FIFA 21 Title Update 8 Review: Goodbye Team Press?
EA has just released the patch notes for FIFA 21’s latest title update. A bunch of important gameplay mechanics have been nerfed while some key bugs have also been fixed.
The update is set to be released on Xbox and PlayStation in the coming weeks but before then, here’s a comprehensive look at the major changes EA have made to the game;
Team Press Has Been Nerfed (again)
Over the past few months, EA has made attempts to reduce the effectiveness of the “Team Press” D-pad tactic.
Back in November, they reduced the amount of time Team Press can be active for, dropping its active time from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
Team Press has now been nerfed even further as its active time has gone down from 20 seconds to 15 seconds.
EA has also introduced a two-second delay for the team press mechanic, which means that there’s a two-second wait time between when you activate Team Press and when it actually starts to work.
Stepovers Have Been Nerfed
Stepovers are no longer considered basic skill moves, which means you will no longer be able to chain them effectively while moving.
Asides from chaining, EA has also slowed down the stepover animation, making it less effective at tricking your opponent.
Considering how broken step overs are in FIFA 21, nerfing them in this manner is a great decision on EAs part, as it will reintroduce some much needed balance to FIFA’s gameplay.
The Shot-Cancel Mechanic Has Been Nerfed
The shot cancel is a skill move that was popularized by FIFA youtuber Inception.
It involves cancelling a shot mid-way in order to force a defender to perform an unintended blocking animation, allowing you to create ample space to take a real shot.
It was an effective counter to the seemingly never-ending auto-blocks that defenders make when you take a shot, but following the latest patch, the shot-cancel has now been nerfed.
We think it’s a bad decision on EAs part.
The shot-cancel move itself is very unnatural, but it was the only real counter to the auto-block mechanic, which quite frankly is a massive problem in FIFA 21, but now that the shot-cancel has been nerfed, EA should look towards nerfing auto-blocks as well.
No More Weird Balls
After months of clamouring, EA has finally listened. Thanks to the new update you can now say goodbye to weird balls that blend with the colour of the pitch and interfere with your gameplay.
You will no longer be able to see your opponent’s equipped ball item, instead, you will only see your own.
This has been a massive issue for the entirety of FIFA 21 but luckily it has now been patched.
Co-op Squad Battle Changes
EA has eliminated the pause limit for co-op squad battles meaning you and your co-op partner can now make unlimited pauses.
Important Miscellaneous Gameplay Changes
- EA has fixed an issue where goalkeepers would get stuck in the net, thereby causing games to last longer than they usually should.
- EA has fixed a fairly major defensive issue whereby a defender would make no attempts to contest the ball despite having a clear opportunity to do so after a ball carrier has made a heavy touch.
- EA has improved the referees’ logic in situations where a goalkeeper dives at a ball carrier’s feet – this means that refs will be able to make smarter decisions with regards to what a “goalkeeper foul” really is.
