Video: Digital Foundry on the 'Custom' Merits of FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch

I see why compromises had to be made but I fear EA made a big mistake cutting major modes.

The Switch versions is trash....

Still don't get why DF insists on saying "Compared to current gen consoles" like Switch isn't a current generation device and product cycle sold along side these other machines. Doesn't do anything but fuel the trolling fire that leads to stuff like the infamous "It can barely run PS3 games" twitter shenanigans.

@BLP_Software People seem to forget that console generations are determined by when a console is produced and actively supported, not by the power and capabilities of the device. By the definition of the word, Switch (and even 3DS for that matter) are current gen consoles; that statement by DF robs them of some credibility as far as I'm concerned. If he had said "compared to other current gen consoles" or even "other, more powerful current gen consoles" he would have been correct.

Because the Switch is obviously less powerful than the other current-gen consoles, just like Wii U and Wii were, there are obvious downgrades in every multiplatform game released, always one generation behind or almost. This is the simple truth whether you are buying Nintendo's stance or not. What worries me more is Nintendo's approach to online services that seems to go backwards.

@thesilverbrick Wouldn't Switch in those terms be a newer gen than PS4/Xbox? As Wii U was part of that generation.

@thesilverbrick Just semantics.

@XenoShaun Exactly. It is just semantics.

@XenoShaun Snes Mini is current gen?

All versions of FIFA 18 are full, $60 releases. People say "well it should cost less if it has less" but I say, the 360/PS3 versions don't cost less, and compared to the Switch version they have less modes, less content, run worse, lower res, worse graphics, and that's before even making mention of the fact they don't offer portability.

So It's all about perspective. Yet I don't see the PS3/360 versions getting 5/10 reviews for having less than the Switch version. Why? Different versions have different expectations. And once you acknowledge that Switch is not a PS4 or Xbox One, it's hard to see how one can cherry pick those versions to compare against while ignoring the PS3/360. Of course, that would actually make the game look good, and we can't be having that now can we.

Granted, the friend invites is a legitimate complaint and it should be docked for that. But the rest? It's all cherry picking which version to compare against in the interest of making it look as bad as possible, focusing on what it doesn't have as opposed to what it does.

I don't even follow soccer and I'm having a BLAST with this game.

@GrailUK If you use the chronological criterion, yes.

Current-gen is becoming a synonym for "competition" even though it used to be associated with concurrent devices that are technologically innovative in the past. The "generation" term can be used more vaguely today than years ago. The current new-gen started with Wii U in 2012 even though it used revised technology from a 2005 console that was last-gen: Xbox 360. One year later Xbox One and PS4 arrived at the current or new gen.

However, Digital Foundry's article focuses on the differences and similarities between the Switch version and the Xbox 360 (last-gen) and PS4 versions (new-gen). That's the point of the article. It's not comparing the consoles/devices.

At the end of it all it's a fun game to play that looks great. No regrets buying it. Only downside is lack of online play with friends.

@JaxonH It's a 60 dollar port that's missing a ton of features it deserves all the hate it's getting.

@BLP_Software ""current gen consoles" like Switch isn't a current generation device"

The fact that you used the word "device" when they used "consoles" just shows you know exactly what both you and they are saying. Switch is NOT a current Gen "console" any more than Vita, PSP, 3DS, DS or Gameboy were ever consoles. Anybody involved with gaming has always differentiated between "home consoles" and "portable handhelds". The "home" is always implied whenever someone says console. The Switch is a portable, it isn't a console, and that's and good thing.

People can compare Switch to PS4/X1 all they want, but for the most part they are doing it wrong, looking at it backwards. Nobody should expect a portable to have console graphics or gameplay, but the fact is any time a portable can play a game even close to what a console can do, that's a win.

Not to say there aren't issues, the online matchmaking is atrocious, but that has nothing to do with how well the game runs elsewhere.

And as someone else has already pointed out, even if Switch were a console, it's next gen, Wii U, PS4, X1, Wii, PS3, Xbox360, Gamecube, PS2, Xbox, Dreamcast, N64, PS1, Saturn. So it's Switch, PS5, Xbox Eleven. Thing about Switch is though, it's not really a next gen anything, it's a first gen hybrid. Comparing games on Switch to anywhere else really should be done in the context of "glad a hybrid got this game" and that's about it. Games on Switch should only be compared to other games on Switch as far as resolution, FPS, online, there is no comparable system, it's an original.

