–New Game Innovations vs. F2P Challenges
Hi everyone, with gameplay footage of FC 26 now available, we can get an early look at how this highly anticipated new premium title stacks up against Konami's free offering, eFootball. Today LDshop will break down the differences and current state of both games across various dimensions.
Table of contents
Licensing, Business Models, and Entry Cost
This is the most fundamental difference, directly impacting player investment and authenticity.
FC 26: This is a paid game. It holds full licenses for top leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, and the Champions League, along with a vast number of teams and players, delivering the most authentic team and player experience. Furthermore, its core mode, Ultimate Team (UT), encourages players to purchase FIFA Points to acquire card packs and build stronger squads. The UT mode heavily relies on monetization to obtain top-tier players and items; various promo cards and the Evolution system require significant resource investment from players.
eFootball: It adopts a F2P model. However, due to licensing issues, it lacks some league licenses (e.g., the Bundesliga). Player licenses are relatively complete, though, and players can compensate for missing official teams by creating custom teams. Building a competitive squad presents two choices: rely on exceptional luck, or invest considerable time "grinding for coins." In the Chinese version, eFootball uses a probability-based card pack system, making the cost of acquiring top players quite high. However, the in-game currency (GP) yield is higher, allowing F2P users to accumulate resources through events. Our own experience of building a usable F2P team in two weeks without exceptional luck proves it's possible to play without spending, but acquiring elite players still requires substantial effort.
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Game Modes and Esports Background
The available content and competitive environment are key to long-term player engagement.
FC 26: The game offers rich content, centering around the Ultimate Team (UT) mode, which emphasizes squad building, player trading, and competitive events. It includes varied gameplay like Weekend League, Division Rivals (DR), and Squad Battles (SQB). It also provides multiple options like 5v5 and co-op modes. FC 26 has a mature esports ecosystem, such as the FC Pro Open.
eFootball: It focuses more on realistic controls and a competitive experience, emphasizing real-time PvP matches. However, it is criticized for a lack of mode variety; the endgame largely boils down to grinding the online divisions for rank. The Chinese version has added localized features like weekly cups and specific squad selection events to enrich the experience. Its methods for selecting participants for esports events and modes requiring non-stop grinding are also questioned. It is worth noting, however, that eFootball has become a title for the FIFAe World Cup and was designated as an official esports title for the Chinese Football Association's national team program, increasing its competitive profile.
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Gameplay Feel and Core Mechanics
This is the heart of the experience, and the two games have taken different paths.
FC 26: A major highlight of this title is that input delay is almost eliminated, making controls extremely responsive and addressing a major frustration from previous iterations. Despite ongoing optimizations in recent years, some players still report a feeling of the game being "sluggish" or unresponsive. More importantly, FC 26 has undertaken a deeper "complete overhaul" of the game's mechanics, giving a fresh feeling and showing the developers have listened to community feedback.
eFootball: It is known for its realistic controls, emphasizing logical player movements and tactical execution. Its gameplay has also been adjusted, for example, through passes have become more powerful. However, the game suffered from poor feel at launch due to engine issues, which has improved through multiple updates. Additionally, while player movement in eFootball has improved compared to last year, it can still feel a bit like players are "on roller skates."
Visual Presentation and First Impressions
Immersion and initial impressions are crucial for forming an opinion.
FC 26: Holds a clear advantage in visuals; camera work, player models, and pitch details contribute to a significantly enhanced sense of immersion. Its pack opening animation is clean and sleek. However, maybe its player walkout sequence slightly "cringey."
eFootball: The pack opening animation from eFootball 25 maybe is more popular. The game also offers an "Authentic Experience" mode that simulates reality more closely in terms of player movement and dynamic weather.
eFootball's Key Controversies: Smart Assist and Content Updates
These are the most significant issues within the eFootball community and long-term discussion points.
Smart Assist: This feature automatically corrects player dribbling and passing, even changing pass types. This means in high-level play, players must predict their opponent's actions and guess the AI's interventions, severely compromising competitive fairness. We admit that if they were deeply invested in competitive play, they would be "very bummed" about this feature and its allowance in esports events.
Card Pool Dilution: The addition of female players to the general card pool in eFootball, while promoting diversity, also dilutes the probability of pulling specific male star players, which can frustrate some players.
The Season Reset Debate: eFootball's card carryover from season to season is an advantage, but we personally favor a seasonal reset. The reasoning is that facing fully-built "monster teams" diminishes the fun, whereas the annual journey of building a "Road to Glory" team from scratch is inherently more rewarding and engaging.
Conclusion and Choice Advice
In summary, the two games have distinctly different styles; the choice depends on personal preference:
FC 26's strengths lie in the comprehensive experience offered by its premium price tag: innovative gameplay, superior visuals, varied modes, full licensing, and a mature esports scene. If you prioritize authentic league experiences, the UT mode, and rich content/events, FC 26 is the more suitable choice.
eFootball's advantages are its free entry point and a focus on realistic controls, coupled with a growing esports pedigree. However, it is plagued by issues like Smart Assist and a lack of mode variety. If you prefer realistic controls, competitive PvP, and can accept the localized gameplay and monetization differences in the Chinese version, eFootball can be a viable option.
FC 26's Ultimate Team mode is too consuming, and grinding eFootball's divisions seems of limited purpose. We believe the real fun in football games lies in cooperative modes with friends. The final choice ultimately depends on whether you value a deep, innovative experience, the low barrier of F2P, or the simple joy of playing with friends.
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