I am *still* playing FIFA 12 to the point the g/f is giving me the sideways eye on a Sunday afternoon, so I cannot be more excited for this new version.

apparently I get to go home to the new demo today -- CANNOT WAIT!

but I also wanted to add that I got pretty heavy into the Virtual Pro feature where you play 11v11 games online. started out just messing around in public games which are fun for their anarchy, but obsession has led me down the path of Pro Clubs which I am 110% in on for FIFA 13 now. you get a group of guys together, pick your formations, and play virtual pickup soccer where hopefully you recruited well enough so guys can hold their positions, make smart runs, and pass instead of trying to dribble the whole opposing team. my holding mid game is pretty on point these days and I have to say I can get just as much of a thrill dribbling a tiny amount of space in the face of pressure and swinging a big switch to my fullback on the opposite side to launch the counter as I do banging in a shot from the top of the box. any other OKPs wanna form a club on X360? might take me a while to boost some of my Virtual Pro stats to a reasonable place, but I'm not even gonna apologize about cutting some corners to get back to a decent level quick in this one cuz I love it too much...

like being able to coach the international squad after blowing up in the league.

Really hoping the just added stuff, instead of taking stuff out. I just put fifa 12 down last month, really love that game. Ready to do it all over again.

they are hyping it up as the best version ever with the new handling/passing features

idk about 13

Can't get into the Virtual Pro...I know I'd be good at it because my game is all about structures as is but I'll leave the independent 11 v 11 for when I'm playing in real life lol.

I just got into the online create-a-club mode (don't know the official name) which combines competition with player management...absolute crack for, so dangerous. I can't wait to play it from the jump w FIFA 13.

In terms of improvements...my #1 is computer AI. There's zero reason off ball AI defenders shouldn't be chasing after 50/50 balls, that shit is mind-numbingly frustrating. You can only do so much manually when the ball is moving. I would also like to see better movement from players dependent upon position, awareness, etc. Right now, it's all a bit generic.

>In terms of improvements...my #1 is computer AI. There's zero
>reason off ball AI defenders shouldn't be chasing after 50/50
>balls, that shit is mind-numbingly frustrating. You can only
>do so much manually when the ball is moving. I would also like
>to see better movement from players dependent upon position,
>awareness, etc. Right now, it's all a bit generic.

you know, like rubberbanding in racing games and such

because it seems like i've seen (and experienced) this complaint since '09. you would think they would have addressed it by now. and that shit IS mind-numbingly frustrating. fuck fifa 12 for that exact reason. and fuck the manual switching. it's jacked up too

*continues fifa 12 career mode season 4, making a note to get faster CB's in january*

as the AI predicting that it wouldn't get there so it wouldn't try
despite being in a better position to defend

>In terms of improvements...my #1 is computer AI. There's zero
>reason off ball AI defenders shouldn't be chasing after 50/50
>balls, that shit is mind-numbingly frustrating. You can only
>do so much manually when the ball is moving. I would also like
>to see better movement from players dependent upon position,
>awareness, etc. Right now, it's all a bit generic.

Fuckers just stand there and watch the ball in the air when they're the closet to it.

I also hate how every time my goalie has to stop a shot, he catches it
cleanly when no one is around but whenever there are cpu players around he deflects it...
Usually right to a cpu player. And my guys just stand there.

but the defense was just as frustrating. I bet that's a much bigger rub playing human competition online, cuz part of the reason I got stuck in as d-mid in the Pro Clubs is because I play sweeper in front of the backline (which remains all AI players ~90% of the time), because if you just let the computer handle the defending, whole midfield/forward lines of human players will SAVAGE them by running into space and passing at the right times. so I slide into gaps and deny passes or at least pressure so they can't boot it straight into the front of the goal.

but yeah, it's pretty funny in Pro Clubs, if you position well you can just run straight onto thru passes really easy because guys are expecting the AI to just lollygag in their lane.

seems like they really upped the effectiveness of the standing tackle, too (although maybe I shouldn't speak too soon cuz I might have just been picking off the weak AI, might be different in Clubs) which is a great, great fix to me because getting turnovers in midfield felt downright impossible at times in 12, even when I would get my guy inside the damn jersy of the opposition.

can't say too much about the dribbling change, there's noticeably different animations with close control, but I still haven't learned how to routinely beat defenders 1v1. I just know how to take space and pass smart.

