Long-time gamers are back in EA Sports FC 24, but will the reign of terror continue?

Whether it’s the deadly speed of TOTS Kane, the tractor beam defending Winter Wildcards Varane or the animation of old Virgil van Dijk’s elite Gold, stretchers may not be as strong now as they were when they first fell at the start of FIFA 23, but some are still Very well – if Vanja Milinkovic-Savic’s rate of shapeshifters is anything to go by.

Whereas before all players were divided into three AcceleRATE models – explosive, controlled and long – in EA Sports FC 24 there was more than twice that amount, with players classified as “mostly explosive” or “mostly prolonged”. Depending on where they sit on the stat scale.

Controlled players build up to their top speed gradually, while explosive players hit their top speed almost instantly, but reach a plateau over the distance. On the other hand, lengthy players take longer to speed up, but they build a strong head that allows them to catch up with other players. In practical terms, this means that tall players cover the field as quickly as possible due to the distances involved in the opponent’s long dribbles. But in EA Sports FC, there will be a greater selection of running styles rather than just an all-encompassing style for tall, medium and shorter players.

In FIFA 23, height and explosiveness are calculated by the difference between a player’s agility and strength attributes (taking into account minimum height and speed). So it would make sense that in EA Sports FC 24, the new AcceleRATE models would fire at different thresholds between these stats.

“Longy’s back, for sure,” said Sam Rivera, Senior Producer at EA Sports, in the Gameplay Deep Dive video.

“Using Hypermotion V, we’ve recorded twice as many acceleration prototypes, which means more uniqueness and differences, as in real life.

“We basically went from a few dozen distinct running styles to more than a dozen. It’s not just the superstars that we’ve already played in our game, it’s everyone on the field.”

You can learn more about how this affects gameplay in the EA Sports FC 24 hands-on preview.

EA Sports FC 24 release date is set for September 29, 2023 on console, PC, and Switch.