We got our first glimpse of the new FIFA 23. The gameplay impresses with a new mechanic: The new “Power Shot” has the potential to be game-changing, says MeinMMO author Max Handwerk – if it’s executed correctly.
If you are also football fans, you might know that insane feeling when a player from your favorite team unleashes a shot from distance and the ball crashes in the corner.
The whole stadium erupts, it’s jubilation and celebration. Damn, I still think about that incredible goal from Lars Stindl in the Europa League against Copenhagen ten years later. What a time.
But I don’t want to digress, today is about the new FIFA 23. We got access to the game on Saturday, September 24, to get an initial impression for tonight. So I dove into the gameplay – because there was something I really wanted to try out.
Damn defenders – stop ruining my epic goals
This is the feature: Let’s be honest: From FIFA to FIFA, EA doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to gameplay. Generally, the new installments often feel more like updates than new releases. I found the transition from the old generation to the new, from PS4 to PS5, quite significant – but overall, the FIFA games play somewhat similarly.
That’s why I was curious how the most noticeable innovation in gameplay would feel: The “Power Shot”.
You activate it by holding L1 and R1 while pressing shoot – the same combination that used to be for a finesse shot.
This might surprise players who are playing the new installment for the first time and want to perform a finesse shot. Because what comes out from this combination is definitely the opposite of a finesse shot.
This is how my test went: I entered the “Kick-off Mode” of FIFA 23 and selected, after the crossover was confirmed a few days ago, the fantasy club AFC Richmond from the series “Ted Lasso” – including coach Ted Lasso, of course. As opponents, I picked FC Bayern. I admit: That might have been a bit unwise.
Anyway, I quickly ran into a Bayern wall, so to speak. Well, I was very focused on trying out the Power Shot and didn’t play exceptionally well – but the strong defense of Bayern definitely didn’t help.
Overall, I had the impression that the defensive AI is quite strong.
You must know: The Power Shot is slow. When you activate it, your player slowly brings their leg back.
- You have to aim precisely
- the camera even zooms in a bit
- and then your player fires the ball at high speed towards the goal
All of this makes the shot quite cool – but also easy to block. In short: The Bayern players kept intervening nicely when my Richmond attackers wanted to shoot. Also, I lost the game 0:3. Not an ideal start.
I then switched to Paris Saint-Germain, where top players like Mbappé, Neymar, and Messi are playing. Surely this should work!
And yes, with the three of them, I found myself in better shooting positions. However, it also added that the Power Shot is not easy to execute even when you are not tackled. So I took shots but sent the ball into the stands instead of the net.
The Bayern just stressed a lot with their defense, so I couldn’t focus on shooting. At least the match ended 1:1, but I still missed the super shot goal.
So I played with Manchester City against the English fourth division team Rochester. I know, unfair. But I wanted that super shot goal – with Haaland, I should be able to pull it off!
And what can I say: After 17 minutes, everything fell into place. Haaland broke through, aimed, wound up, and fired a Power Shot that was exceptional. It just needed the comet tail tracing a perfect flight path while the ball … struck the crossbar.
Damn. Not in again. But I already noticed then: These shots are really cool.
I kept trying, shooting the super shot at the poor Rochester defense again and again. And it was only a matter of time until Phil Foden finally scored.
How powerful is the Power Shot really? In the short time I’ve had, the Power Shot has proven to be quite powerful – at least when you create the ideal situation for it.
Players need time to perform the action, and you have to put effort into aiming and setting power. Otherwise, you won’t see an epic goal, but a sad banana cross somewhere towards the crowd.
But when you hit it just right – the ball almost flies uncatchably into the corner. At first glance, it seems like a good deal: High risk – high reward.
How much this feature will ultimately impact gameplay remains to be seen. It is definitely an interesting way to score goals. We will take a closer look at this in the coming days – just like the rest of the gameplay elements and modes in FIFA 23.
Further thoughts on gameplay
A few things I noticed along the way:
- The halftime in kick-off mode can now be set to 3 instead of 4 minutes. That’s cool if you want to play a few matches consecutively with friends.
- When you start the game for the first time, you get a kind of basic tutorial. Also during the game, there are tips and instructions displayed all the time that are meant to help you understand or learn the game. Graphically, it’s well done and could help newcomers.
- The new corner system in FIFA 23 is definitely something to get used to:
- EA has talked a lot about the grass in FIFA 23 being prettier now. Here’s a comparison:
The PSG stadium against Bayern in FIFA 23:
The same stadium in FIFA 22:
Apart from the grass, EA also wanted to introduce another improvement in movements with “Hypermotion 2” to make them seem more realistic. Additionally, new ball animations have been added. Overall, you can certainly notice this: The game feels slower than the last weeks of FIFA 22, more realistic. Speed doesn’t seem as crucial as before.
But, it must be noted: This feeling was also given by previous FIFA installments, especially at the beginning. How this will evolve this year in light of upcoming updates and the strong special cards in Ultimate Team remains to be seen.
Is the new FIFA 23 something for you? Let us know in the comments!