(I use alternate controls from my PES days so any buttons I mention might be switched for you)

1) The computer AI vastly improved off the ball. Offensively, you have players recognizing space and making runs (so you can actually run midfield dominant formations!!!)which makes the offense so much more dynamic. Defensively, there is far less hand-holding required because the computer will actually take the ball away when they are near an attacker....you still have to manually structure your defense but the computer recognizes situations far far far better than before.

2) FIRST TOUCH. This is such a great addition and for anyone who plays in real life, you understand just how critical the first touch is. They've done a great job of translating it to the game...you have to take stock of where you are and exactly what you want to do with that touch to setup your attack. This also changes the game defensively because you can't over-press on a player receiving the ball because you can easily be beaten with a quality first touch. It's such a good addition (and the heaviness depends on your touch on the joystick...it's so akin to real life), the EA team has absolutely killed it with this one.

3) The dribbling is much much better. Players are leaning into dribbles which allows for nuanced changes of direction, much easier to change directions without doing a full 180 animation (one of my biggest frustrations from last year was having to use l2 for ANY subtle direction change), and players will actually let the ball roll instead of touching it every time which allows them to swing their hips and change direction much easier. It's far more realistic dribbling with the ability to change pace and direction much quicker than before (as it should be). This increased fluidity has changed how the R Stick can be used...you can really change directions quickly with good dribblers. Not as bulky anymore.

4) This goes along with #3, the force-field defense of last year isn't nearly as effective....you have to combine it with manual movement to actually take the ball away because attackers are now fluid enough to beat it. That being said, defenders do a much better job of taking the ball away when there is a chance...there were many moments last year where my manually controlled defender had the ball in-front of him but because I didn't hit X, he'd just watch. Not so the case this year.

5) This goes along with #4, the X button (takeaway) is far less hit or miss...it seems to skew a lot more toward nudging and grabbing this year rather than making that risky swipe for the ball. This was something I was really hoping for as it had gotten to the point where I really didn't know when X was nudge or when it was swipe. Further, defenders are playing the ball a lot better on swipes...meaning if you hit X when the opponent is passing, the X button will allow you to stick your leg out and deflect the ball....it's not nearly as clumsy as last year.

6) Speaking of passing....two improvements: 1) Through balls are much flatter, absolutely deadly with good passers this year. You can really get them in on flat lines and on target. 2) Lobs are far less floaty and this means you can really take advantage of space because defenders don't have the time to react if they are in bad position. You can knife in through lobs into space much quicker. This is a huge addition.

7) Speed differences seem to be more realistically defined this year....no more of CB's catching up with wingers who are already level with them. I had a case last night where my fast striker was about 30 yards from goal on a 45 degree angle with a cb running to meet me at the top of the box....in FIFA 12, the cb gets there and hits me off the ball....not in the demo.

8) The physics engine seems to be a step-up from last year especially when it comes to the ball. Contact detection seems far more accurate especially on passing deflections.

9) Some notes on player animations: 1) Attacking players have less tendency to get caught up on defenders (this may be a direct response to so many people who intentionally used to obstruct forward runs...and it was NEVER called) 2) Players falling animations are great...you can see them losing balance and then falling or flopping to the ground 3) Player responses are great...I saw a dude bang his fists into the ground after missing a clear-cut chance and I also saw Robinho go down and clutch his leg like it was broken....after he was fouled on the upper-body. LOL.

10) There's just a more fluid and dynamic feel to the game...and I hate to keep saying it, but for anyone who plays in real life, they are translating so many of the smaller details into the game. It's going to be absolutely brilliant and the level of focus will really have to be turned up if you want to become a top-tier player. Can't wait.

>1) The computer AI vastly improved off the ball.
>Offensively, you have players recognizing space and making
>runs (so you can actually run midfield dominant
>formations!!!)which makes the offense so much more dynamic.
>Defensively, there is far less hand-holding required because
>the computer will actually take the ball away when they are
>near an attacker....you still have to manually structure your
>defense but the computer recognizes situations far far far
>better than before.

yup, exactly. I actually had CMs showing up in the box when I could use them there. I was a bit dumbstruck. and FBs were making HUGE overlapping runs (which is something you see in online games, but they were so static when they're AI). I could have a winger decline the overlap, pass inside to the CM, and the FB would actually keep running so my CM could use the new angle to slot the thru ball. it's going to make toying with formations for your talent that much more interesting.

