A month on from the launch of FC 24, millions around the world continue to enjoy EA's latest instalment of the much-adored football game.
That's despite several problems which have somewhat held it back so far, resulting in the release of four Title Updates in the space of just a few weeks.
No matter how many issues appear, however, EA knows exactly how to reel players back in again, and again, and again. It isn't just the case with FC 24, but with the FIFA franchise, too.
There always seem to be annoying bugs and glitches, or perhaps minimal changes and improvements to popular game modes, but because we have become so devoted to playing it, we're sucked back in every single time.
That's not a bad thing by any means, if anything, it's a compliment to EA about just how good the game can be, but it doesn't mean the FC 24 and FIFA community will not - and should not - demand more.
As an avid and loyal FIFA player since the days of 07 and 08, I often ask myself: "Is this game really reaching its full potential?", before swiftly concluding that no, it's not.
Don't get me wrong, we've come a long way since the aforementioned titles thanks to next-gen consoles, but it still feels as if there can be so much more to them moving forward, especially if you are a Manager Career Mode fan.
Career Mode upgrades
Aside from the coaching system that we've seen return to FC 24, it seems that several requests and ideas proposed by the Career Mode community remain unheard, unseen or untouched, for now at least.
While I'm sure the majority of players will understand and appreciate that EA aren't expected to take note of every single idea, certain things have been brought up so many times that some fans may feel as if they are being ignored, and that other game modes are unfairly taking priority.
In this article, we'll take a look at five in-demand features and changes that are yet to be implemented for Career Mode, including input from other dedicated Career Mode users. So without further ado, let's get stuck in!
Press conferences
Part of me is surprised we don't see or hear the manager's yawn during press conferences on FC 24, they've become that boring and repetitive.
The concept of the feature was and still is a cool one, but it's now in serious need of a revamp.
From being asked the same questions over and over again, to answering ones that don't even make sense or match up with in-game events, it's becoming tiresome quite quickly.
The only positive about press conferences in FC 24, is perhaps the fact you aren't required to do them before every single match now, but it has simply got to be improved in FC 25. The more variety and thought put into it, the better this feature will become.
Manager objectives
Sick and tired of being told to sign players you don't want or need? Yeah, me too!
Similar to the press conference feature, many players including myself understand and appreciate the thinking behind objectives, but again, the demands very rarely change and some of them just aren't realistic enough.
The whole idea of Career Mode is meant to be focused on doing things your way, managing who you want, signing who you want, and so on. So when you are being told you must sign three players from North America as a high priority, that sense of freedom and enjoyment is immediately taken away.
Several Career Mode fans agree, with Reddit user MPLangan1205 venting their frustration about the feature:
"I am so tired of these ridiculous objectives. I don’t want to sign 3 players from a random part of the world. I don’t want to spend all my transfer budget. I don’t want to sign a veteran player when I have a young rebuilding team. They truly ruin the little immersion this game still has."
Making objectives more realistic and specific to a club, or allowing the player to disable them altogether would instantly solve this issue moving forward.
Social media feature
If you cast your mind back to The Journey which was featured in FIFA 17, 18, and 19, you will probably remember the social media feed that popped up in between matches on the menu.
Depending on decisions, form and results, Alex Hunter would be on the receiving end of support or criticism, adding a realistic aspect to the mode.
It would be great to see this feature added to Career Mode, and considering EA have used it before, you'd think it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
Seeing Fabrizio Romano pop up whenever there's transfer news, or checking how fans and pundits are reacting to your decisions and performances would be an awesome little addition.
Storyline
Speaking of The Journey and unique storylines, it's about time Career Mode received the same treatment.
The press conference, transfer, and pre/post-match cutscenes are a great start, but if Career Mode is to grow and improve, they must be the first of many immersive features to be introduced.
From seeing training ground activities and matchday journeys to delivering dressing room speeches before and after games, there are many more ways EA can make our managerial experience a realistic one.
The current Player Chat system is another thing that has become outdated. Instead of continuously replying to messages via email, being able to set meetings with them to ask how they're feeling about the team and their role would be a great improvement.
I could spend all day listing new features that would make Career Mode the best yet, but one particular comment on Reddit summed it up perfectly and hit the nail on the head.
u/lepetitpoy said: "I'd like there to be way more storyline aspects to it. Currently playing Career Mode you're mostly making up narrative in your head, but they should be helping you do stuff like this. Without any storyline, you're essentially just grinding through the same stuff, year after year."
It's a pretty sad assessment, but a very true one which the majority of Career Mode players will probably agree with.
Matchday squad
We finish off with one of the more minor issues in Career Mode, but still an annoying one nonetheless!
It has been over a year since the majority of leagues and clubs voted in favour of five substitutes being permitted per match, instead of the traditional three.
Despite EA implementing the rule change to the game, FC 24 players can still only name seven subs on the bench instead of nine, which does not accurately reflect the rules used in real life.
The game's current bench system can also have a direct impact on player morale due to the fact you have no choice but to leave them out of the squad completely.
It's an issue more and more Career Mode users are picking up on, as tjadeji2169 highlighted:
"It's great that the 5 subs rule has been implemented into the game, but they also need to match the bench sizes to real life, in all aspects of the next game. Minimum 10 to benefit UT, and most especially CM for the training aspects to benefit a lot of players."
So there we have it, five major improvements and changes we'd love to see in future EA FC titles. Based on previous releases, we certainly won't be holding our breath, but we can only hope that Career Mode gets the love and upgrade it truly deserves.
What changes would you like to see made to Career Mode? Be sure to let us know!
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