FIFA 22 Legacy Edition (Nintendo Switch) Review

The beautiful game is here in portable form! That really is the greatest compliment that can be given. There are exactly two reasons to pick up FIFA 22 on the Nintendo wonder box as opposed to any other console. 1- You do not own another console, 2- you love football so much that you constantly want to carry it around with you at all times, pulling it out at any opportunity and giving 'United' a good trouncing. The next-gen releases have scored highly for Cubed3 this year, genuinely bringing in new innovations and an improvement over the core gameplay. With that in mind however, it only strengthens the argument that something radically different could have been done to its little brother to separate it from the crowd and justify the price point.
Do football fans want all the teams and as many leagues as possible represented? Almost certainly. If that is what tickles the pickle it is all there too. There is certainly no argument to be made about the realistic presentation. Certainly the graphics do not look as great as the next gen offerings, but the best has been made with what hardware is available, only aided by the poor launch of PES free (or whatever they decided to name it, should still be ISS really). The issue, however, is the Nintendo Switch demographic. Switch owners as a whole are a joyful bunch, often choosing fun games over ultra-realism, the whole ethos of Nintendo is that simple fact. So why hasn't EA leaned into it?
Gameplay is…fine? Tackles feel sturdy and the AI responds realistically enough. The shooting however, is as it has been since the first Switch iteration, laughable. Those who are not particularly gifted FIFA players may feel that shooting has always felt like playing with cheats enabled. The magic formula is this; run towards the goal at any angle besides a straight line and shoot from anywhere inside or outside the box, guaranteed top bins. For a devoted Liverpool supporter, maybe it was just taking advantage of using the greatest strike force in world football but no, even the mighty Wrexham were able to put twelve past Manchester City using the tried and tested angle method. Instant gratification is not a bad thing by any means, but when it is at the expense of a complete lack of challenge, gratification equals boredom.

With that absolute howler of a gameplay issue so prevalent, the point remains why not embrace the ridiculousness. Having a small, dedicated team focused purely on creating a game for the portable market, a unique title standing apart from the others could have been created, akin to something like Super Mario Strikers. Keep the licences but focus more on the fun side of things instead of giving Switch owners a raw deal with 'FIFA Lite'. Simply put, resting on the laurels of fully licensed kits, tournaments and players doe not cut the mustard when asking for such a large amount of money to use them. In order for FIFA to survive on Switch, originality needs to shine through.
So, are there any redeeming features? Anything worth splashing the cash on? As mentioned at the start of the review, unless so obsessed with football that you need the newest kits and updates right now (something that it is clear EA are banking on), barely. Personally, the two saving graces are the inclusion of the Champions League, a major tick in the FIFA box allowing full progression from the group stages to the final with up-to-date tables and teams, and the other, Ultimate Team mode. FIFA Ultimate Team for all of its major failings due to its loot box mentality, is easily the most fun of all FIFA Features. Sufficient progress can be made without investing a single penny, and with enough time spent playing anyone can create a team capable of competing in the obligatory online divisions. It may be age talking, but the feeling equates to filling out that Premier League 95 sticker book and carrying around at all times, the hundreds of doublers that have accumulated in the build-up to creating that perfect starting 11. Of course, without investing real world money into the system you're never likely to have a Ronaldo or Messi, but who cares? Andy Carroll is better in the air and less likely to leave the team in a strop anyway.