EA Sports FC 25 presentation | A look at the big changes
EA Sports FC 24 featured an amazing presentation, and it looks as though EA Sports FC 25 is going to go further in immersing gamers in that matchday excitement. Along with some big changes coming to the weather systems and how stadiums come to life during a match, we’ve got all the major additions to the upcoming football sim that are sure to get players hyped. If it was considered good-looking last year, this year will be even better.
EA Sports FC 25 presentation: Big weather and day/night cycle changes
Simulation Mode allows the wind to make a big difference in presentation. While it doesn’t affect gameplay, you’ll witness players slip over when hoofing the ball up the pitch. The wind will play a part in matches as you see it affecting hair, the way the corner flag blows, as well as the direction of the ball, with a setting that can be changed between low, medium, and high. There’s also a dynamic time of day progression where the sun might be out at the start of a match, but over time it can dip below the stadium or get hidden behind the clouds, adding further realism to the time of day.
Living Stadiums enhance realism
EA has added several mascots from across the world’s greatest teams, and not only will they react to the action during matches, you’ll also be able to celebrate with them after scoring a goal. We got to see Son and Chiesa celebrate with their respective mascots, and it was pretty fantastic. There’s also active sideline moments where your manager and substitutes will react to big moments through cutscenes and during gameplay. The crowd is more authentic this year, as the audio of the crowd will change depending on how the team is playing. For example, they’ll get louder and start chanting during exciting events or after scoring a goal. Finally, there’re also dynamic stadium elements that occur during the match involving the photographers, cameramen, security, and officials, while crane cameras will follow the action.
Enhanced visuals or favour resolution
There are two graphics modes this year where players will be able to choose their favoured presentation. A simple breakdown of what each mode involves are as follows:
Enhanced visuals
- Ray-traced ambient occlusion
- Cloth sim on shirt and shorts during matches
- Self-shadowing all times of day
- 3D pitch divots and puddles
- Local exposure
Favour resolution
- Cloth sim on shorts during GP
- Self-shadowing in daytime
- Default exposure
POV camera across more of the action
Last year, EA Sports FC 24 introduced POV perspectives when receiving cards from the referee. EA has gone one step further and introduced POV for players upon replays and it looks amazing. We got to see footage of Vinicius Jr. taking a penalty, as well as Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish scoring goals all in first-person, and it’s definitely a cool addition to helping players get further immersed in the action.
Authentic match intros
Before games, players will now be able to watch full-match intros again. After new and returning sizzle reels featuring fans entering the stadium, line-ups, team reveals, and more will return again for players to watch before kick-off. If you’d much rather dive into the game, this can be turned off in the menu, but it’s great to see these integrated once again, especially after seeing the one I did involving Manchester City.
More likenesses for generic players
Perhaps one of my biggest bug bears about EA Sports FC and FIFA in recent years is the lack of detail given to those lesser known players, especially my beloved Derby County. While it wasn’t clear how far down the leagues these changes will go, it’s great to see EA putting more effort into making generic players look more like who they’re supposed to. The Cranium technology is able to give players a more authentic and real-life look, and we got to see three specific players from lesser-known teams, and they all looked like who they were supposed to be. One of these was Ryan Raposo who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps, and before he would have looked like many other models within the game, now reflecting his actual looks.
