My experience with retro FIFAs so far.
For one year or so, with huge gaps in between, I tried out several retro FIFA games. Below are my thoughts:
FIFA 15 (XBOX One) - Yeah, it's pretty neat. You can skill, blast bangers from afar and run rampant on the counter with speedsters like Robben. Classy menu, and somewhat acceptable player models.
FIFA 12 (PC) - before the patch, the gameplay was genuinely mind-boggling. The AI behaved in illogically overpowered ways, and the games tended to be a chore rather than a challenge. But after I patched the game with a Polish League expansion, not only did the file license the hell out of the bastardized leagues of my homeland, it improved the fucking gameplay. My players behave smarter whilst AI operates in a more exciting if still demanding way. And you can finally score some nice fucking goals. All I now need to see is if it worked on the UEFA Euro 2012 DLC...
FIFA 13 (PC/RPCS3) - What I had to say about pre-patch 12 pretty much applies here. But I had much more of a fun time with the PS-emulated version. Maybe if I apply a patch to the PC 13 as well it'll get better gameplay?
FIFA 14 (PC) - on top of not looking particularly good, this game just didn't mesh well with me. Also points deduction for the Infinity Patch which gave me the licensed teams and new leagues, but completely fecking botched Dynamo Kyiv's kits, and I wanted to see that team in 2013/14's glory the most!
FIFA 17 (PS4) - what can I say, it's a classic! Well made, looking reasonably atmospheric, with fluid gameplay, in which animations and the engine gel as well as you could expect. And the first Frostbite visuals appear impressive for being the first time one sees them.
FIFA 20 (PC) - y'all hate it only because of FUT. When you play bot, unless you choose to, no Ben Yedder shall terrorize you. And you don't deal with bad ping. Nor is there any need for dragbacks. You can pull off skill moves, play tiki-taka, spam crosses (there are times when they work, just not really with headers), and each playstyle could bring you the win. They wasted some of the brilliant art direction on a bland looking grey concrete wall, but the opening screens and the art blend paint splashes and blots are magnificent touches either way.
FIFA 23 (PC) - possibly the best balanced product. Atmospheric menus and visuals, polished in-game aesthetics and a fully functional Icon team in ROTW League to play with. I even dig the gameplay. Does the players' movement slip into skating territory? Yes. But it's not - for lack of a better word - the retarded type of skating unlike 12 or 13, where the twists and turns can look so buggy you feel like you're witnessing a coding error every 10-15 seconds. In 23 you glide elegantly with the ball, and it's all optimized well enough you can rotate your right stick however you want, and any decently skilled baller will pull off a sick-ass move to destroy his man. For someone with not enough coordination to learn all the button-stick combos and concentration to apply them in-game seamlessly, I was delighted. I played a full Bayern career mode season, buying Romeo Lavia, Mohamed Salah, Eder Militao and Jesus Corona and winning the German Cup + UCL double. I bottled the league because I didn't realize I was hampering myself by disconnecting the charger during gameplay which made it all buggy, but oh well. Salah and Mané were a killer duo even outside the Kop, Cancelo proved an excellent loanee and Militao together with De Ligt generated a hard wall. The highlight was definitely pulling a 2014 on Real Madrid in the semis and destroying them 7-1.
Most games were played on Professional. (PS. I fucking hate the fact you have to be pressing L2 to do ANY skill moves on 12 and 13).
Ranking 1. FIFA 23 2. FIFA 20 3. FIFA 17 4. FIFA 15 5. FIFA 12 post-patch 6. FIFA 13 7. FIFA 12 pre-patch 8. FIFA 14