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• What happened to the cast of FIFA's 'The Journey' mode in real life

Tomiwa Edun, who played Alex Hunter, has appeared on several TV shows since his appearance in 'The Journey' mode.

Jack Kenmare

It's been seven years since EA Sports introduced The Journey to their FIFA franchise; a mode that followed fictional character Alex Hunter in his journey from Clapham Common under-11's to the Premier League and beyond.

After a penalty shootout on a muddy pitch in south west London, the story jumped ahead seven years to an “exit trial” at the National Football Academy, where Alex and his best friend [soon to be bitter rival] Gareth Walker compete to impress Premier League scouts.

The rest, as they say, is history. But seven years on from the much-loved game mode, where are the actors and actresses who played these virtual characters? Tomiwa Edun, who headlined the series as Alex Hunter, has featured in one of the most popular television shows in British history.

Lewis Reeves, the man who played Gareth Walker, is even starring in TV adverts these days, although the 'snake' nickname has followed his own journey beyond FIFA.

Tomiwa Edun (Alex Hunter)

Edun, from Lagos, Nigeria, played The Journey mode's main protagonist Alex Hunter.

Ahead of filming in 2016, the 39-year-old was an accomplished British film and television actor with previous credits including Doctor Who, Merlin, Bates Motel and Elementary.

He studied classics at Cambridge and acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and went on to star in a number of Shakespearean plays around the UK before breaking into film and television.

Since the final Journey Mode storyline, Edun remains a respected figure in the world of acting. He's bagged a number of TV roles, including appearances in Young Wallander, The Capture, The Chelsea Detective and the latest episode of ITV's Trigger Point .

According to his IMDB profile, Edun was a voice actor in popular video game Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

"For me, doing 'The Journey' allowed me to explore a 'what if' aspect of my own life," Edun told VICE in 2016.

"What if I'd been born at a slightly different time, and my own life had taken a different trajectory, and this opportunity had come my way? Because who doesn't want to make it in the Premier League? So many of us have had that dream. So I got to sort of live out that fantasy."

Chris Walters (Danny Williams)

Walters, a Vancouver-based actor from London, played the role of Alex’s best friend Danny Williams in The Journey mode.

Before filming his role as lovable rogue Williams, he trained in acting at The Poor School in London and had a prolific theatre career before breaking into screen acting, according to the EA Sports website .

He appeared in independent films such as Shooting the Musical and FSM , as well as television shows and short films in the UK and Canada.

According to his IMDB page, Williams has enjoyed a number of roles in the TV industry since filming the final Journey Mode series, including a part in the war film Beyond the Line.

He most recently featured in Netflix show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – a supernatural horror drama created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

"It was very fun being Danny Williams," Walters told GOAL in 2019. "He did get bigger as the series went on but then I think that allowed them to write in the quieter moments he had in FIFA 19, when he was by himself in his own apartment and losing all his stuff."

Lewis Reeves (Gareth Walker)

Reeves, from Doncaster in England, went from winning a cup final on Clapham Common to going head-to-head with bitter rival Alex Hunter in the Journey Mode.

We watched a young Walker go from innocent friend to a cocky and arrogant character in the storyline.

In real life, the much more likable Reeves earned his BA in acting from the Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama, and later starred in the West End with a role in Our Boys.

The 35-year-old has gone on to appear in a number of popular TV shows, including Misfits, Law & Order: UK, Unforgotten and Crazyhead – and even starred in last year's Audi Christmas advert.

Speaking to SPORTbible in 2021 , he told the story about a kid who waited for him at the stage door after one of his shows in Bath, just so he could call him a snake.

"I still find it funny when people pop up online with my other work on TV and someone will screenshot my face with whatever I'm doing," he told us.

"It's generally along the lines of, 'WTF is Gareth Walker doing as a police officer' or 'who let this snake on my Netflix account?' I always find it funny and love the banter to be fair."

Lisa Solberg (Kim Hunter)

Solberg, another Vancouver-based actress originally from Sydney, Australia, first made an appearance in the Journey Mode on FIFA 18, where she played the half-sister of then-LA Galaxy forward Alex Hunter.

Prior to Lisa's role in Hunter Returns , her first major screen debut was alongside Canadian country music artist Brett Kissel in the video for his song Airwaves, which has over 2 million views on YouTube.

She also appeared in short films such as The Big Cut and Erebus.

According to her IMDB profile, Solberg has featured in two TV shows – Batwoman and Chesapeake Shores – since FIFA 19, as well as the short film Red Moon.

Speaking to FTBL in 2018 about landing the role in The Journey mode, she said: "I had just recently moved to Vancouver from Toronto and 'FIFA 18 The Journey' was one of my first auditions here.

"So, as I was sitting in the audition room I realised everyone else had three scenes auditioning for Kim Hunter and I only had one. Turns out I didn't get sent the other two scenes so I only had 20 minutes to memorise and prepare an extra five pages.

"I got called back a few days later for a 2nd round audition and a week later I found out I booked the role.

"The funny thing is I didn't know what I had booked until I went to the wardrobe fitting and found out it was FIFA! I was completely shocked and as you can imagine very excited."

Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Catherine Hunter )

Duncan-Brewster, a London native, played Alex Hunter's mother Catherine in the Journey Mode on FIFA 18.

Prior to her stint on EA's much-loved series, she has enjoyed a host of TV and film appearances, including EastEnders, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: Rogue One. She is also known for her role as Crystal Gordon in Bad Girls .

Sharon has continued to be a regular on our screens since the Journey Mode ended, featuring on Sex Education, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Earth Mama and Dune.

Topics:  FIFA , FIFA 17 , FIFA 18 , FIFA 19 , EA Sports , EA Sports FC , Gaming

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@ jackkenmare_

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FIFA 20 review: Volta brings flair to the familiar

Fifa 20 passes the ball to volta mode and it makes a goal.

“FIFA 20's Volta mode is a stellar new addition, but other tweaks are less impressive.”

• Volta Football is a blast
• A variety of ways to play Ultimate Team
• Soccer gameplay continues to shine
• Plenty of modes to keep you busy until next year
• Visuals are starting to show their age
• Full-scale story mode is missed

Electronic Arts has a tradition of releasing annual sports games, usually with incremental changes that don’t massively upend the formula from year-to-year. This is certainly the case with FIFA 19 , a game that offered improvements that longtime fans appreciated, but without enough new content to entice newcomers.

A new journey

No major changes, ultimate team, in need of fresh paint, microtransactions.

It seems EA might have learned from last year’s game. The addition of an all-new way to play soccer in the new Volta mode gives FIFA 20 appeal for players of all skill levels. While most other improvements and additions are still minor, FIFA 20 is the best-playing game in the series to date.

Last year’s game saw the final installment of “ The Journey ,” a story-based campaign mode focused on rising superstar Alex Hunter. It hasn’t been replaced by a traditional soccer story in FIFA 20 , but we get something far more exciting instead: Volta Football.

The star of the mode is Revvy, a newcomer to the Volta squad J10, who is hoping to make a name for himself in a competitive field. After the team’s captain is sidelined with a major leg injury, he is thrust into the spotlight and must lead the team in games across multiple continents, ultimately culminating in the Volta World Championships.

Still full of cutscenes similar to The Journey, FIFA 20 ’s Volta story mode is a much more linear affair than its predecessor. There aren’t any dialogue options to pick during conversations, with the character’s argumentative attitude set in stone.

I wasn’t ready to be finished with Volta once the story wrapped.

You can still change other elements of the main character, such as their clothing and haircut, but the scope and emotional choices of Alex Hunter’s story are missed here. Rather than a reason to buy FIFA 20 , its story mode feels like a very flashy way to learn the basics of Volta football. That’s a shame. Electronic Arts has shown a surprising knack for storytelling and understated emotional moments in The Journey over the years. We don’t really get to know who Revvy is, while Alex Hunter felt like a fully developed and believable character — even when removed from the pitch.

As for skills, you can make improvements to Revvy and his team. Skill points are earned after playing a few matches, and those points can be spent on improvements to things like passing and finishing shots. You can also recruit players to improve your team as you beat other squads. It makes the experience feel bigger than just the story mode, as the final team you end up with can vary pretty wildly depending on who you chose.

After finishing the story, the fun isn’t over. The same team can then be taken into additional Volta matches across the world, and you can even further improve their stats.

I wasn’t ready to be finished with Volta once the story wrapped. I had begun to build a team I was proud of, with many of Revvy’s skills still left to be unlocked. It made me want to continue grinding away in games and unlocking additional recruits.

