In a time when games are being hyped through the roof, it indeed comes as a welcome surprise when some of them do manage to live up to all the hype that they have generated. That’s the case here with EA Canada when it comes to the latest game in their long running FIFA series. EA was quick to announce that this iteration has more than 250 tweaks to it that will change the look and the feel of the game. True to their word, EA Canada has managed to pull of this impressive feat and this year’s FIFA does look and feel like a new game all together. The beautiful game has never been this beautiful before.

During the games promotional campaign, EA talked a lot about the more than 250 improvements that the game has seen since FIFA ‘08. These improvements include a more responsive shooting system, passing and a dribbling style by which gives you total control of the ball. The goalkeeper AI has been tweaked to make him actually useful this time around. The Be A Pro mode now has the option for you to play over 4 seasons and take your custom created player or your favorite superstar from the sidelines to the center stage, making his darling of the paparazzi. It also allows you the flexibility to upgrade the player’s overall attributes according to their weekly performances in real life. If being the next Wenger or Sir Alex Fergusson, is what your wet dreams are made of, that is also possible, all thanks to the Custom Team Tactics option. In addition to all this, the game also boasts of exclusive licenses to all the real world teams and clubs which its competition can only dream about.

Even though the 250+ improvements will not be apparent right off the bat, the general feel of the game will many a heart considering it does an excellent job of replicating the beautiful game. Right from defending to attacking, all aspects of the game has depth to it. If you have to nitpick, the only disappointing aspect of the game play is that through balls are highly inaccurate and you wouldn’t want to depend on them much. If you do try a through ball, you will notice that the player will always try to run around the opposing player while logically the player should have been running according to the balls placement. Customization in-game is mind boggling in a good way. Not only can you customize the way you control the player but also whom you control all thanks to the Custom Team Tactics and the Control customization option. 

Graphically speaking, there is no competition out there for the game. Right from the player animations to the stadiums, all look so authentic that you end up feeling as if you are actually watching a live match. Reality steps in when you realize that Manchester United is being beaten by Southampton, that too on world class difficulty! The Game modes provide enough variety to keep you busy till the next FIFA game. The Be A Pro mode allows you to control a single player over 4 seasons where you write his destiny; whether it’s a life on the sidelines or at the helm of the national team. This mode, by far, is the most engaging of all modes in the game. Controlling just a single player across many games makes you realize how positioning works in the real word. In addition to all this, you have the option to upgrade the attributes of your players depending on their weekly performance in real life. However, you need to be on XBL or PSN for this. This does help in giving the game a more realistic feel but is free only for the first month after which, you will have to shell out a nominal fee to avail the service.

Once you’re done getting used to the offline part of the game you can take your skills and test them online. There are several modes here to keep you busy like Ranked and Unranked matches against friends or random opponents but the best one has to be the Be A Pro mode in 10 vs. 10 matches. The goalie here is controlled by the computer while one person controls one particular member of the team and no more. The fun factor over here hugely depends on who you are playing with. If you play with random people, you are sure to run into some annoying ones who won’t stick to their positions. The mode shines for the ones who do play seriously guaranteeing you a truly immersive experience. Lag in such cases can ruin all the fun and it does, so all we can hope here that the lag issues are ironed out soon. You still can play 1 vs. 1 match virtually lag-free which earns EA some major brownie points.

The FIFA franchise finally closes in on the gap between the FIFA and the PES series, in some cases, even overtaking it by a mile. Now is the time for the hardcore fans of the game to wave Konami’s franchise a good-bye and jump on to the FIFA bandwagon. The onus is on EA to keep the momentum going and not fall into the rut all over again. Being a FIFA fan for a long time has finally paid off and now we can proudly say that we hug our copies of the game every night before we go to sleep.

9 / 10

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By N2H

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