The director gave a decent answer in the lack of features recently - "we had a year". In that regard, if they maintain a commitment to the Switch, 18 bodes well for the future.

@Link41 You know that because you own it and have spent quite a bit of time in it's various modes I assume. Or let me guess, no you've not played it and are just spouting the usual nonsense because, well just because.

The Switch is popular right now, for reasons outside its power. People who are interested in it know what they are getting. I bought Fifa and I am really happy with it. Nintendo has done a very good job communicating the system's strengths and made the right choises to address ease of development and multiple game engines support. As stated, the most obvious and unfortunate weakness is its online adaptation.

@JaxonH It's like banging our heads against a wall. We and those who have bought the game know this is an impressive handheld FIFA, my mates who buy it every single year for Xbox One have been impressed after seeing it in handheld mode.What better judge than them. Yet some Nintendo fans who've probably never played a FIFA in years are after it to make sure everyone knows that it's trash because it's missing some modes that my mates have told me are not even really worth bothering about. It's sad to be honest.

@rjejr Digital Foundry is not comparing Switch and PS4 but the 360, Switch and PS4 versions of FIFA18. The Switch version has the engine and assets of the 360 version with the same resolution as the PS4 version and the visual effects are somewhere in between. It's not a hardware comparison, so it makes perfect sense. Everyone assumes that Switch is portable/hybrid and that's its best selling point, in my opinion.

@JaxonH Sometimes I think Nintendo fans simply have no idea how the industry works. For at least the past 3 years games have released on 2 systems, for the same price, with the last gen system being noticeably inferior to the current gen. This isn't even the first year FIFA has done this, last year the same thing happened with the older systems not getting the Journey. CoD did it 2 years ago, though they did charge $10 less. It sucks, but that's the way it's been for years now. The industry as a whole I think is in a bad place, Switch owners need to adjust to the realities of the industry. My adjustment, don't buy games until a year after release when they're done. It's all $60 betas as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully Mario is OK though, just that 1. 😆

I bought it. It is fun to play. However, it doesn’t stand up to the PS4/Xbox One version. I think the Switch version should have launched at 39.99.

With how scaleable the Frostbite engine is I still think it can be done, but either needed more time or wanted to test the waters. With that being said I’m more than happy with the Switch version, I’m not missing the extra bells and whistles I could get on PC. My GPU alone was almost twice as expensive as a Switch, so what I’m getting with this tiny hybrid is very impressive.

@BLP_Software its actually nextgen. Currentgen is wii U

Some PS4 Fifa owners saw me playing Fifa on Switch in handheld. Their comments were that it looks and plays really good, not something like "it looks inferior than PS4". It is obviously inferior graphically, but not immensely and it is still impressive for such a small device.

Online is not a big deal to me. I like playing tournaments. I can see how lack of a lobby system can be a huge deal for some but for me this is the best sports game to hit the Switch. And I don't even like soccer irl.

@nunberry I am interested to see how much development time they actually had. EA Bucharest could have been giving small budget and little development time.

Will be interesting to see what happens going forward as EA will release a world cup game before FIFA 19. Let's see if that gets a switch release.

@Link41 I think it's great.

@kobashi100 Hopefully they will give Switch another go. If they work on getting the frostbite engine running on Switch and give us as equal a version as possible and it still flops then they can't be blamed for dropping support. No doubt some Nintendo fans will still find some faults to to knock it down though.

It's normal for EA's first attempts on a new console to be slightly lacking in some places anyway,it's always been this way,at least with FIFA. Other than being unable to play friends online, EA were completely upfront about what they were bringing and they've delivered.

@MsJubilee
It's also just as true that it's a $60 port that has added features and modes. It all depends on what version you cherry pick to make a comparison to.

Compared to PS3/360, it's got more content, more modes, runs better, has higher framerate, better graphics, and offers two versions in one.

And it's getting just as much praise as hate. Most of the people hating either A never planned to buy it anyways and just like to marginalize as many Switch games as possible, or B just wanted a trophy piece to use as ammo in the console wars.

