It seemed to rattle my opponents, and would often result in brash slide tackles galore (we’ve all been there) and, if Miura scored a brace, a quick trip to the main menu for an early forfeit. I noticed that in spite of many losses, I won most of the games where I scored early simply because of the impact that would have on the psyche of my rival FIFA 23 coins.
FIFA 23. EA Sports
It exposed the sunk-cost fallacy of Ultimate Team. If you put money into the game, over time, you’re expecting to have an advantage. If a player with a similar team beats you, you’re made to think that if only you had X player you could have turned the tide, so you put your hand deeper into your pocket to improve. But if you lose to an opponent who isn’t playing by those rules, then your brain is left with few rational conclusions. Hopefully, it will make you think about why you started playing in the first place.
Ultimate Team is already so stagnant thanks to players who buy teams full of expensive footballers with no intention of using them properly. This framework incentivises conservative play to protect the mirage and earn more money in order to improve your squad. But the introduction of weekly rewards and squad-building challenges in recent years have made it so that you can have fun without spending money in Ultimate Team, that is, if you change your attitude towards it.
There’s a more interesting version of the beautiful game waiting for players who don’t want to be part of the rat race. A style of play that looks away from stats and focuses on endearing narratives, where even the most outclassed striker can turn heads on the main stage. That’s the kind of football I love watching in real life, and as I found out, it’s also the kind of FIFA I want to play buy FUT 23 coins.
‘FIFA 23’ review: it’s exactly the game you’re expecting.