Features & News

FIFA 14 Announced

April 18, 2013, Author: Neil Hughes

There are three things in life that are absolute certainties: death, taxes and another annual FIFA instalment  So there were few surprises when EA announced FIFA 14 this week. Sure, EA are getting a lot of flak at the moment and another football sequel is never going to win them any new fans; but if we are all honest, it must be quite hard to re-package and improve what is essentially just a football game, and usually they do pull it off.

Apparently there are 65 million games of FIFA played each week, so they must be doing something right. A petition to EA recently called for FIFA 14 to feature female players, so it will be interesting to see if there is an official response now they are in full rebuilding image mode.

What can they possibly offer the football-loving masses this year that they haven’t seen before?

“FIFA 14 will play the way great football matches are contested with build up through midfield, tension throughout the match as chances are created, and incredible finishing,” said David Rutter, Executive Producer for FIFA 14. “Opportunities in FIFA 14 will be rewarding and great goals will look stunning.”

Any football game that concentrates on slow build up and realism rather than fast arcade style 7-2 victories can only be a step in the right direction, but I can’t help but think that we have just come full circle, because this was exactly what was so great about PES 5 back in 2005.

The introduction of Pure Shot and Real Ball should introduce some much-needed realism into the franchise and footy fans will have to use their head as well as their heart when playing the beautiful game.

Interestingly FIFA 14 is introducing a game-changing new way to play Career Mode. The Global Scouting Network brings the world of professional scouting to life. Players now develop and refine a scouting network and search for talent year-round. Scouts can evaluate footballers all over the world to uncover the attributes and traits of every player in the game, in preparation for the transfer windows. Plus, a new hub delivers easy navigation, fewer interruptions and live scouting reports.

Despite the usual shiny announcements, this FIFA player is hoping that they concentrate heavily on the unstable servers and lag issues as a priority, or even put a stop to the cheap sweaty goals that have become the course of many a rage-quit this year.

Probably my biggest gripe about big announcements like this, is the heavy reliance on screenshots taken from the game intros rather than actual in-game footage; we are all wise to this old chestnut by now aren’t we? It might make nice new wallpaper for your laptop but it tells you very little about the game.

I predict that I will get very excited and soak up the hype of the next-generation consoles and a new FIFA, only to be underwhelmed several weeks later and left thinking “shit, it’s not that different; I’ve fallen for this again”. Yet I suppose that says more about me than the game itself.

Feature Type: Announcements | Tagged EA, Fifa, FIFA 14, Football, footie, global scouting network, Pes, pure shot, real ball, Soccer