If people found sub-HD, handheld-only legacy versions with not even half the content as the PS3/360 versions worth buying on Vita... how do you hate on a version that far surpasses that of PS3/360 and offers 1080p console and 720p handheld versions in one (where even the handheld version surpasses PS3/360) and local co-op/MP on the spot?

Playing it almost every day now. Like it best with the pro controller and on the tv, but it is just fine in handheld mode for a quick match. And ultimate team is just as addictive as on the other consoles!

@JaxonH That's your smoking gun? It's beating out the last gen versions? 12 year old consoles? You know how silly that sounds?

The Switch has the ultimate get of jail free card with the whole "it looks amazing for a handheld game" whenever a lesser version Switch game pops up. So get used to hearing that! Lol

@MsJubilee
Hell of a shootdown with your own smoking gun lol, valid point though

According to DualShockers, FIFA 18 on Switch made less than three percent of sales. If this custom version, an upgraded 360/PS3 version but not the same, makes a profit I have no idea but this figure doesn't seem to indicate that bigger budgets for Switch, like downgrading Frostbite 3, are in the cards for EA and to just port the last-gen version next year, assuming that 360 and PS3 get the next game, would be easier, cheaper but outrageous. That would remind me of the Wii era.

@MsJubilee
That's your smoking gun? Not having parity wirh consoles 2-3X as strong?

You're missing the entire point. Age has nothing to do with it. Different versions have different expectations. PS3/360 not because they're older, but because they're less capable. And Switch, likewise, is less capable. Because it's a portable console. Thus, if its perfectly acceptable for those less capable consoles to have different expectations, why is not ok for this less capable console? Hmmm?

@OorWullie I agree a friend of mine has had a go recently and has gone out to buy a switch people should at least try the game

@JaxonH

I think that is valid. I love soccer, big fan and I'm having a blast with the game. However, I can understand why those that have PS4/X1 would feel this is a lesser version. It simply is. He only reason I got this for Switch and not my PS4 is between school, work, and helping with my girlfriends mom who is recovering from cancer, I'm simply not home.

I sum it up this way, as a portable soccer experience, it's the best I have ever had. As a FIFA experience, it's one of the worst I have ever had. Most FIFA players get it for the presentation, the bells and whistles, or else they would play PES, which I feel is a better gameplay all around. Let's be honest, this version is skimpy on the bells and whistles.

@JaxonH Where do you see the PS3/360 version burning up the sales chart. Where exactly do you find a review for the 360/ps3 version giving it a great score? Metacritic dosen't even have a mark for it because they have no reviews listed.

And actually in the UK the PS3/360 version is cheaper. it is running at the old AAA PS3 price point and has full online support. No way to spin this - This is a handheld game - price it that way and it will sell twice as much.

@AndrewJ

Great points, you but this for the portability plain and simple. And I dare anyone to find a better sports game on the go, I'll wait. I do agree, FIFA 19 will need to bring a bit more to the table.

@kolt @rjejr

I still maintain the Switch is our first 9th gen hardware.

Its also the first generation of a new hybrid branch of the industry.

@Agramonte
The game is full price worldwide on PS3/360. Just because you found a retailer in one country selling below MSRP doesn't mean the game was priced lower.

What I don't see is complaints that those versions have less. And they sold just as well if not more than the Switch version.

This is a handheld game. Full HD handheld game that, even as a handheld game surpasses the $60 PS3/360 console versions. It's also a console game. Full 1080p/60fps console game.

Now, if a 720p console only PS3/360 version is $60, how on earth do you complain about a 1080p Switch console version with better graphics and more features costing $60. That's before even making mention that as a handheld game, it's still more than the PS3/360 versions.

Yes, the game should be docked for the friend invites- and each person should decide if that's something that affects their desire to purchase. But that aside, there's simply no argument for this superior, 1080p console + 720p handheld version costing less than the inferior 720p 360 console version.

Price it as a AAA handheld game and it will sell twice as much. This can not compete with the main home version.

So much love for this game. I mean really it's goning to be £20 within 6 months anyway.

@Agramonte In the UK it's £5 cheaper than the PS4/XBone versions. I presume it's about the same amount cheaper in Euros too. Europe is by far the biggest market for FIFA.

@OorWullie €60 on Switch/360/PS3 and €70 on Xbox One/PS4 at the moment (digital versions).