>2) FIRST TOUCH. This is such a great addition and for anyone
>who plays in real life, you understand just how critical the
>first touch is. They've done a great job of translating it to
>the game...you have to take stock of where you are and exactly
>what you want to do with that touch to setup your attack.
>This also changes the game defensively because you can't
>over-press on a player receiving the ball because you can
>easily be beaten with a quality first touch. It's such a good
>addition (and the heaviness depends on your touch on the
>joystick...it's so akin to real life), the EA team has
>absolutely killed it with this one.

I didn't actually pick up a huge difference here, so I'll probably have to keep toying with it. how you played your first touch is something you become insanely sensitive to when you play online, because dudes obviously press like maniacs, often times you only have time to hit a first time pass otherwise you're turning it over, so I'll have to keep experimenting. I did notice CBs would fumble the ball sometimes, whereas my CAMs would almost immediately have it under control, and that's a welcome change, because I would naturally high press a lot against the CPU, but it was always a bit annoying the consistency with which a CB could dribble away from a press even when I anticipated the pass as much as possible without outright picking it off.

>5) This goes along with #4, the X button (takeaway) is far
>less hit or miss...it seems to skew a lot more toward nudging
>and grabbing this year rather than making that risky swipe for
>the ball. This was something I was really hoping for as it
>had gotten to the point where I really didn't know when X was
>nudge or when it was swipe. Further, defenders are playing
>the ball a lot better on swipes...meaning if you hit X when
>the opponent is passing, the X button will allow you to stick
>your leg out and deflect the ball....it's not nearly as clumsy
>as last year.

pretty certain you're talking about the standing tackle and yeah -- that was my immediate first impression, too. they made it work. in FIFA 12 I would pace a guy, get directly on his shoulder with a ball-winning player, moving in the exact direction where I knew they were taking the ball, but the high level players (ESPECIALLY online) could still skip the tackle ~80% of the time, even though I'd done everything right. lots of times there's these skill dribblers in FIFA 12 I simply never attempt a tackle on unless I'm sliding explicitly to foul. very, very glad they saw this and improved it, because playing d-mid was more about denying space than ball-winning (which is still fun...) but I'm excited to see if I'll be able to really anchor a team from a deep role as opposed to just being a safety valve.

>9) Some notes on player animations: 1) Attacking players have
>less tendency to get caught up on defenders (this may be a
>direct response to so many people who intentionally used to
>obstruct forward runs...and it was NEVER called)

ha! yeah, I try to screen guys ALL THE TIME when I'm playing online in FIFA 12 and it's very effective. about half the time I'm off the ball I'm actually looking for a pressing forward to run into as opposed to actually trying to find space to receive a pass (part cuz it works so well, part cuz fools don't make simple passes). it'd be a welcome fix even if it's an exploit I use often.

>10) There's just a more fluid and dynamic feel to the
>game...and I hate to keep saying it, but for anyone who plays
>in real life, they are translating so many of the smaller
>details into the game. It's going to be absolutely brilliant
>and the level of focus will really have to be turned up if you
>want to become a top-tier player. Can't wait.

best sports video game I've ever played and it's only getting better. and that's just the gameplay. I have yet to play another game with the online social options FIFA has either. hopefully the finished product keeps all that intact, too.

>yup, exactly. I actually had CMs showing up in the box when I
>could use them there. I was a bit dumbstruck. and FBs were
>making HUGE overlapping runs (which is something you see in
>online games, but they were so static when they're AI). I
>could have a winger decline the overlap, pass inside to the
>CM, and the FB would actually keep running so my CM could use
>the new angle to slot the thru ball. it's going to make
>toying with formations for your talent that much more
>interesting.

My fav part are the CM's making runs....you can actually take advantage of cb's who are playing too aggressive on your strikers/wingers because your midfield will now make a run.
>

>I didn't actually pick up a huge difference here, so I'll
>probably have to keep toying with it. how you played your
>first touch is something you become insanely sensitive to when
>you play online, because dudes obviously press like maniacs,
>often times you only have time to hit a first time pass
>otherwise you're turning it over, so I'll have to keep
>experimenting. I did notice CBs would fumble the ball
>sometimes, whereas my CAMs would almost immediately have it
>under control, and that's a welcome change, because I would
>naturally high press a lot against the CPU, but it was always
>a bit annoying the consistency with which a CB could dribble
>away from a press even when I anticipated the pass as much as
>possible without outright picking it off.

It was actually the first thing I noticed...if you want to feel it, just press heavily on your joystick right before receiving the ball and compare it to when you only slightly touch it. I noticed it and then on the demo intro screen, noticed it was actually a named new feature.

