FIFA 14

FIFA 14 - MOST  AWAITED GAME  THIS  FALL!!

"It’s not getting harder, it’s getting more fun" said Nick Cannon, Executive Producer, as he took a room full of games critics through the much harder and less fun technical aspects of FIFA 14.

Indeed for those who crave this year’s patch release, they’ll be happy to see the game take another half step towards total simulation football, but for those who play with a couple cans of non-descript Australian larger on a Saturday in with the lads, they’ll be frustrated and bemused.

FIFA 14 will undoubtedly be this year’s most anticipated worldwide game patch. The updates that we saw suggest that this year’s intonation delicately dabbles in the minutiae. This is to be expected from a game that is released yearly and is a sports simulation game, it’s not as if they can invent a new story to work around like Call of Duty. Or maybe they could? Imagine cut scenes of Arsene Wenger, crying, on his knees outside of Old Trafford, drinking from a brown paper bottle, shouting ‘WHY ROBIN, WHY?’.

Actually, that might work, unread this paragraph. FIFA 11 was the peak of all previous Fifa games, it squeezed every drop out of the old FIFA engine. FIFA 12 was ground zero for the new Player Impact Engine and FIFA 13 was the first in a long, long line of tweaks and polishes. FIFA 14 is the ‘this time it’s personal’ for said tweaks and polishes.  It should also be mentioned that FIFA 13 on Vita was a cynical cash-in that was a hastily made rehash on FIFA 11, which EA refused to talk about at this preview event.

FIFA 14: Tactical Defending

Upcoming improvements include revised teammate intelligence and off the ball runs where teammates will spot more attacking opportunities than before and make more informed runs, whilst holding off defenders who could scupper the attack. And, for balance, defenders will have improved run-tracking, tighter man-marking and spot more opportunities to thwart an attack.

The controversial tactical defending system that some (us) are yet to master has finally been changed to accommodate itchy trigger fingers. Players will now have the opportunity to do an immediate second tackle should your first lunge at the opposition player completely miss, so recovery time from a failed tackle won’t feel so infuriating.

FIFA 14: Protecting The Ball

Protecting the ball, too, has been de-furiated. Nick admitted that the feature was mostly unused by players because of how difficult it was to master, now, however, players will be able to protect the ball, whether in attack or defense, by simply pressing L2.

We were shown a video of the master at protecting the ball, Didier Drogba, holding up the ball as he receives it and laying it off to a team mate. It wasn’t clear from the footage we saw but simplifying protecting the ball should mean that opposition players clambering into you won’t mean you’re automatically disposed anymore.

Shooting and attacking

The new shooting mechanic looks like it will be the first thread to feature in the EA complaint forums come this September. Players won’t just be able to shoot from any position anymore and have RVP pull off a near perfect shot. No. The accuracy, quality and strength of shot will be depend on the players body shape at the moment of shot or ‘snap’ as it’s known and proximity to the ball.

Previously, the computer would slide your player into place to make the shot. Now, the player will attempt to reposition himself in order to make the shot, which he won’t always be able to do to. It’s much more realistic but it’s going to be this year’s big learning curve.

The mechanics of the ball, too, are less linear now, we’re assured. The ball will take different flight paths depending on the type of ball, the spin and how it’s struck – curving and looping all over the shop. Expect your mate to make a lot of ‘NASA space programme’ jokes.

This does mean, however, that you can score some spectacular curving shots with a lot more power, Nick said he wanted to the player to experience the raw thrill of hitting the ball perfectly with an exceptionally powerful shot.

Build up play will be rewarded with better team movement so you won’t be stuck passing between the back four waiting for someone to do something. But we’re assured that for those of us who like to play with Championship teams, you won’t be penalised for playing long and direct (an actress said to a bishop).

If you don’t want to play over the top, skills have been “simplified” to just the right stick, so now you’ll be able to accidently pull off tricks by mashing just one button.

FIFA 14: Add-ons

Skill games and manager mode make both make reappearances with improved features such as one time pass shooting practice for skill improvement, and a new global scouting network that allows you to choose players based on attributes rather than skill points for manager mode.

Nick was surprisingly cavalier about FIFA 13’s problems that FIFA 14 aims to fix, which was refreshing. But we fear that the improved teammate intelligence and shooting mechanic will be discarded on next year’s cutting room floor with Nick saying in a FIFA 15 press press event ‘we’ve improved that annoying shooting feature…”.