll be content. But I do understand what feeds this behemoth: there’s no passion project here. There’s no adulation for the sport itself, or your clever movements off the ball, or perfectly timed passes. It’s about the currency. The packs. The cards. The coins.

And the rest? Refurbishing. There are new stadiums, more buildings, the same old useless digital flame in the card upgrades, and a new coat of paint on the same old slot machine. Everything in EA Sports FC 25 still revolves around the same place where happiness and anger coexist in equilibrium and are bought in bundles of FIFA Points.

A House Built on Microtransactions

Let's be honest here. There's no beating around the bush. This is a mode designed with the specific intent of monetary exploitation. The depth to which this year’s monetization system has gone is almost comical, bordering on satirical. Once you start navigating through the game, advertisements promoting lightning rounds and exclusive packages slap you right in the face, devoid of any subtlety. Everything screams capitalism at full throttle. There is zero tact employed here, which ironically makes it too in your face and wearisome.

True, they have restricted the number of FUT Champs games to 15, a 40-game mercifully inflicted cut. However, the merciful outcome still allows the beast that is Electronic Arts to feed, and significantly at that.

Considering the goal of the game is to constantly shove money into the developer's pockets, it really takes the enjoyment out of strategy that involves rhythm. It’s disguised as grassroots football — the global game of the people — but that impenetrable shower of cash pouring down on you can’t disguise the fact you’re entering a war zone with no preparation.

This is not exclusive to EA. 2K has been operating this way for over a decade. Yet, within the framework of football — a sport already marred by rampant, real-life commodification — this strikes as especially ugly.

Career Mode: Still A Glimmer Of Optimism

And still, off to the side, Career Mode sits quietly and, at last, has received some attention.

The updates won’t make the news, but for some of us, they still hold value. Now, your manager has a bit more character, such as tactical identities, refined training regimens, and more sophisticated progression systems. You aren’t just swimming matches and changing formations anymore; you’re building a philosophy, a narrative.

That signifies something. The gradual blossoming of a youth player, the redemption story of a forgotten superstar, the nail-biting anxiety of a relegation battle — that’s what I came for. These are the moments I cherish. I remember gripping a controller with sweaty palms during a rain-soaked season finale, desperate to stay in the league after a last-second tackle. This is what matters.

But even here, not everything is hunky-dory. The polished international mode still lags behind its Ultimate sibling. Cutscenes are less than cinematic; transfers lack fluidity, and commentary – dear god, the commentary. How is it still alive two decades later? Deke Rae and Stewart Robson are still somehow recording every single attack in fast-forward. It’s like two Englishmen trying to outdo one another while being muffled in a blanket.

The onslaught of global football talent at our disposal has made me ponder this question more often than I care to admit.

Incongruous A World at Odds with Itself

FC 25 is a paradox. On the pitch, it sings. The gameplay has tightened to the point where every animation is smoother, every movement crisp with attacking build-up feeling snappier than ever. This is the closest this series has come to the tension and thrill of real football. If you're seeking games that deliver both stunning visuals and engaging gameplay, make sure to buy cheap PS4 games like EA Sports FC 25, which is incredible but did not move entirely to the PlayStation 5 (as so many did).

But the game wrapped around that pitch? Everything the football world resembles shouldn’t exist within the bounds of sanity.

Cacophonous, soul-less, and artificial greed is what this brand of football fuses into. The consumer side of this game craves for money to be thrown at it on a silver platter while gameplay begs for love. Outside of the relentless commercial polish lies the soul of the game, but with every passing year, it becomes increasingly difficult to uncover.

All of this has an odd melancholic quality about it. It doesn’t mean that love is not present, but you know it’s there underneath all that clutter. The physics, the atmosphere, and the sheer joy you feel when the last-minute goal is scored and you leap off your couch – this is not an accident. It’s something that is done with careful consideration and pure devotion.

Then, it prompts you to purchase 2,200 FIFA Points for the price of $19.99.

Conclusion

EA Sports FC 25 is a self-contradictory video game. Both sides of it have not been polished yet. The worst and most popular – often the most greedy – part of the game holds Ultimate Team captive in it. On the other hand, Career Mode players will have their reasons to remain.

Passionate gamers will, too, buy EA Sports FC 25 for PS4 and bring their football dreams to life, from backyard pitches to the grandest stages, albeit for different reasons. Nevertheless, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the puppet master controlling the illusion.

You need to do a little bit of work in order to uncover the beauty for which the remarkable game is known.