I personally feel like as if it is nearly the same game as the past few ones, but however, there have been some good changes compared to the last few disasterclasses.
Improvements:
1. Gameplay is swifter, none of the bs we saw in the previous games.
2. Fair speed ratings. Last year, when I was playing an UT match, an 83 pace player outran my 90 pace player. This year, it is the other way, where the higher pace player outruns the lower pace player.
3. Smoother passing is also what I noted, and overall, I can conclude that the passing is less messy and more smooth.
Disappointments:
1. Unexpected manager sacking in career mode. Sometimes, even when the team is doing well, the AI chooses to sack the coach itself.
2. Lags and bugs. Sometimes when I play UT or Career Mode, it goes to be that the ball moves or glitches absurdly. It can disappear outta nowhere, or it can be headed into a distant universe.
3. Officiating mistakes. One time when I was playing UT, my defender made the tackle inside the 18 yard box. And since the opposition attacker was going for it, I tried to prevent a goalscoring chance. But the opponent fell and the AI ref awarded a penalty that even a baby would've said no to. When I checked the replay, there was no contact at all. It was just a dive
Overall thoughts:
What would I rate this from 1 to 10?
Considering the minimal improvements and the laggy outcomes, I would say that this game is decent for newcomers but bad for pro gamers. And when I mean bad, I don't mean that it is trash, just like fc 24/25. I just feel like the lags and bugs kill all the fun experience that you should be enjoying in such a game.
Thoughts on the AI:
For some reason, I go to feel like as if the AI was one of those supergamers who would defeat anyone with their eyes closed. One thing I dislike about the defending is that sometimes, when I go for a slide tackle, it tackles later than when I pressed the button earlier.
Thoughts on UT:
As i mentioned earlier, I do feel like the UT is still a bit laggy, but the thing I dislike the most are the SBCS. Like you have to do all this stuff in order to get a 87 rated player, but after all this effort, you are rewarded with a crappy 81-82 rated player who ofc has worse stats than the player you expected.