I'm so sick to death of hearing petty, bitter fishwives nagging about the graphics etc. of the Switch version of this and that (but Fifa especially). God, I'm so sick of these ungrateful turds who have the privilege of being embittered by a friggin' hobby. I wish people cared so much about the quality of the music they listened to and the movies/TV shows that they watch.

FIFA 18 on Switch is a fantastic effort for a game that has obviously had little time in development. EA committed themselves to a simultaneous release and have given us the best handheld FIFA so far, and a damn good home console experience as well. I just hope that EA will implement 8 player local multiplayer for FIFA 19 and/or FIFA 18 World Cup Edition, as that would easily make the Switch edition the ultimate local multiplayer version of the game.

@JaxonH I'd like to add more to that but... No, you've said it all and said it very well, thank you!

@BlueOcean @OorWullie It's €60 for all versions over here.

@Octane Digital or retail? Retailers usually lower the more expensive prices.

@Captain_Gonru : I feel that FIFA 13 was a poor showing from EA considering that the Wii U was (briefly) the most powerful dedicated video game console available at the time. So, the fact that they reused FIFA 12 seemed unjustifiable to me and I refused to support it.

I've never had any such expectation of parity with the Switch version of FIFA 18 which is a completely different beast, and due to the disparity in hardware, that would obviously have posed a challenge for the developers, especially with so little development time, but unlike so many other mulitplats, EA committed themselves to a simultaneous release and should be commended for it (despite how much as I detest EA ).

@sillygostly Well, it's their job. Now that you mention Wii U as the most powerful home console in 2012, Digital Foundry also compared the Wii U, 360 and PS3 versions of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and they praised the Wii U version. If it makes you so sick to death you probably shouldn't read about it, because any multiplatform game will always be compared by Digital Foundry and everybody else.

I bought it for the sole purpose of showing EA the switch is worth publishing on. I want Madden on switch so bad so I picked this up in hopes for next year, game is pretty fun and plays great, better than any other Fifa I've played (Las Fifa I bought and played was Fifa world cup 06 for the gamecube)

Can't see what the price crisis is all about, ppl have bought games that resemble turds for years, fifa ain't no turd. It doesn't have ps4 parity but it's still fifa, just buy it already, hmm put up or shut up. It's good to see many ppl on here enjoying the game for what it is, i salute you

@OorWullie Of course he doesn't own it. FIFA18 lacks the mode but has the portability. I said that's an excellent compromise.

Those that are whinning about non parity would have never buy the game regardless of modes or content. That's how Nintendo fanboys roll.

@sillygostly Well said.

BTW, you gave up on Pokemon Shuffle? Haven't seen you around...

@BlueOcean Physical.

@BlueOcean : I'm not disparaging the efforts of Digital Foundry. I'm angered with all the miserable laypeople who whine and moan for the reasons that I stated above.

@maceng : I officially gave up on it last week. I just stopped playing. I was probably close to 800 hours in. I just stopped. Over it. Done. I put that joyless, wretched POS behind me and I feel such a burden lifted from me. I thought that after all the time/money I had invested on that horrid, compulsive game that I would see it through to the end, but I just decided, you know what? I'm over this. Give in... give into giving up. You'll be all the better for it.

@maceng
Nintendo fanboys have nothing to do with constant wining. You are quick to point fingers and lose your class.

@rjejr

Thank you for stating what I and others have been thinking To me (sorry Wii) the Switch is a Revolution in gaming. Anyone who owns one can see it's just something new and amazing, it's so small, can run on battery and can do so much. Best part is it's potential is largely untapped because when it gets web, streaming, decent online (I'm betting the paid will deliver) and a bevy of tablet apps it will be the most versatile device you can own at any price point let alone $300.

Games, as you said must be based on a case by case basis against other Switch games, I do think it's fair to objectively compare versions though. What amazes me is how close and acceptable many ports can be. I bought Setsuna at launch and very close to PS4. Main diff from PS4 is 30fps vs 60fps which in this type of game made zero difference. Disgaea5 excellent looks and plays just like PS4 home and away.

I like what they did with NBA2K but am waiting for cart and patch. FIFA looks great but soccer is not it for me. I think EA made a nice smooth engine and next year they could upgrade the features and modes for parity, but still it seems so cool that you can takes your Fun to your friends.

I already pre ordered La Noire and Skyrim as I just never had the time to play last generation. Switch versions are always going to have to make some comprises but in many cases it can still pull off an acceptable version even on my 47' HDTV.

