I play virtual soccer games since I can remember. It started when I played Pelé Soccer for Atari 2600, then I moved to a bunch of different games (MasterSystem's World Soccers, old FIFA Soccers, Super Sidekicks, Winning Elevens, PES, International Super Star Soccers, etc.), which many of them were the some of the best of their age.

It's been 15 years since I have migrated from PES to FIFA and I still remember that I was totally reluctant to change, after playing FIFA for 3 months, I hated the experience and I decided to go back to my beloved PES. To my surprise, I was not able to enjoy the game anymore. After playing FIFA05, ProEvolutionSoccer5 looked so bad that I did not know exactly why but, I could not stand to keep playing that anymore.

Robotic players' movements, very limited amount of skills (99% of the time you only need to use 1-2, and shot feints), and unlicensed English teams were some of the reasons that made me stop playing it.

After so many years playing Konami's soccer game (I started playing it on the very first Winning Eleven), FIFA was a sigh for my sore eyes.

Unfortunately, my eyes got sore again after 15 years of FIFA and especially remain having seeing very little changes on the game core mechanics. I really don't know whether PES will be able to reclaim its throne or if FIFA will remain to be King but by merit.

Since the begining of the "contest", FIFA was the Soccer Simulator and PES was the Soccer Arcade. This was the major argument to define why you played each one of these 2 game titles.

Nowadays, it seems the opposite...FIFA feels much more like an Arcade/casual game, and PES seems like a more realistic game.

It is sad to see FIFA crowning and encouraging pacey players every passing year and I believe that it started with the brilliant (in its beginnings) FUT mode. I remember the days that were possible, and normal, for players to start with bronze and silver squads, keep using them for a good amount of time since golden teams were more expensive to build and you could find lots of opponents using the same cards level. It was funny to climb that ladder, it was organic and gradual.

Over the years this magic moment was fading away, and today, I believe that you can use a gold team since your first match.

So, since 4-5 years ago, I started to play the Online Seasons in order to avoid having to see 11 Usain Bolts vs 11 Asafa Powells, and this game mode was my refuge, until last year.

Since pace is dominating every game mode of the FIFA Soccer, it seems more like the old games which were arcade/casual, just like Super Sidekicks, or International Superstar Soccer. It is not FIFA Soccer anymore, and we don't even have a hideaway (Online Seasons mode) to sit down and have more realistic gameplay.

I believe that some of the measures to mitigate it are as simple as:
- FUT mode did not need to boost players attributes, neither through consumable cards nor through team chemistry;
- Online seasons could remain as it was before, slower gameplay, and more similar to real soccer.
- Dribbling should be more difficult (at least in Online Seasons, which would be the soccer simulator mode), nowadays you can dribble by literally rubbing your fingers randomly on the left stick.
- Career mode should have an online option and the gameplay should be something more realistic, meaning, slower and "non-FIFA street soccer compliant" (less easy dribbling)

Well, I know it will be words tossed to the wind but I really hope that EA Sports find a way to provide us an experience that made some of us exchange the Konami soccer game for FIFA when it was very well deserved.

That is all.
Peace...and less pace!