I've been playing EA Sports FC 27 for a week and these are the 5 upgrades that matter most

I've been playing EA Sports FC almost daily since Electronic Arts' much-publicised split from FIFA, and the FIFA games long before that, but last year's outing was the first that made me reconsider my life choices.

After reviewing it for T3 a year ago I opted to give it a break and only returned months later – when Team of the Season started in Ultimate Team. I actually didn't miss it in that time either.

There were a few reasons for that, but primarily it was the on-field gameplay. In Ultimate Team at least, it was the first release where I felt opponents could get away with spamming the same moves and types of goals over and again. And the game seemed to punish clever football-like movements and play.

1. Speed

The first thing that struck me about EA Sports FC 27, especially when playing an online game in Ultimate Team, was how quickly it moved.

I've often hated starting my UT journey with a bog standard gold team each year – not least because I'll have only just switched from the previous game and a 99 rated squad of superstars. However, the game has felt more zippy even with a starter team in FC 27.

I've managed to secure a few better players over the week, through the transfer market, SBCs, objectives and a couple of excellent pulls from season pass packs, but I don't feel that the game's pace is skewed much by the enhanced stats – it was already fast and fluid.

Depending on the tactics and formation you use (I'm currently playing 4-2-1-3 which works for me) you can get up the pitch quickly and effectively. Previous years have felt like you're playing in mud for the first month or so.

I'm not yet convinced much has changed with the attacking AI and passing is still a bit sluggish and inaccurate at this stage, until PlayStyles start to kick in properly, but gameplay is more fun for sure. I've certainly managed to score a greater variety of goals so far.

2. Defending

One of the biggest enforced improvements this year is in depending – especially in multiplayer. The game now rewards manual defending much more, with AI defending still present but less effective if you simply rely on it.

For example, players have a shorter reach if you leave AI to sort out interceptions. Positioning your players manually will give them more chance of stopping a through ball or pass. And the speed at which you can jockey around attacking players is faster if you are controlling the player yourself, while containing them is more accurate when you're not just spamming buttons.

I've found it results in counter attacks being more manageable, while in reverse opponents who rely on automatic containing and the like aren't able to prevent your own attack plays as often. There's less camping in a half during Ultimate Team matches and more free-flowing football – at this stage of the game, at least.

3. Gallery

I wasn't sure what I'd make of the new Ultimate Team Gallery when it was first announced. It's like an interactive Panini sticker album where you can sort the cards you've picked up into collections. However, in reality it's actually a very handy way of gaining packs and rewards.

In some ways it's like an additional SBC (squad building challenge) mode. You have to fill collections of different categories with cards you've acquired, with each card awarding you points and ultimately helping you progress up the Gallery levels.

This leads to rewards of Gallery tokens to be spent in the store, plus additional giveaways, such as packs and player picks – some of which are worth decent amounts of coins on their own.

What I particularly like about it is that there's an automatic option – you can let the game fill a collection with the required cards. And, unlike SBCs, it doesn't actually use up the cards you add – they will still be in your club afterwards. In fact, once used in a collection, you can even sell them or use them in SBCs. They'll remain in your Gallery collection as long as needed – unless you replace them with higher value cards for more points.

Basically, anything that gives you rewards for play rather than real world cash is a win in my book.

4. SBCs

I've never really had a problem with SBCs and, in fact, I enjoy filling them all to get players and packs. But they have sometimes felt more of a chore than a fun feature.

Thankfully, while some SBCs are the same as before – you have to fill a team with eligible cards to reach a certain target – there are new types that are much more simple and quick to complete.

Instead of a set objective, they require a number of player points to finish, which can be filled with cards from your deck. Different cards are worth a different amount of points (a gold is more than a silver, silver more than bronze, for example) but the game is indiscriminate of other factors.

This makes it a faster task to add cards to the lineup, hit redeem and get your reward. You can even keep the selection button pressed and multiselect players for an even quicker response.

Prior EA Sports FC games – and FIFAs before them – have had too many modes that felt like admin, especially in Ultimate Team, so this is a far better system for me.

5. The return of Alex Hunter

I'll admit it, I was a big fan of The Journey – the three-part story mode that appeared in FIFA 17, 18 and 19. I'm not usually big on single-player modes, but this kept the action short and sweet while genuinely provided an interesting narrative as you guided Alex Hunter from young footballing wannabe to superstardom.

So am thrilled that EA has decided to bring him back, if not the campaign itself.

Starring in The Grounds – the biggest new game mode in the series since Rush was introduced – he is your main mentor and guide through the online multiplayer world. It's also good to see the actor Adetomiwa Edun return to the role.

Could it mean we get a new chapter of The Journey next year? I'd like to think so, but somehow doubt it. The previous outings apparently cost a whole lot of money for a game that is mainly played online, but we can hope.

As for The Grounds itself, it hasn't really captivated my attention as much as it will some. Running around and joining kickabouts is fun, but it's about as far from the real world of football as it gets.

Conclusion

There are plenty of other smaller things I've so far enjoyed in EA FC 27 and it's certainly encouraged me to return more often than its predecessor. The gameplay is faster, more fluid and tighter, I feel, which some of the additions to Ultimate Team feel like they've been born from player feedback.

As is traditional these days, the game does feel iterative rather than something new, but it is definitely improved. It had to be, there were too many holes in its play last year to maintain the fun.

The game isn't perfect – some player faces are really bad (we're looking at you Victor Munoz) and I'm not overly sure anyone over the age of 13 will get much from The Grounds. But it is far more than just a database update this year, and the tweaks to the gameplay mechanics do seem to have made a difference.

I'll know more after a month more of play, but signs are good so far.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.