FIFA 22
FIFA 22 is a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts as part of the FIFA series. It is the 29th installment in the FIFA series, and was released worldwide on 1 October 2021 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.[1]
| FIFA 22 | |
|---|---|
![]() Ultimate edition cover featuring Paris Saint Germain player Kylian Mbappé | |
| Developer(s) | EA Vancouver EA Romania |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports (Canada & Romania) |
| Series | FIFA |
| Engine | Frostbite 3 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 1 October 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Kylian Mbappe is the cover athlete for the second consecutive year.
Editions
FIFA 22 is available as two editions, a Standard Edition and an Ultimate Edition. Whilst previous games in the series have included a Champions Edition, FIFA 22 does not have one.[2] Players who pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition were granted a variety of bonuses plus four days of early access.[3]
Features
Hypermotion technology
FIFA 22 introduces "Hypermotion" technology,[4] which uses motion capture data collected by having 22 real-life players play a complete, high-intensity football match in motion capture suits. The data collected from player movements, tackles, aerial duels and on-ball actions is later used to power the way both individuals and teams move across the pitch in FIFA 22.[5][6][7] This feature is only available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia versions of the game.
Career mode
As with previous FIFA entries, a single-player "career mode" is featured in FIFA 22, where a player can control a whole team or one player throughout a 25-year career as a manager or player. FIFA 22 introduces a create-a-club option in manager career, allowing players to design a new club with customised kits, crest, and home stadium.[8] The player career mode also introduces experience points and "perks" that can be used to improve the player's stats.[9][10]
Ultimate Team
FIFA 22 Ultimate Team introduced "FUT Heroes" cards and these are cards that have a unique league-specific chemistry which is tied to their specific hero moment, providing a green club link to any player within the same league as well as the usual nation link. The full heroes card list includes: Mario Gómez, Tim Cahill, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Jerzy Dudek, Joe Cole, Aleksandr Mostovoi, David Ginola, Iván Córdoba, Freddie Ljungberg, Jürgen Kohler, Lars Ricken, Antonio Di Natale, Clint Dempsey, Robbie Keane, Abedi Pele, Jorge Campos, Fernando Morientes, Sami Al-Jaber and Diego Milito.
As in FIFA 21, several notable former players are given "icon" cards. New players added for this entry include Iker Casillas, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Cafu.[11] Players will also have the option to preview Silver and Gold player packs as in the previous game, by allowing players to preview what they would receive from a pack before deciding whether to purchase it.[12]
VOLTA Football
New VOLTA mechanics in FIFA 22 will allow players to trigger special abilities during a match that would boost a player's avatar in a specific attribute. There will be three Signature Abilities available: Power Strike, Pure Pace and Aggressive Tackle.[13] Players of FIFA 22 will also have the opportunity to play with up to three players in various online mini game modes, which will be part of the new VOLTA Arcade.[14]
Licenses
The game features more than 30 officially licensed leagues, more than 700 clubs and more than 17,000 players. For the first time, the Indian Super League and its eleven teams were added,[15] as well as the UEFA Europa Conference League, the third tier of European club football established in 2021.
Juventus, Roma, Atalanta and Lazio are not featured in FIFA 22 and instead are known as Piemonte Calcio, Roma FC, Bergamo Calcio and Latium respectively.[16] The game retains the players' likenesses, but the official badge, kits and stadiums are unavailable and instead feature custom designs and generic stadiums produced by EA Sports. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also featured in the game with licensed players and kits, but do not have their stadium licences and play in generic stadiums.
Following a November 2020 announcement by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney, through the RR McReynolds Company LLC, that they would be taking over the club,[17] Wrexham A.F.C were included in as part of the "Rest of World" section, becoming the first non-league team to be featured in the series.[18] They were last in FIFA 07 when they were relegated from League 2 to the National League.
