eFootball 2022 version 1.0.0 Review
By Jim James
After a long wait, it is finally here. eFootball 2022 Version 1.0.0 has released and after about a week, I have gathered enough information to make my opinion about the game. Here is my official review and I will explain after:
eFootball 2022 review
I do like the general vibe of the game. It just feels like a modern and fun football game. It also provides an entertaining “Dream Team” mode that is neither like MyClub or Master League, it’s an amalgamation of the both of them, which is something we’ve never seen. The ability to buy any player you like has never been seen in a Konami football game, and it’s a great addition. The ultra-critical new ratings system also, while not being a particularly flattering depiction of the players, provides new room for growth not before seen in it or FIFA, the favourite child of the football games.
This doesn’t mean it isn’t flawed, far from it. There are a few things in Dream Team that seem very weird. You can imagine my surprise when my 75 rated Adama Traore fell to 55 rated in my team without a good reason. It is also just Dream Team and the screen that appears to be the Dream Team home page is the page of the entire game itself. I know the update is not a week old yet, but there just seems to be not too much to do in this game. As I write this, there are not yet any live events or scouts, and the generic demo teams from the first half of the game cycle are still the only playable teams, a big disappointment for me. Overall the game seems empty and would be disappointing if this came out in September 2021, never mind April 2022. I still don’t know why they had to switch, the Pes franchise was doing so well and had no need to be changed, and it has deterred a lot of fans with its severe reduction of game modes. So I can’t give this a positive review.
I still agree with this, even a few days after I wrote this. I also found out how to get my Adama higher rated, just get a new manager. I am just disappointed that after so much hype and so long of a wait, this is all we get. After about 20 minutes I got bored and went back to FIFA 22. RED ALERT. RED ALERT. THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN WITH A NEW KONAMI FOOTBALL GAME.
I still think that the eFootball rebrand was the worst thing to happen to Konami football games. I was cheesed off by the simple season update for PES 2021, but I understood. However, this was the first real big update a Konami game got since PES 2020, in 2019 and 2.5 years ago. PES may have always been 2nd fiddle to FIFA, but when you were tired of it, the West’s finest crack at a Football Game, you could always go to the East’s finest for a fresh look, even though they didn’t have many licenses, they were always fun to play, especially Master League, and the occasional Be a Legend and MyClub. However, that has been taken away with this new game. A streamlined game that’s only mode isn’t even that in-depth.
I understand the pandemic and that Konami doesn’t exactly have the staff and resources of EA Sports, but a team that has produced and improved on a game like PES yearly for the last 20 years should be able to make a good game with 7 months longer to work on it. Heck, with 7 more months, they should produce an exceptional, blow-us-out-of-the-water, legendary game. However this bleak effort really disappoints me. Another thing, EA may have triple or quadruple the employees of Konami, but the EA Sports employees also have to focus on the Madden, NHL, F1 and UFC Franchises. They also have a whole other main branch with games like The Sims, Battlefield 2042, and their Star Wars franchise. Only a small portion of employees actually work on FIFA, while for Konami, their Football game is their Golden Goose, so a larger portion works on it. However, I have seen games with only 1 Developer be better than this. Basketball GM for instance. It was made by one developer, Jeremy, better known as DumbMatter, and made the game the Basketball version of FM in less time than the Konami devs made their 1-horse-but-the-horse-has-just-3-legs game.
Let’s take a look at since the pandemic, what FIFA has done vs what Konami has done with their games.
Konami
- Released PES 2021, a season update with no new features
- Revamped their Game, with a new engine and rebranding
- Made a 7-month demo
- Removed Master League, Be a Legend, MyClub
- Made a new “Dream League” mode that is the only mode of their new eFootball game
EA Sports
- Released FIFA 21
- Added Position Changes and revamped the training system in Career Mode
- Added Virtual Match Simulation
- Added new House Rules modes in Kick Off
- Added Custom Stadiums
- Released FIFA 22
- Added Create a Club Mode in Manager Career Mode
- Completely revamped Player Career Mode
- Added new style matches in Volta
- Completely changed gameplay
- Didn’t remove anything major
…and I’ll leave you with that. UFL, the ball is in your court. I’m Jim James, until next time.