Even if Volta football is a simplified version of traditional soccer, it’s a damn good one. Instead of playing on a huge grassy pitch, it’s played between a team of three and five people on asphalt and concrete, though there is a small grass field you can play on as well. It feels more like hockey than soccer, and this fast-paced style of play will appeal to players who aren’t fans of the low scores typically seen in the sport.

In most forms of Volta, a goalkeeper isn’t blocking shots at all times. Instead, a defender acts as a hybrid player who can also run into the action. There is no offside penalty, making it easier to line up a pass without worrying about positioning. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to shoot into narrow openings since the net is considerably smaller than in standard soccer.

By the time you master Volta, you’ll also have a solid understanding of the basics of soccer. The controls for shooting, passing, and dribbling are largely the same, so it doesn’t require players to start over from square one when shifting back to the traditional soccer modes.

There are several smaller quality-of-life improvements and tweaks in FIFA 20. These certainly do improve on the formula we’ve seen from FIFA over the years, but there aren’t any huge changes here that will drastically change the game. Depending on your feelings toward the series thus far, that can be a good thing or a bad one.

A “composed finishing” system makes it more likely to score when in one-on-one situations, and tackling animations have been overhauled to reward timing. The ball also had its physics reworked to make for more realistic bounces and airtime. All of these changes are really only going to be noticeable to those who played an extensive amount of FIFA 19 recently.

A.I. does a relatively good job of keeping up with your decisions.

For those who come back to the series each year for a few months, it’s still remarkably difficult to pull off shots, especially early on. But you’ll gradually get the hang of timing and start making replay-worthy moments soon enough. Dedicated players will be able to improve their skills through practice and the huge number of shot types and maneuvers you can do encourages experimentation.

This means you’ll be at a pretty big disadvantage when playing an experienced opponent who knows all the moves, but it also leaves plenty of room for growth. Volta is still there for those who want to be able to pick up the game and have fun right away.

The A.I. does a relatively good job of keeping up with your decisions, moving into positions for passes and taking shots off of quick passes, though I did encounter one repeated situation where the pass would almost always be knocked right back to a player after sending it backward, resulting in more than one botched attack.

We didn’t see any comparable issues with the opposing A.I., who jumped on most situations and protected the ball when facing overly aggressive defenders. Player speed also seems to be relatively the same compared to last year, with the sprinting button still playing a huge role in breaks on both sides of the ball. Managing your stamina is a necessity, and keeping this in the back of your mind during hectic moments adds a nice level of strategy.

Certain defensive mechanics have also been reworked in FIFA 20. A system called “controlled tackling,” makes it more likely that the defender will knock a ball toward a teammate, and attackers will retain possession after successful tackles less frequently. With a slow jockey possible by pulling the left trigger, you can also consistently get in an attacker’s passing lane and intercept the ball. Feeling like you can always play an active role in getting the ball back makes defending just as engaging as lining up a shot.

FIFA Ultimate Team remains one of the series’ best modes, letting you build up a roster of players using card packs and face off against other players or computer-controlled teams. It still relies heavily on virtual currency for packs, which can be purchased optionally using microtransactions.

FIFA Ultimate Team also offers new ways to earn rewards. A new feature coming to Ultimate Team this year is Season Objectives, which are milestones players can complete over a season through normal play. Rewards include high-level loan players that temporarily improve your squad, and I found the rate at which experience is earned to be fairly generous.

There are also Foundations Objectives, which help players learn the fundamentals of the games. There are also very long-term Milestone Objectives that can be slowly worked toward without having to actively prioritize them. The experience feels organic, as you can earn new players and items at a high enough rate to enjoy the game without spending money.

Career mode makes its return once again, allowing you to control a player or an entire team as a manager, and for the first time in FIFA, you can create a female manager. With a morale system that affects your players’ performance in matches, you need to keep them happy with good words in press conferences, as well as in one-on-one email chats.

It works perfectly fine in practice, but I wish the press conferences were more extensive. After answering just three questions, I was automatically forced to end things before I was ready. It threatens to take the “manager” portion of the mode out of the equation. Options for the transfer market, training, and scouting remain plentiful though, for people who like to get into the nitty-gritty details of their teams.

FIFA 20’s modes are plentiful and its customization options are varied, however, it’s hard to overlook that it is starting to show its age. The Frostbite engine has never been the best at rendering human faces, and players can sometimes look a bit off. Superstars like Alex Morgan still resemble themselves, but there is a plastic quality to their skin that can break the immersion.

FIFA 20 ‘s players are less impressive up close.

Facial expressions come across as stiff making it difficult for players to truly emulate the likeness of the person they are modeled after. Though everything looks smooth from a distance during normal gameplay, FIFA 20 ‘s players are less impressive up close.

The environments still look excellent at least, especially the concrete Volta pitches. The grit and wear come through, especially in settings like Brazil.  Surrounded by shacks that make it feel like a modest village, the paint on the pitch appears faded as if it has been the local kids’ stomping ground for years. Meanwhile, the glitz and glamour shine through in Tokyo, where the pitch is full of bright colors and surrounded by walls on top of a skyscraper.

As is the case with nearly every Electronic Arts game these days, FIFA 20 has microtransactions. It still uses a loot-box-style system for FIFA Ultimate Team mode. While you earn coins through normal play, you can also purchase packs of cards using premium FIFA points, which cost about one cent per point for small increments.

Dedicated players can easily spend hundreds of dollars to get the team they desire, and as always, you never know if your ideal player is in the pack until you purchase it. As other genres move away from gambling-like mechanics in games, FIFA 20 sports them proudly. The odds of winning particular players are still provided, but they are currently quite lower than they were when I last checked FIFA 19 .

It appears to be another way EA hopes to get more money from players, who must keep handing over cash for the small chance of unlocking a star player.

The Journey is sorely missed in  FIFA 20 , as the story we get instead simply isn’t up to the high standard of its predecessors. The visuals also lag behind other AAA sports titles. Despite this, FIFA 20 remains the best way to experience soccer in a game. It makes a few minor adjustments to the formula without breaking what’s worked for the series over the years. The biggest highlight of this year’s game is Volta Football, which offers a radically different take on “The Beautiful Game” that can even attract those who don’t enjoy traditional soccer.

Is there a better alternative?

No. FIFA 20 is a better version of an already great soccer game, though those who want story over all else will prefer FIFA 19 .

How long will it last?

Volta story mode can be completed in just a few hours, but there is enough additional content to make the game last until next year.

Should you buy it?

Yes, especially if you want to try a less complex version of soccer in Volta Football.

Editors' Recommendations

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• Game Reviews

This might be the last FIFA game we get made by the talented team at EA, which has proven themselves to make one of the best soccer simulation games on the market. FIFA 23 will still be coming out this year after being officially revealed on July 20 with a first look at this impressive-looking title. Fans of the series won't need to see this trailer to know they will be picking up this game, though. If you already know you like the type of game FIFA has been, then FIFA 23 is a safe bet to invest in.

FIFA 23 will be a historic game, especially if it is the last one before a new development team takes the series going forward, but more importantly because of the cover athletes. Of course, EA will continue making soccer games under the name EA Sports FC, but fans of the league may not make the jump to that new entry that doesn't bear the FIFA name. To make the most out of your time with FIFA 23 when it comes out, and to celebrate some great athletes, here is how you can pre-order FIFA 23, every edition there is, plus which bonuses they come with.

EA is taking its football/soccer series into a new era. But this new age isn't being brought in simply by innovation, but due to a name dispute over the FIFA title between EA and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. EA announced that it will be changing the series' name to EA Sports FC going forward.

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In two separate announcements on Twitter, publishing giant EA stated that it is in the process of removing multiple prominent Russian teams from two of the biggest sports franchises on the market: FIFA and NHL. The move is being done in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

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FIFA 20 review

Living la vida volta.

TechRadar Verdict

By listening to player feedback and implementing some inspired changes, EA has made FIFA 20 feel like a worthwhile content package for patch note-scouring series veterans and an enticing entry point for first-timers and rule breakers who like a little fun to go with their soccer.

Volta soccer is a neon revelation

Admirable pace

Defending tweaks

Zany modifiers

Electric soundtrack

Career Mode still needs a revamp

Visual upgrades are negligible

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The eternal arguments that annually dominate discussion of FIFA games are tired and drawn out. There are two sides of the aisle: the people who don’t play FIFA and attempt to denounce it as some sort of anti-game, and the people who buy it but complain that it never changes. The latter is usually followed by a naive aside about how EA should just call the overall game ‘FIFA’ and update it every year.