Add to that Nintendo games and unique projects (like M+RK) and Switch is the place to be gaming for anyone who wants their gaming to be 100% portable and continuous. X86 gaming more for the 'home bound" no denying it, for us with active lives that want to game Switch is a must.

@JaxonH Na man. In the UK in AUG for work and family still lives in Madrid. You could even pre-order the PS3 version for 49euros in Spain. Even El Corte Ingles that is a BS store is Spain when it comes to prices had it 10 euro cheaper. EA can say what they want the MSRP is, but they made it super easy not to pay that in retail. 60 euros for a PS3 game in 2017 is crazy.

@sillygostly But people have the right to complain, it's up to you to decide if the Switch version is worth it and how good is for you.

I have been playing the hell out of it. I'm a regular with FIFA. I don't buy them every year, but I do enjoy them a lot.

This one is great. I get people that go after the best version, but I've been taking this to the office and I wouldn't have it any other way. It plays great.

For me, playing with friends anywhere >>>>> any other mode. Its funny how people forget this.

@sillygostly 800 hours!> You meant 8,000 hours, right?

I'm about to give up myself (about 20,000 hours, because no matter how well you play, RNG will screw u over.

EDIT: Forget what I wrote. It is 800 hours and I have put in like 2,000 hours.

@electrolite77 But it is not "like" the competition. You can drop the 1080p60fps spec all you want but that is not a benchmark for graphics/presentation. They had to cut to get there. Graphics, presentation, game modes. and on top of that - online play.

You cant just make any game and meet the resolution requirement of the dock mode and say it is the same thing. Specially when everyone can see what the actual home console experience is.

Being "hybrid" is not a "make all games better" feature to everyone regardless of what it is when docked.

This game is great for me. I am never going to own a ps4 or xbone so I am happy to own this on Switch. I don't care that it can't perfectly match the more powerful systems. The switch version is a great game by itself. We're having a blast with it at our house.

@geox30 Nintendo fanboys need to take a break and value FIFA18 for what it is: an excellent game soccer that includes portability, with less modes than other versions that run on more powerful hardware. Period.

@sillygostly "Ungrateful turds" just made me almost spit out my water. hahahaha!

@Link41 No, it's really not.

I have and always will be a fan of the FIFA games. I was a day one purchaser and have no complaints at all about this game apart from inviting a friend to a match. All the other stuff people are complaining about is nothing worth worrying about. They just like to hate on the game because its not for them. Well it is for me and my advise would be buy it and play it then judge it. If its not for you keep your reciept and take it back simple as that.

Again, But that isn't across the board just because it is on the Switch. Yes - Zelda, Xenoblade, Splatoon or even Disgaea 5 hit that benchmark in parity you are talking about. But that does not transfer over to every Switch game regardless of what the end product looks/plays like. I'm not saying Mario should cost the same as a 3DS game

The gap is that wide (for this game) for most people - There is no way around it.

Sounds more like a hybrid-build than a custom-build, with characteristics from both last and current gen FIFA games.

@maceng
I am a Nintendo fanboy and I appreciate Fifa 18 for what it is. You need to grow up. Period.

@geox30 That's exactly what I said. You need to learn to read better, I guess. Period.

If fifa 19 is more of the same, I would suggest EA skip it all entirely. I’m getting an uneasy feeling that EA will do to the switch what they did with he vita versions of fifa, that is they released one game and pretty much just updated the superficial aspects of the title for each of the subsequent releases. It would be embarrassing for EA if they did that with the switch seeing as how it may turn out to be a fantastic seller and will have a substantial userbase. Switch owners deserve better.

@Si2k78
If the money is there, they will follow. I get the impression that there is a more mature - with disposable income - audience this time around. Time will tell.

@electrolite77 No, the direct comparison would be FIFA soccer on Vita and FIFA12 PS3. All Nintendo handhelds were never anywhere near the top gaming tech of their time.

And however you want to keep spinning it in your head. The reality is that FIFA 18 is not equal to the PS4 version. Not in presentation, Modes or Online play. Call it what you want: Portable, Hybrid... most people do not want to pay the same price for less. A little less or a lot less... it is still less.

