I've been wondering if the yearly sim releases are still stuck in the past... lately I've noticed more devs shifting focus to accessibility, career modes, and true-to-life mechanics instead of just chasing graphical benchmarks. Player growth systems feel way deeper now too, almost like RPGs. Makes you think - is the tide finally turning from the 'annual graphics upgrade race' to actual gameplay depth? Or is this just a temporary detour before the next visual arms race kicks off? Curious what others think about this shift.
2024 football sims focus shift - are devs finally moving on?
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This trend has been around in game design for a long time, seen in RPGs and such. It just took a little longer to reach football sims.
Just reading this post really resonated with me. Last year, when I played GT Sport's career mode, I suddenly realized that the international ranking system, race schedules, and team relationships were way harder to grind than the frame rate issues from the previous season. Even top-tier drivers have to juggle agent negotiations, injury recovery, and sponsor missions after reaching their peak—it's like a mix of character progression and strategy, much more relaxing than the old "grind quality" overtakes for experience.
Now I've straight-up bought EA FC24. After picking my progression tree in Career Growth, I'm out there digging for upgrades like a miner every day, grinding "reverse-thinking" paths. The all-rounder winger and versatile defensive midfielder training trees are wild—it's even more addictive than the PS games. At least now I can sleep peacefully every night without staying up late waiting for patch optimizations to fix car model textures. With this kind of RPG elements blended into football sims, it seems the "visual arms race" really needs to take a backseat—it's just too much to handle.