Alright, we get it. EA only makes small changes to a trusted formula - a method employed by plenty of franchises in the past decade. Perhaps it’s the physical distance from the action, or the recursive gameplay which hasn’t changed in a long time, that makes this pointless argument reappear. But once more the arguments have resurfaced as FIFA 20 has steadily approached store shelves with all the inevitability of the rising sun.

With this year's iteration of the stalwart series, EA appears to have made some bold strides in the right direction, especially when it comes to giving players what they’ve been asking for in terms of game modes and statistical tinkering. Yet, is this merely appeasement whilst the larger systems stay frustrating, or does it suggest a meaningful commitment to improving the beautiful game with fan feedback in tow? 

Electric feel

Let’s start with the most sizeable expansion to the base game: Volta soccer. Volta’s main folly is that it tries way too hard to be cool, but when you get into the dying throes of a match on a Tokyo rooftop, you realize it is true lightning in a bottle.

At 3v3, with the caged walls up, Volta boils down FIFA to its most social and exciting elements. Hearing the bass blaring and watching the gaudy celebrations, it complements perfectly the sweaty-browed, expletive-laden couch co-op experience we all gravitate to FIFA for. The adrenaline is always felt in the air as you put together a skilful run down the wing and use the cage to rebound the ball into a gravity-defying, friendship-ruining volley.

The story mode is... really not worth mentioning. It doesn’t have the beating heart of The Journey, but the variety of locations, gloss and neon make up for that. You can skip the cringy cutscenes and moan (quite rightly) about the long knockout tournaments, but the part worth caring about is the gameplay itself. 

Volta is all about showmanship, skill and making a fool of your opponent. Matches are finished by accumulating a set number of goals, and can be over and done with in an instant or an age if you’re matched with a capable player. This marks the first time men and women can share a pitch in a FIFA game too, which is a welcome delight.

Skill moves are naturally quite important here, and it’s all about creating fluidity between your teammates by using your environment, ensuring they have proper positioning near the box so they can hammer away goals and embarrass the opposition. It’s great fun if you aren’t a stickler for the rules, and it feels like a modernized version of FIFA Street, which is quite the bold compliment. 

In the same way though, Volta feels bogged down by the fact that it isn’t exactly FIFA Street. The option to have no walls feels counterintuitive and less fun, as does increasing the team size to 5v5. When Volta starts to appear more like the polished ‘proper soccer’ found elsewhere in FIFA 20, you start to see the sharp edges.

House rules

A focus on fun and listening to the fans arises elsewhere in the FIFA 20 package, most notably in the new rule-breaking game modes that have made their way into Ultimate Team. They’re hit and miss in terms of successful quirks, with the ball-holding King of the Hill amounting to a frustrating bore but No Rules hackathons and Survival matches (where a random player is ejected from the scoring team after putting away a goal) delivering some of the most refreshing matches of FIFA we’ve played in years. 

Crucially, for those of you in a household where there’s always a game of FIFA to be played, the ability to turn on some Rocket League-esque wacky modifiers is appreciated, and coats FIFA 20 in a light-hearted veneer which, when combined with Volta, helps to hack at its stoic exterior. This charm is aided by a diverse soundtrack which taps Jorja Smith, Mura Masa and Slowthai. 

Set pieces are now stick-targeted and far more creative. You can add varying degrees of spin with the right stick to your extra time upsets to really dismantle your opponent’s entire FIFA career. It certainly makes things more complex, but rising to the challenge is part of the buy-in with FIFA 20, as it really strives to expose and convince you into playing the kind of soccer the game wants you to play. From a simple tackle to an eight-pass finish, everything is earned in this year’s beautiful game, and we’re pleased to say that a lot of what you may call “sweaty” tactics have been ironed out. 

FIFA now has a serious emphasis on vision, with player positioning and pre-empting good runs being top priority. Watching for hands raised in the corner of your eye and keeping an eye on your wingers is essential. You can’t wait too long to cross when you’re on the attack, or your opponent’s tight defensive formation will stop your approach in seconds. 

Our personal habit was holding R2 too much and consistently replacing a pass with a through ball. We’ve had to face our demons and relearn the wheel here, but it doesn’t feel punishing, more so like it’s opening an avenue to a more rewarding game of soccer. Victories are far more sweet when you play tactically and savor each pass. Wider ramifications are felt because of this: games don’t have the inexplicable wonder goals they used to, but they do have more calculated finishes which don’t feel so fleeting. Realism!

Another consequence is that there are far less dangerous two-footed tackles in FIFA 20, a consequence of revamping the pace system to give players genuine speed. 

Deandre Yedlin is an unstoppable force when you flick the stick to send him hurtling down the wing, and even one defender out of position will more confidently lead to an opposing ball in your net. The minutiae of player attributes feel like they mean something as a result, especially when they’re aired out properly in Ultimate Team. 

Shooting is still difficult to master, with particular thanks given to the controversial mini-game introduced in FIFA 19 where you have to hit the circle button once more to finesse the shot, which still feels rather unnatural. You can just ignore it, but its existence is obtrusive regardless. Visuals are much too similar to FIFA 19 with a few coats of polish (the sheen on Jonjo Shelvey’s head is blinding) but at this point, we’re going to have to wait until the next generation of consoles to see a true graphical upgrade in a FIFA game - if that’s something you even care about. 

In career mode, you can now reply to late night texts from Jamaal Lascelles, if you fancy, in order to keep morale high with your players. Beyond that there are some fun interactive press conferences, but it’s really all set dressing rather than a proper overhaul. It’s fine! 

Ultimate Team now has a battle pass progression system and, by proxy, more means to receive coins and packs to offset the predatory economy. There’s also some fantastic quality of life improvements to the menus, including a radial bar that automatically tells you which consumable you need to use. It’s still just as addicting as it was five years ago, but now navigating menus and dredging through your transfer list is more efficient. It’s certainly not broken, and it doesn’t need fixing.

FIFA 20 has a lot going for it. Things have definitely changed on the ground level, mostly for the better, though there will no doubt be petitions and exploding subreddits a few months after launch regardless. Such is the trial of trying to balance the world’s most popular sports game. 

With a fantastic new way to play in Volta, a light-hearted set of modes for couch co-op and some clever, nuanced gameplay tweaks that coax out a more fair and rewarding game of soccer, this is definitely not an inbetween year or an easy skip if you’re a franchise fan. In fact, it might be the best FIFA game in a good few years, achieved mainly by responding to fan feedback with healthy design decisions.

• The beautiful game: how FIFA became the champion of soccer simulators
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Jordan Oloman is a journalist and documentarian with experience across the pop culture/tech spectrum writing reported features, reviews. news, guides, op-eds and more for a wide variety of outlets. He is also an affiliate streamer on Twitch and have previous experience in scriptwriting, podcasting, game consultation and creating video content.

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FIFA 20 Career Mode Deep Dive

A deep dive into career mode on fifa 20., pitch notes.

Hey FIFA fans, This cycle has been an incredibly busy one for the entire Career Mode team. Alongside putting a lot of time and effort in the pre-production this year, we’ve worked towards building a number of brand new features that are focused on bringing more depth and authenticity to Career Mode. We hope you enjoy the news we’re here to share today.

Career Mode Feedback From The Community

We have heard the feedback coming from our players in the past years and we wanted to ensure that FIFA 20 will mark an important milestone not only for FIFA in general but especially for Career Mode fans. We strive to evolve and create experiences in FIFA that give our users more diversity and choice each year. The information below will shed some light on the new experiences we have been developing for some time now and that we are working hard to further refine right at this moment.

Press Conferences & Player Conversations

As we just mentioned, our main drive is adding highly relevant features that would represent an important step forward for Career Mode and especially Manager Career. This year, the new feature lineup is represented by Press Conferences, Player Conversations and all of the intricate tools and logic sitting behind these features.

Our vision was to breathe new life into the Manager Career experience by leveraging the huge amounts of data that playing this mode generates, and build a variation of ever-changing stories that would surface to our players through Pre and Post-Match Press Conferences and Player Conversations. These are not just general story lines that we put together to mimic authenticity. These are stories built based on player progress which each player will be able to interact with and influence the morale of the team and their standing as the team’s manager.

The new tools developed in-house by the Career Mode team enabled our producers and designers to leverage this large amount of data and create an enormous variations of story-lines that are deeply rooted in the player’s experience and your way of playing. This means that the experience of each match will be treated differently by the ‘journalists’ and will always feel authentic and dynamic, depending highly on the outcome, goals scored, opponent, time of season or stage of competition, and more.

