FIFA 22’s opening salvo is surprising, star-studded, and awesomely unexpected. It starts out in Paris, with David Beckham enjoying a coffee in a glitzy hotel. The scene then switches to a room on a lower floor, where you choose your avatar after being contacted by French freestyler Lisa Zimouche. The game then goes on to teach you the controls as you dribble through the capital, weaving in and out of locals and holidaymakers.

You end up at Le Parc des Princes, where you play through a few drills with Kylian Mbappé and Thierry Henry, before being whisked off to a posh Parisian tailor to pick up some threads ahead of assuming your position in the box seat of PSG’s stadium. Hanging out here are the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Joshua, because EA Sports took the time to face-scan them for FIFA 21 and it’s going to make damn sure it recycles the assets.

From here, the title transitions to a traditional Champions League match between PSG and Chelsea, and then you’re into the game. There are some really nice Easter eggs here – a twinkly version of Blur’s Song Two, a nod to FIFA 98, plays in the lift as you head downstairs from the hotel – and as far as intros go, this really gets you in the mood to play some FIFA. For a franchise that rarely surprises, this opening caught us off guard in a good way.

[source youtube.com]