FIFA 14 - Game Review

My first thoughts on purchasing FIFA 14 were that of a pessimist (I’m only buying this for the squad updates). If I’m honest I did not expect much from a game that I thought could not offer any more than previous years. Imagine that; spending £40+ on a game solely so I could see Neymar in a Barcelona shirt or Gareth Bale in a Real Madrid kit.

 Like many avid FIFA fans out there I have purchased the game every year since roughly 2009 (when it started getting realistic). I didn’t warm to the game previous to that because those were the years when Aaron Lennon could win a header against Peter Crouch. I think the most important feature of FIFA is that it has to be real and in the case of FIFA 14, it has exceeded my cynical expectations.

 My favourite aspect of FIFA 14 has to be the crowd. In my opinion the crowd is one of the most important aspects of a football game, e.g. the 12th man. Thankfully, it is no longer a set of 3 figures (multiplied by 10,000) producing the same “Mexican wave” type action repeatedly in no accordance to the match itself. It is a crowd that responds accordingly to how the game is being played, which cheers when you score and jeers when you miss. This makes the match play more exciting and gives you a bigger buzz when you do find the top corner from a free kick.

 With every new version, EA Sports tell us they have changed something, which justifies charging us again and again for what seems like virtually the same game. FIFA 14 does include new features such as off balance shots and missed shot reactions but again these are barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, this year is the best I have seen in terms of player characteristics. Speed, agility and strength; these traits of a good footballer are actually reflected accurately in the great players. They have more truthful reactions to the play; ones that reflect a real game and immerse you, helping you see more details of the play.

 However, despite EA Sports claims that players make decisions “4 times faster”, I noticed little difference when in-play. In fact I thought it was a slower game. This brings you back down to earth when you realise that players can’t cover 10 yards in one stride as they could in the previous FIFA. I also noticed that some players have the turning circle of a combine harvester, which is not realistic.

I will always maintain that I buy FIFA for the squad updates but this year has reassured me that FIFA is making some progress in term of realism and making it worth the money that we as gamers pay. I think if you were going to buy FIFA 14 you would have probably bought it already but if you haven’t, overall think it is worth it.