The tools we envisioned and built, as well as the amount of logic behind the stories, is brand new territory for Career Mode, and we are excited for all Career Mode fans to be able to enjoy and share their feedback on these newly-added features. Press Conferences will represent the main venue where the manager will take questions and answer them, both before important matches but also immediately after. Both the Pre and Post Match Press Conferences will leverage newly-built scenes specifically designed to be part of the Manager Career experience. Player Conversations will mainly serve as the 1-on-1 interaction between the manager and players within the team through a messaging app-like interface. Within both, you will be able to choose the way in which you tackle a large variety of situations, and, based on your methods, either positively or negatively influence player morale as well as your rating as a manager.

In the same way as with Press Conferences, the newly added conversations enjoy the same level of complexity. The manager will have to deal with a variety of requests from players as well as happy or disgruntled players that are trying to get their thoughts across. The manager will have to find ways, either through direct actions or by communicating his/her stance in order to mitigate and solve these situations. (Player attribute values shown in this session are just an example and subject to change)

Player Morale System

All the features described above would have not been completed without a lot of work under the hood, and the Player Morale System is exactly that. It is the piece that actually makes all the complex stories we have built and that we’ll be surfacing, relevant. Morale will be influenced by a multitude of different factors, ranging from play time and wage expectations to a player’s performance on the pitch and how well the team is doing. Secondly, answers in Press Conferences and replies to players in 1-on-1 conversations impact players’ morale as well. Having a high morale will be highly desired as a player’s morale will influence their attributes in upcoming matches.

Manager Customization

You may have noticed a manager in the screenshots above that you are not familiar with. This manager was created in game with our manager creation tools. We are finally taking a leap towards in-depth customization of your Manager Avatar. Most of you probably remember the limited customization options within Career - which are now a thing of the past. The new Manager Career experience will provide the freedom to create an avatar that reflects your own style and see it reflected in game. Moreover, you will now be able to change your manager’s outfit at any moment during the season. 

Another very important item to mention here is the ability to create both male and female avatars, this being another ‘first’ for Career Mode. In terms of customization and accessories, we'll have a wide variety of clothing items and accessories at launch, that will ensure a deep customization experience. These will range from the usual formal clothing pieces and shoes to more casual and smart-casual options.

Live News Screenshots

Another area where we aimed to deliver more diversity year over year and leverage the player’s in-game experience was the ‘News’. In FIFA 20, we will use gameplay screenshots showing key moments of any given match and creating relevant pieces of news from this content. In this way, we now have the means to highlight memorable moments during your Career Mode experience and allow you to build and surface your own stories.

League UI Themes

Going even further into the realm of authenticity and creating experiences that are relevant for our users, we wanted to come up with a visual take that is unique for some of the most played leagues within Career Mode. The result is 5 unique Central Menu UI treatments that heavily reflect the authentic branding of: the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, LaLiga Santander and MLS. Besides these, our players will still enjoy the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League branded UI accompanying these competitions’ fixtures.

Dynamic Player Potential

One of the heavily-requested improvements to the way players develop through each season was to have their potential change based on their performance. Potential for players within your own squad will evolve over time based on the players’ performance in the previous season. Scored a lot of goals with a young prospect in his breakthrough season? His potential will be even higher in the upcoming season. Kept a run of good performances going with an older player close to retirement? His potential will be higher in the upcoming season which means that the decrease of his attributes will stall for a longer period of time. Potential will decrease if a player hasn’t been performing well in the previous season or he hasn’t received enough playtime so you must ensure high promising starlets put in the work to achieve their potential.

General Improvements/Additions

New Negotiation Environments Another addition aimed at diversifying our interactive negotiation scenes is the introduction of two new environments, Rooftop Lounge and Restaurant that are now part of our line-up of scenes used for player negotiations.

Spot Fixes and Balancing Changes

• Added an option in the Player Actions pop-up to add a player to the shortlist and immediately go to the Transfer Hub with the respective player.
• Redesigned Team Management layout to allow for easier player attribute comparison. (Player attribute values shown below are just an example and subject to change)
• Added an option to disable International Management job offers at the start of a new career.
• Increased the initial Composure attribute values for generated youth players and redistributed weights for player growth between physical, mental and skill attributes to allow for more physical growth.
• Improved distribution of ethnicity within a country when generating youth players.
• Significantly increased the initial amounts for wage budget allocation.
• Increased the player value of defensive players based on the latest transfer market activity.
• Fixed multiple issues with leagues that split into play-offs after the end of the regular season. League objectives are now correctly tracking the play-off instead of the regular season standings. Champions celebrations are triggered at the end of the play-offs.
• Improved the algorithm used by AI teams to determine their starting XI. Moving forward you should see far fewer instances in which the opponent isn’t using their prime starting XI in important matches.
• Re-adjusted the number of saves to 8, inside Career Mode, to address the feedback received from our players during the ’19 cycle.

Competition Changes

• Fixed multiple fixture congestion issues. The winter break roll out this season as well as the removal of the FA Cup 5th Round Replay have improved fixture congestion issues in English leagues. We’ve slightly altered the authentic schedule of the English Championship by pushing its completion to a later date. This ensures that schedule conflict situations between Championship rounds and European football nights aren’t possible. A lot of the congestion issues reported by the community were happening with mid-week league rounds happening at the same time as European football, which, although unlikely in the real world, is a common occurrence in Career Mode.
• Added the new format and schedule of the Spanish Supercup.
• Added support to round down the points in leagues that split into play-offs and halve the points such as the Austrian Bundesliga.
• Updated usage of the 4th substitute in extra time to all competitions that support this new law of the game.

To wrap this up, we want to thank all Career Mode players out there for the millions of seasons played and for the invaluable feedback they provided. It is amazing to see so much passion towards football, FIFA and Career Mode year after year. While we are all very passionate about the work we are doing, Career Mode can only improve based on your constant feedback and comments. Cheers! Mihai Adamescu, Alex Constantinescu and the FIFA Career Mode Dev Team For more deep dives on FIFA from members of the game team, check out the Pitch Notes Page. Please Note: This article is describing in general terms what updates the Dev Teams are working for FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. We are constantly looking to improve the Career Mode experience for everyone, so this article may become outdated as we make adjustments to keep our game fun for everyone.

FIFA 19 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC . Stay in the conversation on all things FIFA by liking us on Facebook , following us on Twitter and Instagram , and participating in the official FIFA Forums . Sign-up to receive emails about EA SPORTS FIFA and EA products, news, events, and promotions. 

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FIFA 20 Review: Volta Is a Revelation

More arcade, less simulator.

Tom's Guide Verdict

Volta is a brilliant addition to FIFA and the gameplay is better than ever, but a few own goals hold FIFA 20 back from greatness.

Volta is addicting fun

Improved player/manager creation

More ways to score XP in FUT

Defending finally got buffed

Career mode still feels neglected

Gameplay could use some tweaking

Piedmonte Calcio who?

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

FIFA is more than just a game. It's a culture. An extension of the beautiful game built on the premise that you can play as your favorite club, with the players they watch every weekend in their respective stadiums. 

But in FIFA 20, authenticity takes a back seat. EA's latest installment is all about Volta, the new street soccer mode (or futsal, if you will). This frenetic, addicting mode is the best addition to the franchise in years. Unfortunately, that arcade-style addition comes at the expense of FIFA's traditional simulator modes, which haven't received the same attention. Also, the loss of some crucial team licenses won't sit well with some players. 

Presentation: As gorgeous as ever

As we've come to expect, FIFA 20 looks gorgeous. Faces are realistic enough to identify players, stadiums were designed with painstaking detail and player's mannerisms --- from goal celebrations to Ronaldo's intimidating stance when he takes free kicks --- are accurately captured.

That said, FIFA 20 isn't a huge visual departure from FIFA 19 apart from a new vibrant paint job throughout the menus.

FIFA 20 does introduce a new player and manager creation tool. Before, you could only choose from a dozen or so default faces when playing as a manager in career mode. Now you can fine-tune the look of your manager by changing the size of their nose to choosing a pair of shoes for them to wear on the touchline. 

The new Volta game mode was given the most attention, and it paid off. EA did an excellent job creating a unique atmosphere that makes you feel like you're a part of the street soccer scene. I felt like I had left FIFA 20 and started playing an entirely new game the first time I started up Volta. That's quite an achievement. 

Instead of massive stadiums packed with tens of thousands of fans, Volta plays out on small venues, some more grungy than others. Internationally recognized teams are replaced by backyard team names (like 1-2-3 Goal) and creative emblems. Some of the fields you'll play on are covered in colorful graffiti while others are high-production enough to have polished tile floors and sponsored ads. The low production value of these matches is captured on instant replays filmed on a virtual smartphone. 

Customization is key to Volta. From new shoes to tattoos and crazy hairstyles, you can personalize your player and teammates by buying items with Volta coins, which are earned by winning games. All of this adds to the impression that you're a member of a ragtag group of players who are far removed from the glitzier half of FIFA. 