Have bought FIFA most years on Xbox. Still have my Xbox One sitting under my TV but this year I went for the Switch version. The handheld factor was key for me as I can play while the wife watches TV.

Yes it would be nice to have all the features of the other versions, and I hope next year's version ups the ante. But FIFA 18 on the Switch is a great FIFA game that gets the core aspects bang on and I am happy I have it.

I played it with my brother last night and once he got used to using the Joycons (no pro controller here) he said it played just as good.

@electrolite77 Oh i'm sorry sweetheart i was expecting a port that was worth the 60 price tag. Not this. I don't care how it plays or how it looks. If the port is missing all these modes! It's not a good port. If it was 40 bucks. You wouldn't see me talk about it,but it's not. It's 60 bones.

@JaxonH Age has everything to do with this. It's last gen versions that EA could care less about. It's a quick job to get money on the side,that's what those versions are sir. You comparing the Switch version to a quick job is silly.

Expectations? It's 60. If the version you're paying is asking for that much? It damn well better have all the features that every other version has. If NOT. Don't ask for 60. Ask for 40. How hard is that to understand? Your version is for a current gen console. So it should have all the features the other currents ports have.If it can't do it! Don't ask for 60!

I've been taking a full-fledged FIFA with me on the go, and I can continue it at home on a big screen. It's so great and I have no complaints even after playing the other two console versions. It even plays tighter than the other versions.

@electrolite77 "If the port is missing all these modes! It's not a good port. If it was 40 bucks. You wouldn't see me talk about it,but it's not. It's 60 bones." Can't read?

But alas have fun with paying 60 dollars for a port that's better than last gen versions. Cause that's something to be proud of i guess. Also have fun pointing fingers at your fellow Nintendo fans for not paying 60 bones for this port.

@MsJubilee
But it's not just a current gen console. It's a current gen hybrid console. And less capable.

$40 versions are equivalent to what we saw on 3DS and Vita. That's a $40 version. This is WAAAAY beyond that. It's far enough beyond it to still be $60. Simply missing a mode or two versus current gen power consoles isn't enough to say it should be $40. On a scale between a $40 3DS/Vita version and a $60 PS4/X1 version, this would land at around $57.50 Which is pointless to try and say it should be sold for less. And that's ignoring the fact it surpasses other $60 console versions.

@MsJubilee From what I gather, the price-tag is for functionality the console itself has. It's basically leaning 100% on the Switch's own function to sell, at least that's what I'm seeing here.

And I doubt this will be any different for any other third-party multiplat. Maybe they should give a discount for a version that can only play docked eh?

Confirmation that the Switch port is gimped, even if they dress it up a bit. The base is there, however, for a proper version next year if that happens, GOK.

@electrolite77 No, I said
"Price it as a AAA handheld game and it will sell twice as much"
They can sell a digital version at that price - there is always a way.
People are trained to give a pass to inferior games if they cheaper and marketed as a handheld. They already tried "Full price Hybrid console game" and it is a failure for this version... they need to try something else.

Yes, tons of PC people would say they do not understand why we pay $60 dollars for an inferior console games. There is a reason why they call themselves "the master race"... we all being robbed blind to them. Most of us do not have a GTX1070 or i7-700Ks, so that is an entire other conversation.

Ok, but that demographic ended up being 1% of total UK sales. 12K in japan and not even in the Amazon top 100 in the USA. Something needs to give or simply not make it. Na man, for gimped multiplats - I'll do the same thing most people did for FIFA18,... not buy it on the Switch

@BLP_Software I just looked at their website and they seem to be hacks who don't really understand technology. They have probably gotten so used to analyzing games in terms of graphics that they don't realize there are other dimensions to games or that game mechanics are also technology.

@UmniKnight They should'ave sold this port for 40 bucks if it's missing all these features. If they did, i wouldn't be here talking about this port.

@electrolite77 So, on a productive note, what's required here to smooth things out? Third-parties making better ports? Or people accepting that the Switch version is the same price, with portability being the enticing feature unless something special is added?

Portability is enough for a lot of people to live with the down-grades, but discussions like these will never change, unless Nintendo were to release a stronger Switch that blurs the line, if such a thing even comes to pass.

How much does co-op and local play slot into all this? How much does it even still hold, in today's online environment?

This game is really great. A ton of fun and worth getting. It seems to me that initially they weren't going to call it FIFA 18, but when there was an uproar they said it would be called FIFA 18.

