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Update 1.2.0 could go down in history as the patch that saved EA Sports FC 26 . After an incredibly positive debut back in early September , the latest instalment of EA Sports' flagship football franchise was stuck in limbo as gamers grew unhappy with a number of features and game-breaking bugs. The abuse of mechanics like kick off goals, close-quarters dribbling, and keeper movement spring to mind. When rumours of a patch first started to surface, fans were hopeful it would breathe new life back into the game. Bringing some crucial nerfs to both attacking and defending, alongside a long list of bug fixes across all game modes, the version 1.2.0 update seems to finally address the community's complaints — well most of them, anyway. What attracted me most to the game at launch was how fluid it felt. EA FC 26 was never sluggish, which made it an addictive joy to play. For too long since, however, it has been the opposite. Defending broken gameplay mechanics grew tiresome, it rarely felt smooth, and it became an increasingly difficult task to pick up my controller and grind Rivals for weekly rewards, or Evolutions to try and upgrade my Southampton player items. Thanks to a recent update, this has all changed. As soon as I played my first game of this 'new era' of EA FC, I could tell the difference almost instantly. I enjoyed the game probably more than I did when it released in early access on September 19. Plus, in a true shock to the system, I can actually defend now (a ridiculous revelation to any of my close friends who have played with me). Attacking and defending now feels like something I have more control over than ever, and I'm no longer conceding or scoring goals due to the aforementioned broken gameplay mechanics. Of course, not everything is fixed. My biggest bugbear - keeper movement - is still a thing, and I can't wait for the day it's removed or nerfed to such a degree a game isn't decided by a lazy flick of the stick. Nevertheless, the future is looking so bright for EA FC 26, especially if the developers carry on at this rate. My biggest fear now is that EA goes too far the other way. For the time being, at least, we've got to give the development team their flowers for making EA FC great again.