My only gripe with Volta is that the white circular markers under the players' feet don't do a good job of indicating who is on your team. 

Gameplay: Two steps forward, one step back

FIFA 20 introduces some subtle gameplay changes that are sure to be welcomed by some and maligned by others. 

Player movements feel smoother than ever, but the gameplay in FIFA 20 could still use some fine-tuning. There were times when sprinting down the pitch felt as though my player was gliding on a sheet of butter. At the same time, players feel clunky when they capture a pass. Poor first touches, slow turns and sluggish acceleration give defenses plenty of time to get goal side. 

Defending in FIFA 20 is all about positioning. If you can keep your shape, you'll have no problems consistently nabbing clean sheets. That's because defending has been overhauled so that defenders are more successful in tackling the ball away from an oncoming attacker. Defending felt unpowered in previous games, so it's nice to see some attention given to the backline. 

One of my biggest qualms with FIFA 19 is that the AI wasn't particularly smart. Teammates didn't make runs and the CPU AI didn't put up much of a fight, even at the highest difficulty setting. That changes in FIFA 20. Finally, AI-controlled players make streaking runs through the opposition's backline and midfielders find open space instead of standing absently near defenders. 

Improved AI has a big impact on how you play the game. I found myself more challenged to make the perfect through-ball to an on-running winger. It took me a while to get used to the AI actually making the runs I wanted; I was caught offside no less than 4 times in the first few matches I played. Once I got the hang of it, I was unstoppable. 

Set pieces have also been overhauled. Direct free kicks now have an aiming reticle that's controlled by the left joystick. Don't worry about aiming the ball right in the corner --- the trick is to use the right joystick to add spin to the ball so it curves from a wide position into the goal. Penalties in FIFA 20 have a targeted system. While I prefer the older style that relied on feel rather than visuals, new players should benefit from the new method. 

Active Touch and timed finishing return to FIFA 20, but neither is necessary to win matches. Timed Finishing is so difficult to pull off that it feels more like a liability than a tool. 

Now forget everything I just wrote so we can talk about Volta. Volta plays like an entirely different soccer game. These small-sided games are fast, frantic and ruleless. These 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 matches are played on small hardwood courts, some with and some without walls. As such, Volta is less about pinpoint passing and positioning and more of a free-for-all where trick shots, flicks and passes are encouraged. 

Just like real-life Futsal, Volta doesn't give you a moment to breathe. I typically have no problems beating the AI on the Ultimate difficulty setting but I struggled to win on Legendary in Volta. The controls in a Volta match are similar to those in a regular soccer game, but sliding is more like lunging and shooting can be painfully inaccurate. Don't worry though, there's a full-blown skills training academy designed just for Volta. 

Volta is a hell of a lot of fun, but I worry that the speed and responsiveness of its gameplay make FIFA 20's traditional game modes feel sluggish in comparison.

If you're new to the game then check out our 10 essential FIFA 20 tricks for keen players. 

Game modes: Goodbye The Journey, hello Volta Tour

Replacing The Journey is what is called Volta Tour. If you've played racing games before, then you'll be familiar with the format of the new mode. 

In Volta Tour, you are shown a map of the world marked with tournaments hosted in different continents. Your team, named J10, gets invited to tournaments and must win enough matches to unlock the next challenge. Volta Tour takes you around the world where you'll play in cages, futsal courts and arenas.

It's a fun format and one that I strongly prefer to the cutscene-heavy The Journey. There are cutscenes in Volta that tell you the story behind your team and the protagonist of the mode, but you can skip them and not miss out. 

Volta has a lot more replay factor than any of the other games modes FIFA has experimented with recently. You'll get addicted to upgrading your player's attributes by winning games and earning Volta coins to buy new gear and cosmetic items from the Volta shop. 

Speaking of which, items are available for a limited time so you're encouraged to return to the store to see what's new. Also, when you win games you can recruit new players to fill any gaps in your squad. You can think of it as a pink slip but for soccer players. 

FIFA 20 brings online game modes to Volta, so you can rank your way up from League 10 to League 1 just like in the traditional FIFA modes. 

Career mode finally received some attention, but it still feels underdeveloped compared to the franchise modes in other sports games, like NBA 2K20. The best addition to Career mode is the aforementioned manager creation tool, but that's only a small cosmetic improvement. 

One addition I'm not so keen on is the new press conferences, where your answers to questions from media before and after a match influence the morale of your team. Similar to the new transfers screen, the post-game press conferences take time to load and could just as easily been achieved in your inbox. 

The new career mode feature I'm most excited for is dynamic player potential. The idea is quite simple. A player's potential will decrease if they aren't performing well or not getting enough playtime and improve when they're in form. 

This sounds like an excellent change that will let career mode junkies like myself upgrade young players to a 90+ potential even if they're struggling in real life. I haven't spent enough time in career mode to see how it works, but I'll be sure to update this review with my findings in the coming months. 

Sadly, everything else in career mode will feel familiar. Training is still restricted to only five youth players, there are no B teams or affiliate clubs for developing your younger talent, and I still wish FIFA would track players' career stats, not just those over a single season. 

FUT has also been tweaked in FIFA 20 with new methods of earning FIFA points. Now you can earn XP with Season Objectives that you complete over the course of a season. Longer-term goals in the form of Milestone Objectives are also new to the mode, as are Foundations Objective that gives new teams ways to earn quick XP.

It's nice to see EA giving players new ways to earn XP without spending cold hard cash. However, FUT still revolves around virtual currency that can be purchased with real money.  

Gold packs cost 100 FIFA points, or $0.99, while premium packs, which promise three rare players, cost about $1.50. Before you jump into ultimate team you'll go through a series of lessons that earn you and teach you about how to build the best FUT team.

Licensing: Piedmonte Calcio who? 

EA has done an excellent job over the years securing the licenses to teams, leagues and tournaments. 

EA's almost flawless track record takes a hit in FIFA 20. Juventus, Italy's most successful soccer club was renamed Piemonte Calcio after EA Sports' rivals Konami (the publishers of eFootball PES 2020) struck a deal with the team. Along with the name change, the team has a custom logo and kit in all game modes. 

For a game that prides itself on authenticity, losing one of the best teams in the world is a huge blow and Juventus' fans will be furious to find out that their team was replaced with a phony. 

It's not a total loss. Portuguese superstar Christiano Ronaldo and Co. are all in the game with the correct names, likeness and realistic stats. But supporting your team by playing under a name and logo that doesn't actually exist just isn't the same experience. 

FC Bayern also formed a limited partnership with Konami for PES 2020, which forced EA to remove their ground, the Allianz Arena, from FIFA 20. Lucky for me and other Bayern fans, the team's logo, name and players are still in the game.

That said, FIFA 20 is still the most authentic soccer video game around and has licenses with far more teams and leagues than its main competitors. 

Bottom Line

This is the most difficult FIFA review I've had to write. On one hand, FIFA 20 is an exceptional entry to the franchise thanks to Volta, a fully-realized mode that offers a faster-paced alternative to the traditional-style soccer. But for some FIFA fans, that won't matter; The loss of Juventus' official license is a hard pill to swallow, even if FIFA remains the most authentic soccer video game around. 

And, aside from Volta, not much has changed from FIFA 19. EA at least addressed the existence of Career mode but the features it added are mostly cosmetic when there are still many areas that need attention. And while the gameplay in FIFA 20 is improved from last year, it could still use some tweaking. 

Overall, FIFA 20 introduces the franchise to the best addition in years, but a few own goals prevent the newest entry from crushing the competition.  

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. Previously, he was a Senior Writer at Tom's Guide and has also been a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.

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FIFA 20 guide: Become the best with guides on everything from career mode to Ultimate Team SBCs

Be a Volta monster, earn big bucks in FUT, or thrash the competition using our huge selection of FIFA 20 guides

FIFA 20 tips

Fifa 20 volta tips, fifa 20 pro clubs tips, fifa 20 ratings, fifa 20 career mode guide, fifa 20 patch notes, fifa 20 best teams, fifa 20 formations, fifa 20 stadiums, fifa 20 celebrations, fifa 20 skill moves, fifa 20 kits, fifa 20 vs pes 2020, fifa 20 wonderkids, fifa 20 icons, fifa 20 icon swaps, fifa 20 ones to watch, fifa 20 ucl cards, fifa 20 coins, fifa 20 squad building challenges, fifa 20 squad battles, fifa 20 chemistry styles, fifa 20 loyalty glitch, fifa 20 totssf, fifa 20 web app tips.