>pretty certain you're talking about the standing tackle and
>yeah -- that was my immediate first impression, too. they
>made it work. in FIFA 12 I would pace a guy, get directly on
>his shoulder with a ball-winning player, moving in the exact
>direction where I knew they were taking the ball, but the high
>level players (ESPECIALLY online) could still skip the tackle
>~80% of the time, even though I'd done everything right. lots
>of times there's these skill dribblers in FIFA 12 I simply
>never attempt a tackle on unless I'm sliding explicitly to
>foul. very, very glad they saw this and improved it, because
>playing d-mid was more about denying space than ball-winning
>(which is still fun...) but I'm excited to see if I'll be able
>to really anchor a team from a deep role as opposed to just
>being a safety valve.

I'm still all about constricting space...but now you can actually take the ball away far more effectively instead of having to read passes every time. It really makes position defense so much more effective and rewarding...as it should be.
>

>ha! yeah, I try to screen guys ALL THE TIME when I'm playing
>online in FIFA 12 and it's very effective. about half the
>time I'm off the ball I'm actually looking for a pressing
>forward to run into as opposed to actually trying to find
>space to receive a pass (part cuz it works so well, part cuz
>fools don't make simple passes). it'd be a welcome fix even
>if it's an exploit I use often.

This was such a big point of contention for me last year...really pisses me off lol. I constantly shift defenses with pass and go and also take advantage of any over aggressive defending...this was taken away from me constantly due to the unbridled obstruction.
>
>best sports video game I've ever played and it's only getting
>better. and that's just the gameplay. I have yet to play
>another game with the online social options FIFA has either.
>hopefully the finished product keeps all that intact, too.

Hands down best...soccer has always lended itself to that because of how dynamic it is but no game has ever translated as well as FIFA 12. With the new real life touches of FIFA 13, it's only getting better. I'm truly astonished at how well they've taken real life elements and put them into the game this year...the team continues to amaze.

>It was actually the first thing I noticed...if you want to
>feel it, just press heavily on your joystick right before
>receiving the ball and compare it to when you only slightly
>touch it. I noticed it and then on the demo intro screen,
>noticed it was actually a named new feature.

that's what I'll have to play with, because those are the first touch habits I got into playing the big online games. I will use LT or LB to receive my first touch (with mixed results) when I'm trying to pull the ball down in a tigher space. if you play online without giving thought to your first touch, you get gobbled up. sounds like they just made it more fluid without the extra button input, so I'll have to play around and see where it gets me.

I pass the heck out of the ball and rather than use attacking first touches....I create odd man advantages by attacking the defensive structure and utilizing 1-2's to take advantage of pressing defenders. I found that trying to make any kind of touch with a defender oncoming is far less useful than using a back pass to initiate a give and go which will either result in a return pass or will pull the cb and often times r/lb if its wide enough.

because the behavior you expect out of the two is really, really different.

AI holds position (to a fault, like you've said) but when it's 11v11 Pro games you'll get pressed by 3 or 4 ball chasers at full sprint dying to leave their feet all at the same time. but that also means there are CHASMS of space around the field so the challenge becomes to see the next pass before you receive the ball, take a touch which will allow that, and then release quickly. it's really fun to me.

I got into it when I started to get bored of beating AI teams the same way over and over so I started playing more Pro matches and got hooked on trying to find the patterns in the madness. and when I played the head-to-head matches like you're doing, I found I either possessed a relative beginner to death and got drops or I played against a player on a whole 'nother level than me that would have a 3-0 or 4-0 lead at half.

and yeah, I dunno, the challenge of dominating space and playing link up into what is ALWAYS rapid counterattacks became like candy to me, can't wait to go after it again now that standing tackles actually work...

WTF man

and the shooting has slowed down more but is easier to pull off some curve.

Any special deals for preorder?

I saw a TV ad that if you get a pre-order they will give you a free gold pack for Ultimate Team for like a bunch of weeks running. pretty lame. all just a gimmick to entice teenage kids to stealing their parents credit cards to pay the fee to unlock other packs. I'm not a big fan of the Ultimate mode.

and there's MORE curve this year? I dunno what game you played last year, you go online and dudes practically shout at you if you pop off a straight shot. ~90% of guys are just trying to get the ball to the wing, cut inside, and then curl it to the opposite far corner from the very corner of the 18. because it works like CRAZY, the AI has an unbelievable blind spot there. dudes get roped into playing human goalie just so that can't be exploited. but no BS, I seriously thought they toned down the curl, but maybe that's just cuz Man City isn't that great compared to the players online, dunno...

