I’ve been knocking a virtual football around a preview build of FIFA 22 on PlayStation 5 this week, and I have to say the gameplay has impressed me.
EA Sports, as it often does, has come up with marketing buzzwords to slap on new gameplay features. This year, for FIFA 22 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S (but not last-gen console or PC, much to the annoyance of PC gamers), it’s HyperMotion, which sounds a bit like a Ubisoft free-to-play shooter.
HyperMotion is two things, really, each with their own buzzword titles: Xsens and ML – Flow. EA Sports motion captured an actual 11v11 match, with each real-life player wearing an Xsens suit. The idea was to get better, more realistic, more energetic animations in the game. ML – Flow is the machine learning part of HyperMotion. It works out in real-time how to animate better based on all the data fed into it.
FIFA 22 | Official Reveal Trailer Watch on YouTube
What’s the upshot of all this for FIFA 22 gameplay? I noticed the change the most in the animations, which EA Sports said would be the case during a recent preview event I attended. There are more animations – 4000 to be exact – and I think many have gone into the way players control the ball. You’ll see a player take multiple ball touches in the same animation as they transition from first touch to second touch and then move away. It feels fluid and is certainly easy on the eye.
Beyond that, though, I didn’t notice much impact gameplay that was labelled next-gen exclusive. Curiously, it was some of the improvements made to the game across platforms (except Nintendo Switch – sorry!) that stood out instead.
During the preview event, lead gameplay producer Sam Rivera ran through the changes made to FIFA 22 gameplay on last-gen as well as current-gen, and they are felt keenly on PS5. The first improvement I noticed was to goalkeepers. They’re better – they make more point blank saves, they’re better in one-on-ones, and they tend not to parry shots away, rather scoop up loose balls they’ve knocked to the ground – as goalkeepers tend to do. There are more variety to saves, too, with that reach with the trailing arm a welcome addition. EA Sports has done good work with the goalkeepers this year, that’s for sure.
The ball feels more realistic, too. It’s not quite up there with the wonder that is PES’ virtual football, but it’s better! What you notice is the lofted switch from side to side is more effective and satisfying to pull off. The ball moves in realistic trajectories as you do this, with the player on the wing moving into space to receive it. Generally, there is more room on the wings in FIFA 22, although I suspect tactics and formations will develop to counter this strategy as the meta takes shape upon release.