One mode dominates all talk of FIFA 20, but dig deeper and there's plenty more to it than Ultimate Team. Following a rocky start career mode has been fixed by a series of patches, and new small-sided offering Volta is a fun pick-up-and-play kickaround too. Below we round up all of GR's guide's to this year's footy fest, and fret not if FUT is the only thing you play – we've got masses of tips for that juggernaut too. Everything here should see you through to FIFA 21 . 

FIFA 20 review

Not sure whether you should pick up the latest instalment? Take a look at our complete FIFA 20 review , which tackles everything from Volta and Pro Clubs to Ultimate Team and Career Mode, with an in-depth look at each mode.

While football will always be football (or soccer!), there are some subtle yet impactful changes in FIFA 20 that make a huge difference on the pitch. To ease your transition into the new game, read up on our FIFA 20 tips , including things from formations to timed finishes.

Volta is the brand new mode in the game, and it's like a comeback of the classic FIFA Street series, albeit much more realistic this time. It's not easy though and takes some getting used to, so make sure you check out all of our FIFA 20 Volta tips .

Pro Clubs is the mode where you can team up with pals or random players online and have everyone control one specific player. The gameplay is a stark contrast to the usual FIFA 20 experience, so make sure you're reading our FIFA 20 Pro Clubs tips to stay ahead of the curve.

What about the best players on the entire game? Announced ahead of launch, we've got the complete FIFA 20 ratings for the top 100 players, from Lionel Messi to Romelu Lukaku. One new addition cracked the list following FIFA 20's usual round of winter upgrades: Red Bull Leipzig forward Timo Werner. He's profiled there too.

With our guide to FIFA 20 career mode , you can get off to a flying start no matter which club you choose. We've got tips for scouting, negotiating transfers, picking your team, and more.

FIFA 20 receives regularly updates as EA focus on different aspects of the game and alter the meta, and you can see all of the latest updates in our regularly updated FIFA 20 patch notes guide.

We've looked at the best players, but what about the best teams? Our FIFA 20 best teams guide covers every single team in the game with a rating of five stars, of which there's actually not too many! Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea all don't make the cut...

If you want to succeed in this game, finding a formation that works for you is key. Some are simply outright better than others, so read up on our best FIFA 20 formations guide to learn more.

From Bramall Lane to the San Siro, there's a whole host of FIFA 20 stadiums in the game. Which is your favourite? Take a look at them all with our complete list.

Whenever you score, whether it's a 40-yard screamer or a goalmouth scramble tap-in, you need to make sure you're doing the naughtiest celebration possible to wind your opponent up. We've got the full list of FIFA 20 celebrations and how to do them. Just don't dab. Like, ever.

There's nothing more infuriating in Ultimate Team than defending stoutly for 80 minutes, only to be undone by a Ronaldo impossi-dribble - so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Our FIFA 20 skill moves guide will have you ballet-ing round the box in double-quick time. 

If you're all about that FIFA fashion life, you're going to want to check out our FIFA 20 kits guide which highlights some of the best looking strips in the game, from Astra Giurgiu to Exeter City. There are a couple of decent coin-makers thrown in there too – Kaizer Chiefs strips always sell for big bucks.

The two football video game titans clash once again, as both instalments are strong contenders for best football game of the year. Which one should you get though and what are the differences? Check them out in our FIFA 20 vs PES 2020 comparison article.

If you're in Career Mode for the long haul, you need to be looking at some FIFA 20 wonderkids . These bright sparks will eventually become the best players in the world, and you've got the opportunity to snap 'em up while they're young.

We also have the following guides for the best young players in specific positions:

FIFA 20 best young strikers FIFA 20 best young wingers FIFA 20 best young midfielders FIFA 20 best young defenders

Over to Ultimate Team now and we've got a full list of all the FIFA 20 icons in the game, from Ronaldinho to Javier Zanetti. Couldn't leave big Sol out either, could we?

Replacing FUT Swap Deals this year are the brand new FIFA 20 icon swaps , which is a way to make icons more accessible to most players via the use of player tokens. We've got the lowdown on what that means and how they work – though sadly the campaign is now over until FIFA 21.

Alongside all of the icons, there's also a few confirmed FIFA 20 Ones To Watch in the game. These are players who transferred clubs last summer and show a lot of potential, and we've got the full list.

Champions League (and Europa League) cards were introduced last year and they're confirmed to be back in the game this year too. These blue versions have slightly upgraded stats, and we've got the lowdown on everything to do with the FIFA 20 UCL cards .

Making money as a free-to-play player in Ultimate Team is a huge challenge, but thankfully we're here to help with our FIFA 20 coins guide which provides an almost foolproof method to building up your bank.

Squad Building Challenges, or SBCs for short, are puzzles you need to complete within Ultimate Team with often grandiose rewards. We've got an explainer on what they are, along with cheap solutions for the 12 permanent advanced FIFA 20 SBCs in the game.

FIFA 20 squad battles are often ignored by Ultimate Team players, but we've got a guide that explains exactly how they work and how you can use them to earn some serious rewards.

There's a shedload of FIFA 20 chemistry styles available in Ultimate Team, and applying the right one to your players is crucial to maximise their potential. Thankfully, our guide explains all of the chemistry styles available and the stat boosts they provide.

In order to complete some of the aforementioned SBCs, you'll need to utilise the FIFA 20 loyalty glitch . It's a trick that has been in the series for years, and we've got an explainer of what loyalty is and how to earn it quickly.

The traditional Team Of The Season was replaced by FIFA 20 TOTSSF (Team Of The Season So Far) after the coronavirus pandemic paused real football around the world. This guide explains all, and lists all players rated 94 or above. 

If you want to become the ultimate... uh, Ultimate Team trader, you need to master and take onboard our FIFA 20 web app tips. Before long, you'll be raking in the dosh and have a squad that pro players would envy.

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Give me a game and I will write every "how to" I possibly can or die trying. When I'm not knee-deep in a game to write guides on, you'll find me hurtling round the track in F1, flinging balls on my phone in Pokemon Go, pretending to know what I'm doing in Football Manager, or clicking on heads in Valorant.

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FIFA Infinity The Absolute FIFA Site

Looking Back at Journey Mode: EA SPORTS FIFA’s Long Shot

Posted by: Christian Silvestri in FIFA 23 August 25, 2023 394 Views

The world of video games has witnessed a remarkable evolution over the years, with technological advancements enabling developers to create immersive and engaging experiences that transcend traditional forms of entertainment.

One such evolution has been the integration of narrative-driven modes within sports simulation games. Among these, “The Journey” in the FIFA franchise stands as a pioneering example, revolutionizing how players engage with the virtual world of soccer.

A New Era of Storytelling in Sports Games

Traditionally, sports simulation games like FIFA focused primarily on delivering realistic gameplay experiences, letting players assume the roles of their favorite athletes or teams on the digital field.

However, with the introduction of “Journey Mode,” the landscape of sports gaming changed forever. This new narrative-driven game mode offered players an immersive storytelling experience intertwined with the familiar mechanics of soccer gameplay.

Introduced in FIFA 17, “The Journey” allowed players to step into the shoes of Alex Hunter, a young and aspiring footballer trying to make his mark in the competitive world of professional soccer.

The mode was divided into chapters, each representing a crucial phase in Alex’s journey, both on and off the field. From his early days as a talented but unproven prospect to his rise to stardom, players were able to shape Alex’s destiny through their decisions and performance on the pitch.

Interactive Storytelling

What set “ The Journey ” apart was its interactive storytelling approach. Players didn’t just control the gameplay; they also influenced the narrative trajectory through dialogue choices and critical decisions.

These choices affected not only Alex’s relationships with teammates, coaches, and friends but also his professional opportunities and personal life. This interactive element blurred the lines between traditional video games and interactive cinema, creating a unique fusion that resonated with both gamers and soccer enthusiasts.

The emotional depth of the story was further enhanced by the inclusion of cinematic cutscenes featuring high-quality graphics and lifelike animations.

These cutscenes allowed players to connect with the characters on a more personal level, evoking a sense of empathy and investment in Alex’s journey. The mode wasn’t just about winning matches; it was about the emotional rollercoaster that comes with pursuing a dream against all odds.

Celebrities and Realism

Adding a layer of authenticity to “Journey Mode,” FIFA enlisted real-world football personalities to make appearances in the narrative. Players encountered established footballers, managers, and pundits, blurring the line between the virtual and real soccer world.

This integration not only added credibility to the story but also provided a unique sense of immersion, as players interacted with both fictional and real characters throughout Alex’s journey.

