AFL 26 Review (superiggy)
It's not terrible, but it's pretty close. It's more of a relief when the games are over.
In a nutshell, if you've played AFL 23 then you've played AFL 26, and the small improvements while welcome are just not enough to warrant a $100 price tag for a new game.
The same problems that plagued the AFL 23 gameplay - the stiffness, the game being diluted to rhythmic button pressing, the lack of contest around the ball - it's all still there.
The game is absolutely loaded with bugs, so much so that it's almost less playable than an Early Access game. I had a double 50 called against me because a player stayed put behind the ball handler by 30m. Janky animations, lack of landed tackles, kicks that don't to anyone even though the circle is beneath the receiver, exteremely questionable calls by umpires - it's an exercise in frustration.
Then, you win. Then, the game finishes. And you breathe. Not because something amazing happened, but because you're no longer yelling at an unfair and unfinished piece of software. Does that sound like fun to you?
Because what you see in the trailer is genuinely not achievable in the game. If you do get a moment, it's a fluke. Otherwise it's a bland and unnecessarily complex game of kick to kick.
Luck plays a big part in anything, not skill. It seems a roll of the dice for marking contests, even when timed well, and also for tackles which rarely stick or cause any mayhem with the ball - just some pre-determined animation before a ball up. The ball is not its own entity which harks back to early FIFAs where the ball used to stick to players' feet.
The game is also plagued by CPU tackling you when kicking the ball even if you break away. Just like AFL 23, opponents miraculously launch themselves like superman to bring you down and you get called for incorrect disposal. There is no relief or respite, no build-up play, no nothing.
Still to this day we can't beat Aussie Rules Footy on the NES. All we footy fans want is a modern version of how that game made us feel. And this is most certainly not it.