FIFA 18 for Nintendo Switch

Gaming — I genuinely struggle to see the differences between versions of FIFA, apart from big generational leaps. If you’re looking for that kind of review, try Digital Foundry or any other big site.

My experience with FIFA games has a long history, but not a deep one. My first FIFA game, 2002 FIFA World Cup on PC, still feels pretty solid even compared to modern releases. I also still played FIFA14 on PS4 up until recently.

To me the FIFA formula feels reminiscent of a Tetris release or a version of PAC-MAN on a new console. It varies only slightly, and the most important part of any release is the quality of that core gameplay.

So generally speaking, FIFA 18 for Nintendo Switch is a very good release. It feels less like the new versions of the same game on PS4 and Xbox One, but it also doesn’t feel too separate from, say, FIFA 16 on PS4 or FIFA 14.

The game runs at 60FPS, looks solid, and most importantly for me, feels way more fleshed out when compared to, say, the PS Vita versions of FIFA games. While those releases often felt inherently portable and stripped back, graphically, performance-wise and feature-wise, the Switch version just feels like a slightly older home console version, with home console graphics and gameplay.

The game seems to run pretty well too, if that’s what you’re worried about, though EA’s lack of early review codes for just the Switch version is still weird. A lack of multiplayer between Switch friends online is also disappointing, though makes sense given Nintendo’s lame approach to online infrastructure. Playing with sideways Joy-Cons almost makes up for this omission, but only if you plan on bringing the Switch to a mate’s house.

Singleplayer matches feel great, and particularly if you’re not a hardcore FIFA fan who buys every release and pours over the game’s changelog, it’s definitely a great choice if you want to play FIFA at home and on-the-go. Though if you do plan on just playing at home, the PS4 version is probably better value, with a lot more multiplayer and campaign features.