With this being the final FIFA before a move onto the next gen console, pundits and players alike wanted to see what FIFA 14 would offer to them before the transition. Of course it’s worth noting that Microsoft will be supporting the 360 for at least 3 more years, so expect more FIFA in the future.
But lets dive straight into the present day. This season’s rendition of FIFA comes out with revamped menu’s, the return of Co-op, removal of team play, regenerated Career mode and “improved gameplay”. As with every year we all face a battle to get used to the changes, especially in the gameplay so lets start there…..
Gameplay
FIFA 14 has attempted to solve an age old problem to FIFA players trying to defend furiously, and that problem is Pace. In recent years you could pick teams that had pacey players such as Saint Etienne and America (Mex). This season however EA Sports have really tried to make it more about passing and shooting, pace is still evident in some players like Aubameyang (Dortmund) and Elia (Bremen) but for your average Joe, he’s struggling along with stats at 79. Trying to solve this has led to players feeling sluggish and slow at first sight, but as I mentioned earlier I feel once you get used to this, the benefits will outweigh the negatives. Passing feels slicker than ever, tapping the ball off and getting players to overlap is easier.
Crossing takes some getting used to I have been finding but when it comes off it’s more satisfying than ever. As for shooting, you can score some crackers with the top players, especially overhead kicks with defenders from corners, found that one out the hard way sadly. The other side of shooting is the goalkeepers who seem to have taken one collective blow to their heads, some of the saves they don’t make can be baffling at times, and some of the saves they do make look superhuman, no in between in few games you’ll play.
Positioning in FIFA 14 seems improved, importantly the AI doesn’t seem to move on it’s own but instead seems to wait for you to call for the run or 1-2. This is done by tapping the left bumper which I have found very effective online and against the CPU. All in all I think that the gameplay has improved on last season, with EA Sports new Ignite engine coming the only way is up for FIFA in this area, we hope.
The general layout of the menus in FIFA 14 has adopted a sort of Microsoft Windows 8 panel design, with it I feel it’s much better; the most played modes on the game have been placed on the front end Play panel. This includes, Pro Clubs, FUT, Seasons, Career mode and Kick Off, Skill Games and Online Friendlies. Anything else has been placed on to the 2nd and 3rd panels making it easily accessible. One thing of note when it comes to menus is the improved FUT interface. Searching for players is now easier than ever, with name search and one simple yet brilliant addition is the ability to compare prices before purchasing and selling to make sure you’re not getting shafted. The little things often making a big difference as this year EA seems to have finally listened to some of the criticism that it is getting.
Career Mode
Career mode has undergone abit of a change, coming in is the Global Transfer Network. What we had before, as most of you know, is scouts you’d send out to different continents and they come back with players that had a possible stat range of 69-91. Not that helpful in my eyes. But now EAS has created the GTN. Scouts now look for players, providing more accurate stat ranges and allowing for managers to see what attributes they possess at that moment plus potential growth. Searching for that right player for your system is much easier as you can tailor searches to look for a tandem of skills, attributes and positional grounding making life a whole lot easier than in previous years. Same accuracy is incorporated in replicating the real life football in terms of detail with European competitions and domestic cups.
This makes Careers mode alot more appealing, i found myself playing far more that this week than i have on any previous FIFA. A sense that you truely are in control of your teams destiny and that the game is there to help you with the global transfer network.
Online Features
On the other side of the ball is the Online features, including Co-Op, Pro Clubs and Seasons. Seasons and Pro Clubs have the same features as they did last FIFA, 10 divisions with promotion and leagues being offered on each. Pro Clubs now has unlockable stadiums which are actually real! So you don’t have to pick Ivy Lane for example you can pick Anfield, god knows why you’d want do that though. Jokes. Co-Op offers the opportunity to play seasons with as many friends as you got, so you can have 99 different seasons going on with your 99 different friends, if you have that many!
