FIFA 18 is great fun wherever you play it. Now that FIFA is out for Nintendo Switch, there are even more ways and means to play the world's biggest football video game.
The Switch port of the game is not as in-depth as that on Xbox One or Playstation 4, but it still retains most of the charm and all of the gameplay elements that make this season's version the best FIFA game yet.
So, what is included in the Switch version of FIFA 18?
DOES FIFA 18 SWITCH HAVE ULTIMATE TEAM?
EA Sports
While Ultimate Team has made it to Switch, elements such as Squad Battles and Weekend League are absent. If you’re new to Ultimate Team, this won’t be a great loss as the bulk of the addictive card trading and online play is still present.
All the cards and players available in Ultimate Team are just the same as in the PS4 or Xbox One versions, meaning you can build your Ultimate Team exactly the way you like it and battle opponents online with your custom squad.
At the moment, the FUT community is smaller than the two other consoles, but this is sure to increase as more people get their hands on a copy of the Switch version.
IS CAREER MODE THE SAME ON SWITCH?
If you've played Career Mode on FIFA 17, then you will get exactly what you expect from FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch. The vast majority of career mode's features are here, with the exception of the transfer negotiation cutscenes powered by the Frostbite engine.
Outside of the negotiations, FIFA 18 on Switch doesn’t include release clauses and the increased objectives that appeared in FIFA 17. Thankfully, being able to copy and paste training routines from previous weeks (a new feature in FIFA 18) has made it to Switch.
IS THE JOURNEY ON SWITCH?
Unfortunately the biggest omission from FIFA 18 on Switch is the lack of the Journey mode. While this won't be a problem for players who play Ultimate Team or Career Mode predominantly, many players did enjoy the introduction of the Journey in FIFA 17.
The latest version sees Alex Hunter continue his career progression, but is only available on the other console versions of the game.
HOW GOOD IS FIFA 18 ON SWITCH?
There are plenty of reasons to try FIFA 18 on Switch, the most important of which is that it plays and looks great. Player animations are impressive and running at 60 FPS and in 1080p when docked and 720p in your hand, means this is by far the best looking portable FIFA experience ever.
Gameplay is great and a little pacier than on Xbox One and PS4 and thankfully the new crossing mechanic has made it onto the Switch version.
What’s hard to get across in videos is just how good it feels to be able to play a good FIFA game on a handheld device, or even on a Nintendo console. Taking your FIFA career mode on the train or playing a quick Kick Off game on the bus and having all the teams to choose from is amazing.
While being able to play FIFA 18 online is great, FIFA is always better with someone sat next to you. So, being able to take the Joy-cons off a play with a friend wherever you are makes FIFA 18 on Switch the most sociable FIFA yet.
While some Nintendo Switch owners will look over at those playing on Xbox One and PS4 with mild envy, they should realise those same players will be looking over at them with equal envy the next time they’re sat on a bus or train scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.