Yes there are some modes missing, but EA has been upfront about most of it, and I'd like to hope for more sports games and improved new versions. That isn't going to happen if people kill it with negativity.

The game has less features some other versions, sure, but it is a good game. A great game really. Maybe the PS4 version is better, so people who have a PS4 should get it. Except you can't play that version on the go, and for those of us without a PS4 or Xbox one, the Switch version is the one to get.

I want to see Madden and NHL on the Switch too. But I'm really excited about FIFA and NBA2K, and having a ton of fun with them.

I genuinely don't understand the hate this game I getting in some quarters, I can only assume it's from keyboard warriors with nothing better to do that scour the Internet looking for any negative they can possibly find in an to attempt to backup their points.

Pretty much anyone who's actually bothered to go out and buy the game and play it will tell you it's fantastic and plays like a dream.

I use my Switch primarily as a home console and even blown up on my 55" tv it looks amazing. Does it look quite as good as the ps4 version? Probably not but we really are talking fine margins.

I've seen people complaining it should cost less because it has a couple of (useless) modes missing. These people are probably the same clowns who would normally pay more to download a game rather than go out and buy a physical cart for less, it smacks of double standards.

The only legitimate complaint is the lack of being able to invite a friend to play a game online, other than that this game is fantastic and I'd even say my favourite Switch game so far (though no doubt that will change on 27th October).

Lol, im a Nintendo fan. But the fanboy tears in some comments.. Oh my... Bunch of cry baby's.

-need a tissue?-

EA did a good job with this one for the Switch, i like it alot.
I am hoping to see more from them on the switch.
those spoiled fan boy tears just scare away those third partys lol. Just hilarious 😂😂

@QuickSilver88 Thanks.

"I do think it's fair to objectively compare versions though."

I think the comparisons are good, I just think some people are doing it backwards, spending too much time looking to see what's missing when they should be looking to see what the Switch is capable of in handheld and 2 player tabletop modes. If you buy a Kia or a Hyundai instead of a BMX or Lexus you shouldn't be comparing the luxury features that you are missing out on, you should be happy you can get around for half the price and still have AC and a radio. (If you are buying a car in 2017 w/o AC or a radio you are doing it wrong.)

And while the $300 Switch is more than the current X1S and PS4 Slim you are getting 3 consoles in 1, home, handheld, and tabletop which is important not b/c it's tabletop mode for people too lazy to hold the tablet but b/c it has 2 controllers out of the box and no console does that. So when I say tabletop mode I'm really saying 2 player out of the box.

And yeah, at some point hopefully Nintnedo turns it into a tablet by giving it a web browser and Netflix et al. It's a 720p 6" screen w/ a built in kickstand, thing was made for streaming video. I don't see them ever making an email app but if it has a functional web browser people can go that route, I do that on my phone and tablet. And I'm trading in my Xbox 1 for a Swtich, so if it doesn't get Netlfix, Hulu and Amazon I might have to buy a Roku.

So it's not a PS4 or Xbox, people should stop pretending it is. Though that's partly on Nitnedo for pushing it as a home console in the west and people towing the company line. I think they do a much better job pushing it as a tribrid in Japan where TVs rarely appear in their ads. I think it's a better, more honest and truthful, representation of the system.

Doubt we will get an official web browser. Nintendo are so worried about people finding back door routes for piracy. They won't take the risk.

@XenoShaun
In Nintendo terms technically I would say that the Wii/360/PS3 were 7th gen, Wii U/360/PS3 were 8th gen, Switch/XBO/PS4 are 9th gen. This would be due to the 360/PS3 having double the lifespan of a regular gen.

According to EA though the Switch is a 4th gen system because nothing existed before PlayStation.

@electrolite77 No it is not. I am buying Wolfenstein 2 on PC because I can get it for $37 on PC and with my setup I can play it at PS4 levels with full keyboard and mouse support. Zero reason to pay $60 on the PS4 or Switch ("portable" not worth extra $23 dollars to me and who knows online play). But buying NinoKuni2 on PS4... on my PC it will not be any better, still $60 but I get the physical copy. The PC Vs Console is not that simple... and also affects the Switch.

