Every year soccer fans have only one question: FIFA or PES? Which game’s the best? In 2021, this question is just slightly different, as Konami thought it’s a good idea to change the franchise’s name – a move EA is apparently mulling over, too. But the core question stays the same: is FIFA 22 better than eFootball 2022, or vice versa? Virtual soccer has always been a tough challenge to pull off, but this time the answer might be a little easier, though. To be honest, soccer fans can’t say they’re 100% satisfied with either FIFA 22 and eFootball 2022. EA’s game has an unrealistic pace that makes it feel more like a flipper sim than a soccer simulation, and its Premier League inspiration doesn’t really serve as a good excuse. Konami’s eFootball, on the other hand, is way too slow and suffers from a number of technical issues, ranging from its cheap AI to some often incomprehensible referee decisions. So, FIFA has tried and offered an improvement upon its usual weaknesses with its first true next-gen chapter, but the new game’s DNA is still the same. With a comparable stubbornness eFootball 2022 is pretty close to how soccer is played in the Italian Serie A, but has so many and longstanding flaws, it gets annoying before you can get any fun out of it.  Ball control is an area where eFootball 2022 has you fighting against gravity more than playing soccer. Konami’s title is too heavy on movements, and that doesn’t provide you with a better vision on the pitch but only causes you to miss the right timing for a pass. FIFA 22 has introduced new animations instead. These add more nuances to ball control, so many that you can even dribble an opponent without skills now. The only con is that you have less control when running, which makes it harder to change direction at times. Winner: FIFA 22 FIFA 22 still can’t simulate the real pace of a match. A soccer game is not only about attacking and counter-attacking for 90 minutes straight. Right now, the pacing is closer to what you see in Premier League matches, but still very far from how soccer really works – you know, it’s not played by the fastest wingers alone. eFootball 2022 has instead slowed the action way more than necessary, getting back to a problem it had with pre-2019 PES games. That said eFootball’s pace is still more realistic than FIFA’s, as you can take your time to develop a decent action and matches feel more varied. Winner: eFootball 2022 Shots are equally controversial in both games. FIFA 22 keeps relying on finesse shots, almost the only solution at your disposal if you want to score. You already know how’s it gonna end when you’re in front of the goalkeeper, if you use it from a good angle or go for a regular shot. eFootball 2022 does even worse, and most of your goals will come from not-so-outstanding saves by the goalkeepers and tap-ins. The only good news is how well recreated Lorenzo Insigne’s “tiro a giro” is and Konami’s promise to update shots in a few months. Winner: FIFA 22 FIFA 22 got slightly better at this, but it still plays so fast that you can’t distinguish different phases in a match. Every match is a constant ping pong between the areas: there’s no room for a study phase, nor moments where players look tired and have to take a breath. eFootball 2022 simulates the different stages of a match, thanks to its slow pace, and brings on the screen prolonged sieges, scrupulous passes between defenders and midfielders, and more. With the ability to read all the different moments in a match, even Serie A-like 0-0s are fun. Winner: eFootball 2022 The entire PES series and eFootball 2022 offer much better pitch proportions compared to FIFA. EA Sports’ franchise sees players skating through the pitch most of the time, as a side effect to how fast they are. HyperMotion and more realistic player animations have brought some minor tweaks but, due to FUT and its business model, EA doesn’t seem interested in making serious changes to that formula. eFootball 2022 does a better job when it comes to pitch proportions. With slower action and best-in-class cameras, the game is free to experiment with individual duels and gives time to find better solutions across the entire pitch. The pitch is theirs, you could almost say. Winner:eFootball 2022 Thanks to HyperMotion, EA has introduced new animations and smart movements, both as units and within a particular area. Individual players now position themselves better and suggest the direction of a pass. Unlike FIFA, eFootball 2022 has strong AI issues: players seem to switch off when you’re not controlling them directly, which makes it pretty tough to grab a ball if it isn’t delivered right on their feet. Winner:FIFA 22 FIFA’s referees have never given signs of unreliability, with the sole exception of bugs. eFootball 2022 stays true to PES’ tradition, where refs whistle and give you a yellow card every time you go for a sliding tackle (even if you barely touched the ball). On the other hand, the new L2 defense command, where you only use your body and try clean tackles, let’s you do anything you want with complete impunity. Winner: FIFA 22 FIFA 22 has different games inside the game, much like Call of Duty. Volta is a modern FIFA Street-like experience. Career Mode is for Football Manager fans. FUT is an entire universe of its own, with different variables counting differently and even faster gameplay style, cards and expensive microtransactions. Online seasons are for those who love pure competition. PES has always had problems with that. myClub has never reached a point where it could represent a strong FUT competitor, and Master League has not aged very well. eFootball 2022 only features friendlies, online and offline, with the latter including just less than ten licensed teams to play with. Winner:FIFA 22 FIFA already had a next-gen upgrade last year, but FIFA 22 takes even more advantage of PS5 and Xbox Series X’s power. The game adds more elements to the scenery, such as mascot kids and photorealistic lighting, on top of a breathtaking welcome experience. eFootball 2022 has just dropped Fox Engine for Unreal Engine 4, and looks even worse than PES 2021. Low-res crowds, unnatural facial expressions, and questionable body proportions are only a few of the problems with eFootball graphics now. Winner:FIFA 22 Written by Paolo Sirio on behalf of GLHF. |