Commentators
The English-language version of the game features two new commentators. Stewart Robson replaces Lee Dixon as co-commentator to Derek Rae, while Alex Scott replaces Alan McInally in the role of providing in-game score updates in Career Mode. Scott is the first woman commentator in the history of the franchise.[19]
Release
Ambassadors
FIFA 22 was released worldwide on 1 October 2021. Son Heung-Min, David Alaba, Christian Pulisic, Phil Foden, Alphonso Davies and Trent Alexander-Arnold were named as the official ambassadors of the game.[20] Television presenter and singer Yūka Kageyama was appointed ambassador for the Japanese market.[21]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 73/100[22] (PS5) 78/100[23] (XSX) 78/100[24] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 7/10[25] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[26] |
| GamesRadar+ | |
| IGN | 7/10[28] (NS) 2/10[29] |
| Nintendo Life | (NS) |
| Push Square | |
| The Guardian |
FIFA 22 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[22][23][24] The Nintendo Switch version, however, was widely panned by critics due to being widely unchanged from FIFA 21 (which itself was widely unchanged from FIFA 20 and FIFA 19).[29][30]
It was nominated for Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2021.[33]
References
- Arts, Electronic (2021-07-11). "Pre-Order FIFA 22 - Electronic Arts". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
- "FIFA 22 pre-order bonuses: Ultimate Edition & Standard edition differences". www.goal.com.
- Barker, Sammy (September 22, 2021). "FIFA 22: How to Play Early - Early Access Release Date and More". Push Square.
- "FIFA 22 HyperMotion Technology". Electronic Arts. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- "FIFA 22 Whats New". www.gamechampions.com. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- "FIFA 22 Next-Gen Hypermotion Technology Is An Impressive Evolutionary Step". Game Informer. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- "FIFA 22 gameplay: HyperMotion, composed ball control & new features vs FIFA 21". Goal. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- Tyrer, Ben (2021-10-01). "FIFA 22 is at its best when played as an RPG in Career Mode". gamesradar. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- Acharya, Rajarshi. "5 major things that changed in FIFA 22 Career Mode". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- "FIFA 22 Career Mode: All the biggest new features". charlieintel. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- "FIFA 22 Ultimate Team details revealed: Updated Team of the Week, Icons, more". www.dexerto.com. September 16, 2021.
- Smith, Graham (September 18, 2021). "FIFA 22 Ultimate Team will let you see inside loot boxes from launch". Rock Paper Shotgun.
- "FIFA 22's Volta Football Is All About Tekkers, Adds Arcade Minigames". Push Square. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- "FIFA 22: Epic New Feature Coming To Volta Game Mode Confirmed". Give Me Sport. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- "Hero Indian Super League to feature in EA SPORTS™ FIFA 22". Indian Super League. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- "Lazio And Atalanta's FIFA 22 Names And Crests Have Been Revealed After License Loss". www.sportbible.com. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- "DONE DEAL: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney acquire Wrexham AFC". The Non-League Paper. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- Yin-Poole, Wesley (13 September 2021). "The saga of Wrexham in FIFA 22 just took a weird turn". Eurogamer.
- Yin-Poole, Wesley (2021-07-20). "Alex Scott is a commentator in FIFA 22". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- "FIFA 22 release date, gameplay, HyperMotion, and more". The Loadout. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- Inc, Natasha. "日向坂46の影山優佳、サッカーゲーム「FIFA 22」日本アンバサダーに就任(コメントあり)". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- "FIFA 22 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- "FIFA 22 for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- "FIFA 22 for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- Guisao, Jason (27 September 2021). "FIFA 22 Review – Short Of The Goal". Game Informer. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Wakeling, Richard (29 September 2021). "FIFA 22 Review - Tiki-taka". GameSpot. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Wilson, Ben (27 September 2021). "FIFA 22 review: "A football sim purists should welcome - but are there any purists left?"". GamesRadar. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Oloman, Jordan (27 September 2021). "FIFA 22 Review". IGN. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Cardy, Simon (1 October 2021). "FIFA 22 Legacy Edition (Switch) Review". IGN. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Scullion, Chris (4 October 2021). "FIFA 22 Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Barker, Sammy (27 September 2021). "FIFA 22 Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Stuart, Keith (1 October 2021). "Fifa 22 review – a flamboyant multiplex of total football". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Ankers, Adele (16 November 2021). "The Game Awards Nominations Announced". IGN. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
