The European football seasons have concluded, and spring is making way for summer. That means one very important thing for fans who also happen to enjoy video games: It's time to say goodbye to last year's edition of the popular FIFA franchise. The FIFA 14 official gameplay trailer hit YouTube and other websites on June 6, and the game...largely looks like FIFA 13 in several aspects. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as FIFA 13 did grow on me during the fall and winter months. It was far from a flawless game, however, as there are multiple things I would love to see tweaked before FIFA 14 hits the shelves this coming September.
One last review of FIFA 13: Was First Touch Control really a big deal?
There was a lot of hype last summer about how the new First Touch Control would "change the way" players experienced FIFA. In the end, that aspect of the game was about what most expected: Easy to get used to when playing with four and five-star players, and beyond unrealistic when using less-skilled footballers. I understand EA wanting to separate the likes of Messi and Ronaldo from guys rated in the 50s and 60s. With that said, there should never come a time when I believe that my first touch is better than is that of any professional who is found in FIFA. Tone it down just a touch forFIFA 14, guys.
One last review of FIFA 13: Player improvements
I prefer Career Mode over online play for FIFA for a variety of reasons. One massive improvement I noticed in FIFA 13 was the way younger players in my team developed throughout a campaign. Those who excelled and became lineup mainstays jumped five, six or even seven points in their overall ratings, while others who didn't play as well only improved slightly and thus had to be loaned out to a lesser side in order to receive adequate playing time. I'd like to see training options and/or a "reserve matches" feature to help provide boosts for future stars in FIFA 14 Career Mode squads. That would allow us to manage our FIFA squads outside of match days and basic contract negotiations.
One last review of FIFA 13: Old familiar problems
FIFA 12 was a game that had plenty of issues, and far too many of them made their way over to FIFA 13. I lost count of the amount of times I experienced a game-freeze whenever I would forget to not press "Start" immediately after the ball went out for a throw-in during a match, or just those random times when FIFA 13 would decide that it could no longer be bothered to function while I was in the main screen of Career Mode. Bronze and Silver squads still get matched up against top-tier sides in Ultimate Team. The hilarious own goals scored by the AI that I've witnessed have me convinced that EA quietly inserted match-fixing into FIFA 13. These are just a few of the issues that fans have complained about for years, problems that EA has seemingly ignored.
One last review of FIFA 13: Biggest wish for FIFA 14
Above anything else, the biggest upgrade I'd like to see in FIFA 14 would be the ability to easily create private invite-only online leagues instead of the "Seasons Mode" that was in FIFA 13, an aspect of the game that I was over with rather quickly. In my vision, these single seasons would include "x" amount of teams battling it out for the league title, with aspects such as injuries and cards carrying over as they do in real life. Transfers, contracts and other items that are found in Career Mode would not be necessary for these online leagues. This new mode could, in theory, include actual clubs and also Ultimate Team squads, and it would make online FIFA 14 experiences among friends about more than the "one-offs" that were offered in FIFA 13.
One last review of FIFA 13: Prediction for FIFA 14
I can tell you exactly what's going to happen over the next seven months up through the start of 2014. We fans are going to complain about the trailers and the FIFA 14 demo, pointing out everything that will be wrong with the actual game, we'll moan about all of the things that need to be addressed in the first patch after the game is officially released in the fall, and we'll wonder if EA will ever really get it right. Most importantly, we are all going to buy the game, and we're going to love it. September can't come soon enough.
Oh, one final note for the fine folks over at EA: For Thierry Henry, it's pronounced "ahn-REE." Not "HEN-ree."
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