Again, nobody here is doing some global price statement on Switch games. I do not care that Nights of Azure 2 is $60... I'm getting just about the same game as the PS4 version + portable. But that "portable" value only goes so far and FIFA18 goes way over it.

You say "handheld game" does not need to imply cheaper... well a gimped hybrid Switch game that is not feature complete with random Online support - does need to be cheaper.

Just a lot easier calling it a handheld game.

And no, I will not get it just to support 3rd party on Switch. Hollow Knight, Azure, Battle Chasers, RIME, Wonder Boy, Shantae, Xenoverse2, Lego Undercover, One Piece... I will and have supported 3rd party multiplats games when it makes sense.

The game looks great, does not look like a lazy port and it's not even close of being a crappy smartphone version. I was playing the PS4 version (the Demo version) then I compared to the Switch version. I think people were expecting a bad lazy port and now that we have a very good version they just can't say "Ok I'm wrong this version is good" and prefer to complain with nonsense things like the price or a missing feature that they wouldn't really care. If the person care so much about the alex hunter mode, it is going to get this for PC or PS4 or Xbone and will not spend a minute complaining about the Switch version.

@BLP_Software blame Nintendo.

@JaxonH one flaw in your argument though. PS3 and 360 are over a decade old. And still receiving relevant, mainstream titles like FIFA.

Now, should they be 60? I dunno, but if the market demand is there then more power to them.
There's a bigger point here though, in that Sony and MS have both figured out something Nintendo has either lost or been too arrogant to admit, and because of that, continues to do things like allow their consoles to be supported a decade after release. Hats off to them.

@gatorboi352

It's that 3rd party support. Without it, a console dies immediately when they transition to the next. We kind of saw it with Wii and DS, simply because the install base was so huge a lot of games continued to come to those systems in the Wii U/3DS era. In many cases, outright skipping the Wii U in the process.

But anyways, I've never made a big stink about different versions of games being slightly unequal but all having one standard price. I think if it is made to a significantly lower standard (like what we see with 3DS/Vita versions) a lower price is certainly warranted and I think that's why those games are only $40. But when you're this close to the full fledged, current gen console versions (like, on a sliding scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a 3DS version and 10 is a PS4 version, this falls at an 8 or 9), I just don't see it as an issue (be it PS3, 360 or Switch).

It's up to each consumer to decide which version they see the most value in, and the market does allow for price drops over time, so if a particular gamer doesn't feel a game is worth $60 they can always wait a month and grab it for $50, or wait 2 months and find it for $40, or wait 6 months and grab during a Black Friday or summer sale for half off.

I will say though, I've been a little wishy-washy between which approach I favor- EA with FIFA 18 or TakeTwo with NBA 2k18. At first I favored NBA 2k18 because it had full parity and it was running the same engine and it had the story mode, etc etc. But then the game released and it had save file corruptions, cut scenes that stuttered, bugs galore, etc, and I played FIFA 18 which runs smooth and looks great at 1080p/60fps, and I decided I was wrong and that FIFA 18 was the better approach, even if it means missing a mode or two. But THEN they patched NBA 2k18 and the save issues are fixed, cut scenes are fixed, tons of bugs have been patched out... and now I'm beginning to think maybe they did take the best approach after all. There's still the whole 30fps and lower res thing, but it definitely looks comparable to current gen versions and now that it's running well... Idk. I'll have to wait until it releases physically and I can play it before I can make a final determination as to which of these games was the better approach.

The thing I actually like about FIFA is that I can play online without getting abuse like I usually do on other platforms for being so bad at it. Plus I haven’t have anyone quit on me and I haven’t been completely destroyed by anyone (my biggest defeat was by a single goal margin). I hope this isn’t the only FIFA we get on Switch.

Hi All

I've been playing fifa 18 on switch since day 1. having last played fifa 16 on my ps4 and prior to that the last fifa that came out of vita, all i can say is that the game is frigging awesome. I'm playing ultimate team and find matches all the time. The game plays great. I could care less about single player, i'm all about online and portable so this is the best version to do it. You guys need to just chill out and give the game a chance. If you have not bought it or played it on the switch then your not qualified to give an opinion....and if you just wanna talk [removed] then go to gaf or reddit.

_{@toiletseatgamer Mind your language - Octane}

@JaxonH Well said man. Cheers!!

@CharizardSmash

Wrong. You really don't have a ' fully fledged version ' not even close.