Evolution and Legacy

As the years went by, the FIFA franchise continued to refine and expand “Journey Mode.” Subsequent iterations introduced new characters, storylines, and gameplay mechanics, ensuring that the experience remained fresh and engaging.

While the mode faced criticism for occasionally straying into melodramatic territory, it undeniably pushed the boundaries of what a sports simulation game could offer in terms of narrative depth.

However, all good things must come to an end. The final chapter of Alex Hunter’s story was told in FIFA 19, as EA Sports decided to retire the character and shift their focus towards other modes and innovations.

The legacy of “Journey Mode,” however, remains firmly intact. It not only opened the door for similar narrative-driven modes in other sports games but also showcased the potential for emotional storytelling in genres beyond traditional role-playing games.

“The Journey” is a testament to the gaming industry’s capacity for innovation and evolution. The introduction of narrative-driven elements within the context of a sports simulation game marked a turning point in how players engage with virtual sports.

Through the lens of Alex Hunter’s journey, players experienced the highs and lows of a footballer’s life, making decisions that influenced not only the outcome of matches but also the course of personal relationships and professional opportunities.

“The Journey” mode stands as a milestone that bridged the gap between interactive storytelling and sports simulation, leaving a lasting impact on the gaming landscape.

About Christian Silvestri

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The Journey

The journey [ ].

In the official trailer for FIFA 17 on 12th June, it showed a story mode called the "The Journey" which would feature the fictional footballer  Alex Hunter  and authentic managers only available in the  English Premier League .

Alex Hunter is a 17-year-old male from  Clapham ,  London . Hunter's grandfather, Jim, is former English striker Jim Hunter (22 goals in the  1968/69 Season . Under his grandfather's guidance, Hunter has decided to play as a footballer in the  Premier League .

The game begins with a football match between two young teams, featuring a young Alex Hunter and his best friend Gareth Walker . The game goes on to a penalty shootout decider in which Hunter or Walker scores the winning penalty. A scout watches over him and remarks about his talent to Alex's grandfather, former footballer Jim Hunter.

Seven years later, in 2016, Alex Hunter and Gareth Walker take on exit trial, if passed Alex Hunter has a choice of all 20 Premier League clubs to sign for. Alex signs with his Granddad's former professional club and the news is broken to him that Gareth Walker also decided to sign with the same club as well.

Both players attend the club's pre-season tour of the  United States , where they play against  Real Madrid ,  Borussia Dortmund  and  Paris Saint-Germain . Alex Hunter starts against  Dortmund .

After performing well at training, Hunter and Walker make the team sheet for the first squad and play Liverpool away. (If the player is Liverpool for their chosen club, they will play Chelsea away). Gareth Walker is chosen to lead the starting XI out and Hunter is made to sit on the bench. Before they could head out, Hunter wishes Walker good luck and offers him a fist bump, but Walker overlooks, brushes off the gesture and walks off very arrogantly. If Alex wins or loses the first few games, he is loaned out due to starting most games on the bench. Alex can choose to be loaned out to either  Newcastle United ,  Aston Villa , or  Norwich City , as a result of the major signing of either  Harry Kane  or  Ángel Di María  by Alex's parent club.

After impressing on loan in the Championship, Alex Hunter returns to his parent club, only to find out that life-long friend Gareth Walker has left for the club's arch rivals, due to the fact they were willing to offer him more money and fame. After a strong spell in the starting eleven, Alex Hunter starts in the  FA Cup  final, where he faces Gareth Walker for the first or second time time since his departure from the club. In the tunnel before kick-off could start Walker and Hunter encounter each other, and Walker says he only used to be friends with Alex because his Granddad had a connection to the game and harshly says to Alex he didn't mean anything to him meaning Walker mostly used Alex so he could become a professional footballer. Whether Hunter wins the FA Cup or not is dependent on how the game is played. Regardless of whoever wins, Hunter and Walker shake hands at the end of the game and become reconciled

The final cut scene is taken in Alex's flat, where he discovers the news that he has been selected by the  England  manager to represent his country at the upcoming major tournament.

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FIFA 20 has likely broken plenty of records in terms of players and the like, but we waited to present our review for a very good reason. At launch, parts of the game itself were also broken.

However, since a title update and several other bug fixes, we now feel confident that we've seen it at its best. Yes, it should have been perfect from day one, but such is the way with modern games and release schedules these days that it's rarely the case.

So, now that we're getting the FIFA 20 we should have had. The next big question is whether that's enough?

Our quick take

It's easy to dismiss each iteration of FIFA as a mere data and kit update, but it is always so much more than that. To real fans at least.

We were initially disappointed by FIFA 20, we'll be honest. But that was down to some real game-breaking bugs that have now been thoroughly purged. So, we feel justified in holding off on our opinion to allow EA Sports to put things right.

In doing so, it has delivered the best FIFA yet. Yes, it favours enhancements over innovation, but just about everything seems to now fit.

We would have loved the Volta story to run for longer and Career mode to have a bigger overhaul, of course. However, what we do have is a finely polished and superb football game that will last us as long as our replica kits.

FIFA 20 - 4.5 / 5

Journey over.

Thankfully, the answer is "yes". It is by far and away the best FIFA game we've had yet. To be honest, we have said that almost every year during this current generation of gaming, but this time the tweaks and additions are plentiful and it feels a tighter experience.

There's also several things removed when compared to last year's iteration. The Journey story mode finished with the end of the trilogy in 2019, which is a big shame. And, there are a few changes to Ultimate Team that can be jarring at first.

However, in the latter case it actually makes sense. The new Ultimate Team is a much better experience this time around, with a keener, cleaner focus on both single and multiplayer matches, with the grind of former years replaced with a more purposeful structure.

And, to replace The Journey, we get a different story mode in the form of Volta Football - this year's biggest new feature.

Like The Journey, you star as an up-and-coming footballer, but this time in street soccer. There are twists, turns, frenemies and some fairly hammy moments along the way, but it works nicely as a completely different turn of pace from the rest of the FIFA game modes.

And, for those lamenting the loss of Alex Hunter (like us) you might get a smile on your face at some point.

Volta isn't quite a direct replacement for The Journey - it's nowhere near as long, for example - but it does present some interesting on-pitch play that was clearly in development for a while (remember the short form game at the start of The Journey part three?). And, it's a bit of fun as you slam passes off backboards, flip around players and generally use your tekkers more than you would in a full FIFA match.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Volta and, as you have to complete the story to unlock multiplayer matches in that mode, it's just as well.

Team building

Our favourite mode of FIFA for the last few years is undoubtedly Ultimate Team and, as we alluded to already, it is a better refined, more friendly feature this time.

Yes, it does have "loot boxes" style incentives with, sometimes, appalling odds to get the best cards from paid-for packs, but it is also possible to construct the best teams through gameplay - even if you're not that great at the game.

There are plenty of awards to be won, through either single or multiplayer modes, and the transfer market is again a great place to snaffle-up a bargain. Of course, you have to put the hours in to get the most from it, but that's likely to be the case anyway if you've dropped the best part of £60 on a game.

This year, Ultimate Team matches are split into three distinct types: Squad Battles for single-player matches against other players' squads, Division Rivals which puts you in ranked matches against similar opponents, and Friendlies. The latter is not just great for a quick match in single, couch co-op or PvP, it has some bonkers new gameplay styles that are great for parties.

We particularly like Mystery Ball matches, where the ball itself gains different properties throughout, and Swaps, where you have three of your squad players swapped for three from the other team. They add a whole new element to FIFA gameplay and even reward your Ultimate Team profile with coins after play.

They are a great replacement for the single-player leagues and cups from former years, which became an unsatisfactory plod-through just to earn cash for transfers.

The Squad Battles and Division Rivals modes are timed so, at the end of each period, you get rewards based on your league standing. And then there is the FUT Champions mode you have to buy yourself into. We did once. We got hammered.

Basically, only hardcore players and pros need apply.

Career prospects

The last of the big FIFA game modes once again included is Career - the one most broken at launch. Indeed, it was almost unplayable on day one, hence we waited until it was fully fixed before commenting.

Sadly, even when running at its best, it's the mode with the littlest amount of upgrades or, seemingly, development effort put in.

It works as well as ever (now, at least), and we know plenty who prefer it over Ultimate Team as they can take an individual player or full team through many seasons, but it is also the most relatively untouched.

There are a few additions, such as live news screenshots grabbed from inside your matches, that pop up in the in-game newsfeed, but it's more padding than polish. And, while it's great that you can now have a female manager as your avatar, you can't manage in any women's league, nor play as a female player. That would have been a much better new option for sure.

Perhaps we'll see that in FIFA 21.

