While we recently had a preview session with FIFA 18 in London, it wasn't until this past Saturday at E3 in Los Angeles that we got time with the Switch version of the game, a version we haven't had all that much information about. To bolster our extensive preview content of FIFA 18 then, here are some quick impressions about what we played.
To talk about the most important thing, the gameplay, this was much better than we thought it'd be. We thought it'd be a marked downgrade from other versions of the game, and while it's admittedly not on the same level in terms of both visuals and the performance of the players (they don't feel as sleek and responsive as on PS4), this still feels like a modern FIFA game, and it's great we can now take this on the move.
The most notable feature is the fact that you can detach the two Joy-Cons to have local multiplayer on the go, and although we didn't get a chance to try this, we did have some concerns about button mapping, as some commands are going to have to be sacrificed considering the lack of buttons on the Joy-Cons. If this works, though, having this option could mean a new way to enjoy FIFA, and make playing with friends even easier.
Button mapping is also slightly odd in the single-player handheld version, as B (circle on PS4) was used to accept things, whereas our internal wiring had indicated that it should be A (cross on PS4). This is only a minor concern and something we could easily get used to, though, as most of the other controls are as you'd expect them to be.
So the Switch version is a viable option for FIFA fans, if they can bear a slight decrease in visual and gameplay quality to gain the ability to take the game with them for mobile entertainment.
You can read more about the Switch version of FIFA 18 by hitting this link into Row Z.