This is a great addition in my eyes, it freshens up the usual online features and allows for improvement in future FIFA’s. Something that does need mentioning which is a disappointment is the lack of team play in this seasons FIFA, what’s more disappointing is it hasn’t actually been fully replaced with an 3+ players platform. Overall the online is as enjoyable as ever, offering a wide range of challenges to all players, something to wet the appetite. Personally I have felt the servers have improved not encountering any issues with them but some people are having issues but imo it is part and parcel of any release. But it’s certainly better than some of the dross we have had to deal with in previous FIFA’s.
The rest of the features such as Online Friendlies and Ranked lobbies are the same as you'd find on any FIFA in the past 3 or 4 years, good but nothing to write home about. "If it isn't broke don't fix it" is a phrase that springs to mind!
Ultimate Team
FUT has become a major part of what FIFA has become a major part of the success that EA Sports has achieved over the years. As before mentioned FUT benefits much from the slicker menus, but one thing that is worth noting is that the gameplay has been improved. Out goes the 40 yard screaming goals and the furious fast pace and in comes the gameplay that you’d expect online. It’s almost as if EA have turned down the sliders you can mess around with on kick off to make the game go all ridiculous. Single player divisions are now up to 10 rather than the traditional 5 with more chances to make some money. On the whole with the better gameplay and the slicker menus FUT has been more enjoyable than ever and I found it to be my most played part of the game so far, am accolade I thought it would never achieve.
Graphics
Graphics in FIFA 14 are visually superb with the addition of new stadia including the Dombass Arena and Goodison Park, home to Shaktar and Everton respectively. The stadiums in all weather and time look a cut above PES for example and it will be good to see how they look on the Xbox One. Players look like actually players in the real world, apart from Samir Nasri who they really seem to have got all wrong, or they don’t like him very much, poor fella. Soundtrack in this FIFA isn’t as good as the old ones but you can’t beat a bit of Empire of the Sun. (Might be on my own with that one.)
Overall FIFA 14 leaves you with a question which wets your anticipation, where will FIFA go on the Xbox One? It’ll be interesting to see the differences between 360 and X1 versions on gameplay. But FIFA 14 has produced a good value game this year for those sticking to the Xbox 360, with plenty to do and a game that could be used without essential movement onto Xbox One.
Happy Goal Hunting!
Xbox One Update!
Since writing this Xbox 360 review of FIFA 14 countless hours have been spent on it, but no more. The Xbox One has arrived and with it FIFA 14 was one of the many launch titles. Many people were sceptical of what improvements FIFA 14 would have on the Xbox One compared with the 360 version so let us dig a little deeper and see what FIFA has to offer on the One.
I’m going to beat around the bush with this one; this honestly feels like a brand new game to the 360 version. When playing for a good 4 hours straight on launch day it became apparent to me that this is the game that should have been released in October. It feels more refined and the gameplay is much quicker and slicker than the 360 version.
It looks beautiful and the crowds are superb, even Old Trafford which is usually a library sounds like an amphitheatre! The weather and its effect on the game seem more refined and have an impact on the game but it’s still an enjoyable challenge compare that to the horrible issues with weather on the 360 the game makes good use of the system now and it actually feels like an enjoyable experience! Shocking I know…
The menu is much the same but given a new colour but the real improvement is through the use of Kinect. Although the perks of the Kinect are not available online, yet, the Xbox One version makes good use of its new piece of kit. The substitutions are quick and slick as you pronounce the name of the player you wish to change. Takes me back to the days of 2006 when you could do a quick sub!
FIFA Ultimate Team however has gone back to the days of ridiculous shooting, although it’s not as bad as it used to be. The shooting is more fast paced and dynamic than the 360 version as the Xbox One version attempts to try and find a middle ground of 360 and X1. In all honesty the change is only minimal and in my opinion it makes the game better but everyones opinion is much different to my own more often than not.
Overall FIFA 14 on the Xbox One solves many of the issues that the 360 version had, it’s honestly like a whole new game, more graphically pleasing and a lot slicker. If you’re a fan of the series this is a must purchase with your brand spanking new Xbox One.