AI is oodles better and the curl seems to be far more balanced (like Celery said, it was a huge problem because keepers would glitch and hesitate).

everybody online only has the skills they're able to build on there. you can't go into cheese ball games and pad certain accomplishments (which frankly was a necessity last time around if you wanted to be able to really hang). they also made the accomplishments a lot smarter so lots of them are just basically cumulative, instead of the "do this in consecutive games" or whatever BS that I rarely completed in the last game.

besides that, the new coin system for unlockables is dope, presentation has been tweaked and improved in some small areas again, social tools remain the cream of the crop for sports games, and gotdamn am I excited to have a whole new year of this game ahead of me right now...

Moved to NYC and finally found a place...will be playing it against my boy (who I'm currently crashing with)...cannot wait to get my hands on this.

Ultimate Team h2h seasons!!!

>Ultimate Team h2h seasons!!!

but I never play that mode so I wouldn't know, but I guess I'll have to look into it this year, cuz I've heard it's a lot improved from last year.

Comcast connection was so damn slow last night, took me 4 tries and 10 minutes to connect to an opponent in Season, then got housed 4-0 because I was a good second delay on player reaction. Also, yet to figure out all of one touch; had DEFENDERs trying to do one touch lay offs on intercepted crosses...

Is there no offline season mode on this without doing career or be a player?

>Is there no offline season mode on this without doing career
>or be a player?

I started a career, just wanted to roll through a Portland Timbers season, and it wanted me to make a second Pro (cuz you have an Online and Career Pro now, spent a while setting up the Online one, don't care about the Career one w/ no accomplishment carry-over), but I declined that option and then it had me choose an existing player on the roster to be a Player Manager. so I guess that's how you do it? choose your team, be your favorite player you won't move off your roster, and then that's basically career.

otherwise yeah, I was stumped, too.

then I tried Kick Off as well, just to play some games, and I was a bit annoyed that my Timbers were (1) stuck with bad form cuz we've been losing (although seriously cmon you don't have to give the WHOLE BACKLINE down form just cuz we gave up goals, can't we just ding those guys actually playing bad?) and (2) they were in a dumb formation that they've used in two recent road matches that aren't actually our default starting lineup and (3) two of my favorite players had to be taxi'd into that cuz they're injured, but I'm playing a video game so they won't be injured. duh. so that was annoying, actually, and I switched over to FIFA Ultimate Team...

so many people with shitty online connections
add me: bryanonline
for the 1 of you that will actually get this version

How the hell do I start an online match quickly? I looked through the whole damn menu and can't find it. I hope you don't have to go through lobbies just to start a game.

The improved AI has made the game flow so much more realistic

that is, it is obvious when the game wants to stymie your progression or you are playing just too well. How do I mow over a 3 star team with my 2 star squad, then we struggle horribly against a 1.5 star team the next game? And there are all sorts of weird things with the auction house and player values. But I think if I get past this, my overall game should improve because I'm doing pretty good with scrubs (against scrubs).

like try playing with a 1-2.5 star team on World Class
thats REAL hard mode for your ass

but admittedly, the competition was obviously fairly weak because I was tackling the hell out of them all over the field. but I was connecting the passes to maintain possession, too, which is my real satisfaction.

1. what consoles are ya'll rockin with? would like to get some more games in online than i did for F12.

2. can someone break all the online modes down for a OKP? this seems to have become confusing, quickly. where do i create my online pro and then what? seasons? UT? damn, i feel old.

>1. what consoles are ya'll rockin with? would like to get
>some more games in online than i did for F12.

I'm on X360.

>2. can someone break all the online modes down for a OKP? this
>seems to have become confusing, quickly. where do i create my
>online pro and then what? seasons? UT? damn, i feel old.

there is FIFA Ultimate Team (or "FUT" as it shows up on player status on X360, i.e. if you see a player in "FUT Hub" they are playing Ultimate Team) which is a trading card sort of thing where you collect and trade cards to assemble a team. I think in that mode you have the option of both playing against AI teams to earn coins or playing against other players online, your choice. they've made it pretty expansive and it seems to be meant to be one of the central play modes of FIFA 13.

last year there was Head to Head seasons, which I haven't done this year but I'm assuming it's still around, where they just pair you against another random online player and you play a match. the "season" part is that you're put in a division (i.e. you start in Division 10) then you are given a certain # of games to make certain point totals (i.e. 7 game season, 10 points is promotion, 13 points is "winning the league" and you automatically move up, under 3 points is relegation) so you just play random online opponents over and over, it tracks your record, and you progress as your record goes (and this is how they keep you matched up against the right "division" for your skill level at the game).