On the pitch

Other improvements are reserved for the pitch but, unless you are a truly hardcore or pro FIFA nut, you likely won't notice most of them.

Dribbling, tackling and controlled finishing are headline tweaks. As are better AI and ball physics. However, while the ebb and flow of a match does change a little more than before (and scoring feels harder at first) you soon settle back into the same sort of play style you likely first adopted a couple of years ago. And it's still effective.

More notable changes come with set pieces - namely penalties and free kicks. They now adopt a combination of targeting and right-stick manipulation for extra effects. Sadly, not without controversy as both are now more fiddly and, in the case of penalty shoot-outs, less effective.

Still, it's good to see something new being tried as we weren't fans of the previous formats neither.

As for the on-pitch gameplay as a whole, it still feels tangible and real, while retaining some of the arcade fun that makes every FIFA game a joy. Plus, with several subtle but smart graphical and sonic enhancements, it's even easier to lose yourself in the experience now.

FIFA 20 is not exactly the most ground-breaking in the series, but its refinements and improvements provide the best in the series yet. Plus, Volta Football is an interesting addition that adds a real turn of pace for longtime fans.

[인사이트] 3년 전 홈에서 왕좌 빼앗긴 브라질, 코파 아메리카가 중요한 이유

늘 남미 축구의 절대강자이고 싶은 브라질. 그러나 브라질은 3년 전 삼바군단의 심장부 마라카낭에서 라이벌 아르헨티나에 0-1로 패하며 남미축구연맹(CONMEBOL) 코파 아메리카 타이틀을 빼앗겼다. 브라질의 올여름 목표는 남미 무대 정상 탈환이다.

도리바우 주니오르 감독, 베스트11 일찌감치 완성?

신예 엔드릭, 코파 아메리카 우승으로 스타 탄생 알릴까?

브라질, 오는 25일(한국시각) 코스타리카전

브라질이 도리바우 주니오르 감독을 선임한 시점은 올 초. 이 시점의 브라질은 국제축구연맹(FIFA) 월드컵 2024를 마친 후 올여름 미국이 개최하는 코파 아메리카로 향하는 중간 지점 즈음에 놓여 있었다. 여러모로 주니오르 감독에게 현재 상황은 녹록지 않다. 그는 네이마르가 빠진 브라질을 이끌고 코파 아메리카 우승을 노려야 한다. 이후 주니오르 감독은 브라질이 총 10팀 중 6위로 밀려난 FIFA 월드컵 2026 남미 예선에서 팀을 부활시켜야 한다.

아무리 브라질의 올여름 대표팀 구성이 어린 선수 위주로 이뤄졌다고 하더라도 코파 아메리카에서 목표는 우승뿐이다. 남미 최강을 가리는 대회를 월드컵 예선을 준비하는 무대로 활용하는 건 브라질 축구의 자존심에 상처를 입힐 만한 선택이기 때문이다. 또한, 브라질은 미국에서 코파 아메리카 우승을 차지한다면 주니오르 감독 체제에서 팀 사기를 다시 끌어올리고 자신감을 회복할 수 있다. 이를 의식한 주니오르 감독은 17세 신예 엔드릭(파우메이라스)를 과감하게 발탁하면서도 하파엘(34, 상파울루), 다닐루(32, 유벤투스) 등 베테랑의 존재감 또한 무시하지 않았다.

브라질은 홈에서 숙적 아르헨티나에 패한 지난 대회 결승전만 떠올려도 코파 아메리카의 중요성을 쉽게 알 수 있을 것이다. 오랜 기간 무관에 그친 아르헨티나는 브라질에서 열린 2021 코파 아메리카를 앞두고 우승은 어렵다는 평가가 주를 이뤘다. 그러나 아르헨티나는 상대를 끈질기게 물고늘어지는 단단한 팀의 면모를 보이며 1993년 후 28년 만에 코파 아메리카 우승을 달성했다. 이후 아르헨티나는 승승장구를 거듭하며 2022년 카타르 월드컵 우승까지 차지했다. 반면 브라질은 아르헨티나와의 결승전 전까지 13경기 연속 무패행진(12승 1무)을 거듭하고도 우승을 놓치며 상승세가 꺾였다.

이에 엔드릭은 최근 FIFA 공식 홈페이지를 통해 “브라질에는 평가전이라는 게 없다. 많은 사람들은 브라질에는 월드컵밖에 중요한 게 없다고 말하지만, 우리는 이외 대회에서 우승하지 못하면 거센 비판을 받는다. 우리는 우승을 위해 미국으로 간다. 월드컵까지는 아직 갈 길이 멀다. 그러나 우리가 코파 아메리카에서 좋은 모습을 보인다면, 대표팀에 계속 남아 있을 가능성이 커진다”고 말했다.

단, 주니오르 감독은 코파 아메리카도 중요하지만, 그렇다고 2026 월드컵 준비를 소홀히 할 수는 없다는 점을 강조했다. "우리 팀은 아직 어리지만, 우리에게는 정점을 찍을 시간으로 2년이 주어졌다. 우리는 남미 예선에서 폼을 찾아야 한다. 우리 팀은 갈수록 성숙해질 것이다. 그러면서 팀의 모양이 나오기 시작할 것이며 어린 선수들에게도 빛날 기회가 갈 것이다."

브라질은 코파 아메리카를 앞두고 치른 평가전에서 멕시코에 3-2 승, 미국과 1-1로 비겼다. 이에 주니오르 감독은 브라질 대표팀은 발전하는 과정을 거치고 있다면서도 아직 베스트11을 완성하지는 못했다고 설명했다.

“무조건 들어올 선수들과 절대 들어오지 않을 선수 몇몇은 결정됐지만, 가장 중요한 건 현재 나는 자신감이 크다는 점이다. 우리��� 긴 여정을 앞두고 있으며 경기를 하다 보면 오르락내리락 할 때는 있을 수밖에 없다. 현재 우리는 두 가지의 전혀 다른 포메이션을 소화하고 있지만, 선수들은 벌써 우리가 원하는 모습을 보여주기 시작했다. 아직 우리는 함께한지 오래되지 않았다. 우리에게는 앞으로 함께할 시간이 더 많이 남았다. 우리의 경쟁력이 올라오기를 바라고 있다."

여전히 주니오르 감독에게는 변화를 줄 시간이 남아 있다. 브라질은 오는 25일 코스타리카를 상대로 코파 아메리카 첫 경기에 나선다. 주니오르 감독은 계속 전술은 물론 선수 기용과 관련해 실험을 이어갈 전망이다.

“우리가 포지셔널 플레이를 한다고 생각할 수 있겠지만, 사실 이는 내가 가장 원하지 않는 것이다. 나는 포지션을 바꾸는 선수를 원한다. 나는 자유로운 움직임을 더 많이 보고 싶다. 그래야 더 많은 선수가 전진해 마무리할 기회를 잡을 수 있다. 우리느느 멕시코를 상대로 양 측면에 옵션을 만들고, 공간을 공격하는 축구를 보여줬다. 우리는 잘 만들어진 움직임으로 경기를 풀어가야 한다."

브라질은 무릎 수술 후 현재 회복 중인 네이마르 없이 코파 아메리카 무대에 오른다. 그러나 브라질에는 여전히 창의성을 가진 공격 자원이 많다. 비니시우스 주니오르, 호드리구 등이 브라질의 공격진을 이끌 선수들로 꼽힌다. 주니오르 감독은 "어린 팀이지만, 이 선수들은 꾸준한 경기력을 보여주고 있다. 그들은 계속 발전할 것이다. 우리가 코파 아메리카를 우승할 수 있다는 자신감을 가지고 있다.”

현재 브라질의 어린 선수 중 가장 빛나는 재능은 엔드릭이다. 엔드릭은 잉글랜드, 스페인, 멕시코를 상대로 선보인 득점력뿐만이 아니라 다양한 역할을 소화하는 다재다능함이 큰 장점으로 꼽힌다. 엔드릭은 포지션과 관계없이 경기에 출전하고 싶다는 어린 선수다운 각오를 내비쳤다.

"나는 뛰고 싶다. 어느 포지션에서 뛰는지는 중요하지 않다. 박스 안에서 뛸 수도 있고, 공격진의 중심이 될 수도 있다. 나는 출전한다는 것만으로도 충분히 행복할 것이다. 내가 더 많은 역할을 할수록 팀에는 더 긍정적인 효과가 생길 것이다. 우리가 먼저 골을 넣고 지켜야 할 때도 있겠지만, 추격을 해야 하는 시점도 올 것이다. 그런 상황에 어떻게 대응할 줄 아는 선수가 돼야 더 많은 경기에 출전할 수 있다."