then there's Pro Clubs (used to have different names, all under one menu now) where you play 11v11 games and your pro is a certain position (you can always edit this, CB one game, CDM the next, RW the one after). you start out as a "Free Agent" and you can play drop-in matches, then you can pick up "transfer offers" as people invite you to play for their club. once in a club, you go on season campaigns just like the Head to Head season above. so I played tons of matches with random opponents, eventually met some guys I played well with, they invited me to their club, and now we get online together with say 5 or 6 guys on a team (other positions are filled in by AI) and we start a match, we're matched against another team, and it tracks our record and we try to progress upwards. you also basically "level" your pro as you do this, so complete 215 passes in your career you get a +1 passing stat. complete 3 matches in the rain you get +2 balance. switch the play 60 times you get +2 long passes. on and on, there's tons. I think I just got 75 headers won for +1 aggression last night without even really knowing much about it. it's the mode I've been hooked on for like the last 8 months, just log on, play for 30 minutes or a few hours, it's always pretty chaotic but fun, then when my club is online I can get competitive.

then there's online "friendlies" where you just play matches against friends, send an invite, join the game, fire it up. and then there's season and career modes for local play, too. so yeah, tons of shit. I haven't even tried it all yet and I talk to the other players online to figure shit out, too.

can you also "buy" stats from the catalogue? have you had much interaction with that piece of the game?

edit: oh, and thanks, btw.

>can you also "buy" stats from the catalogue? have you had
>much interaction with that piece of the game?

in the previous game all you unlocked was experience for every time you played and (I'm pretty damn relieved) they let that carry over into this one (because it allowed me to start FIFA 13 at level 38). so in this one the experience allows you access to different tiers in the EAS FC or something, it's a shop, it's on the front page menu, and I can look at level 1-10 items, level 11-20 items, level 21-30 items and level 31-40 items, looking forward to 41-50 items soonish.

all the items cost "coins," which you also unlock by playing, and are separate from XP. and there's TONS of stuff for sale -- there's unlockable arenas, new balls to play with, new shoes, retro kits, tons of really cool stuff, but yeah there's also "+1 passing stat" items that I've been purchasing. take note if it's for "Career Pro" or "Online Pro" because in this game they've split the two up (I only play online, accidentally bought a Career Pro boost with my first purchase). so yeah, I've bought a few different passing boosts, ball skill boosts, physical boosts, and defence boosts. but if you're doing online Pros, you'll unlock tons of stuff without really realizing it. there's lots of unlocks that are just "Complete X # of matches" and they've set it up better this year so you actually progress a bit easier down your play style (I tackle and pass so that's all I've been unlocking, but I can't shoot the ball for shit).

so yeah, it's pretty crazy expansive. I'm looking at some of the big ticket items for sale like "no worries, I'm sure I'll have the coins in April when I'm still playing" lol

i assume so, but i just got a random invite and not sure who sent it to me at all.

I just ignore them, delete anything if I don't know the user that sent it. I'm in a club with people that actually ended up on my friends list, not just some dude that inboxed me, and actually I stayed a Free Agent just doing public games for a LONG time, they're plenty fun to me, only got into clubs once I started getting more competitive after months + months of public play.

There is so much lag and bullshit with it, you have no clue what auctions you won or didn't win, then have to wait an hour sometimes before players/consumables you won become available in your squad. Annoying as hell. AND you can never get your players to have any sort of chemistry, despite playing along side one another for entire seasons.

It's kinda weak imo as well but that's why you'll see all of the top chemistry teams with the majority or all of their players (and coach) being either the same nationality or from the same club

and like LA2P is saying, they designed the chemistry so that you have to 'collect' to have interchangeable parts (i.e. build a team out of Brazilians, Frenchies, Englishmen, or club etc.) because the real secret of Ultimate Team is that it's geared for guys to spend money after the purchase point to get extra packs (heard some guy on there saying 'I spent $50 on packs the first day' -- what?!!?).

so yeah, I just play it as a diversion and I'm just trying to collect my favorite players, cuz it's still a kinda gimmicky mode to me overall.

http://www.kckrs.com/when-your-fifa-career-mode-player-gets-this-offer-it-might-be-time-to-quit/

i played the demo in best buy w/ my cousin.
extra time i cut in and dropped a perfect RB shot goal.

as natural as ever.

ya'll gotta get up on this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCHE8X0ZdTA