Is it just me, or does it seem like EA Games is getting back into the groove of minor tweaks and roster updates with the FIFA franchise? The new graphics engine, which is exclusive to next-gen consoles, doesn't impress me at all (but then again, neither do other games announced for the new systems), the fact that they are advertising ball physics as much as they are really seems like they're grasping for straws etc etc.

I just wish they would fix some generally game-ruining stuff before adding minor features and tweaks as if they thought they were pretty much done with the core game, which they are absolutely not. The rubber-band-AI is awful and higher difficulties just make it cheaper and harsher, rather than having the CPU use better tactics. Team balance and performance is also completely effed up, I mean I get that it tries to be at least a little balanced, but no way does FC Köln play as well as Real Madrid. Defending is a joke with defenders running at each other, not cutting off runs and blocking flanks etc. The accuracy of the passing is also willy nilly. Animations and game flow don't even remind me of actual football, even with the game speed set to slow.

And that's just gameplay stuff. I personally love playing career modes in sports games and the career mode is uh...decent, but there are also problems. I hate how the stats only change based on the age of the player. It just seems silly that every player below 20 years of age suddenly starts gaining stats as if they're the next Ronaldo or something. Player potential should be completely randomized, which I think would make playing multiple career modes also more interesting. Also, there isn't really much to do once you've got your squad set up and spent your money except for playing matches I suppose. Doing interviews before matches doesn't really do jack either.

Just a lot of stuff that seems iffy about the last game, which I'm pretty sure they won't address because they don't really have to, to sell copies of the game and that makes me sad. What they have now has the potential to be really fun and great if they'd just fix a couple of fundamental stuff.

You should probably start playing PES. Or WES, depending on where you live. Its been much better than FIFA the last two or three years.

FIFA and Madden should both be DLC upgrades for $30 maximum. They should get the same treatment as fighting game updates/expansions. (cheap or free)

You should probably start playing PES. Or WES, depending on where you live. Its been much better than FIFA the last two or three years.

FIFA and Madden should both be DLC upgrades for $30 maximum. They should get the same treatment as fighting game updates/expansions. (cheap or free)

Its a shame seing konami not being able to compete with EA as EA is just money-hatting everything football related.

The only thing konami has is the champions league and that might go to the EA sooner rather than later.

I just love that they still release these games for the PS2. I'm not interested in sports games, especially not soccer games, but for the past couple of years I have been unable to restrain myself from purchasing the PS2 version, just because it's pretty ridiculous that they're still releasing that, on the brink of two console generations later (and while I don't end up playing them a lot, I gotta say I've been surprised by how good looking the PS2 versions have been).

FIFA and the NFL would never allow that

@strikerthelizard: It's called Soccer bud.

@hunkulese: I just said that in his other thread which is the same thing but different title. Them Euros don't understand!

I think this game is in rehash mode.

also you have to think of retail. they need a new box to put on the shelve each year.

The team updates and minor tweaks, including the new ultimate team stuff is enough for some, including me.

You're making the AI sound way worse than it is, on higher difficulties they play out from the back more and have different tactics completely. But yes, all teams are just great no matter who they are.

Don't buy it if you don't want to support them. PES is terrible.

I have been complaining about FIFA for YEARS, I find ridiculous bugs and breaks in the career mode, which is all im interested in, every single year. Then they remove the interesting "additions" like player manager, universal virutal pro and add a money grabbing card game mode in. It infuriates me, but I have to play a football game, and PES is just a heap of junk so I have no choice but to get fifa...

Given the amount of time that people put into FIFA games, they always seem shit after a few months to a year as people learn the most efficient ways to play or exploit the game. They're at a stage where the only improvements that can feasibly be made are what seem like minor tweaks, if they were to overhaul everything they risk alienating a huge chunk of the audience, like they did with the change away from homing missile defending. I'd imagine it's pretty damn hard to create AI which can properly challenge a human player tactically, which is why they put so much emphasis on how players now take x and y into consideration, etc, but we're always going to learn how to break it down over time. Maybe they need some Drivatar...

As for it not resembling real football, it isn't meant to. It's a souped up, arcadey version of football with more action and much quicker movement. Realistic football wouldn't work with 4-6 minute halves, although if you look around there are people who tweak the game to more accurately reproduce football. It's surprisingly fun slowed right down on manual controls, but near impossible to find other people willing to play that way. I'd personally love to play and 11 v 11 clubs match like that, but I doubt I'll ever get to.

Career modes could always do with more work, and to be fair they look to have made strides in the right direction this year, although it's never going to be anywhere near FM levels of depth. Random player potential would be a nice option, but only as an option, people still want to be able to buy players from the real world that they know are promising, or to nurture their local talent. It would be nice if they borrowed the -8/-9/-10/etc system (players' potential ability is picked from a range rather than being statis) from FM for certain or even most players.

But it has box art with a character facing away! That's awesome!

It wouldn't be possible at all in a business sense, and if you take into account that the main demographic of these games aren't that into games it would be difficult to do as well. Furthermore, are you able to download entire new and tweaked engines? People who don't play these games on a yearly basis won't understand how massive an impact even the smallest changes have on the entire gameplay, people who take shots at these games usually don't know what they are talking about.

I'm well aware that on some years they actually change the engine around, but for the most part, no it's just a cash grab. The core framework doesn't change enough (most years) to justify a $60 purchase.

Again fighting game updates are cheaper, yet cost more to make and more to play test. (see Skullgirls article and comments from Capcom)

There's really no need for yearly versions of sports games in such a profoundly digital market now. It's really quite insane. It should be the MMO model, or hell, the Capcom fighting game model; you pay $60 up front, then a year or two down the line you get new versions for $15-$40 depending on the content added. (Capcom's SSFIV was $40 which was very fair, then $15 for AE and Ultra, which is again pretty damn fair)

If FIFA, NFL, EA or whoever is too afraid to touch their "golden goose" then it will slowly die. Right now manager and fantasy games are on the rise while these games seem to be fading due to how expensive and technical it is for even the hard core fans to understand. Continuing on as they are with this style of game is probably not good for the long term.

@mrjorowe: The AI just manages to piss me off in a way that only the first Puzzle Quest could, it just feels unfair. They can easily make almost impossible tackles, they somehow squirm past your defenders as if they were invisible and then score. Even when the AI controls some of the most aggressive players in the world, it almost never fouls unless they do that stupid shirt-pull thing.

But yeah, PES is terrible.

@awesomeusername:

I'm just calling it what it is. You hit the ball with your foot. Football. Get over it.

Also, the thing with the two identical threads was an accident, because my browser just kind of crapped out as I was creating the other one and was left with the impression that it wasn't created at all. Sorry about that. Would have deleted it, if I could.

Looks like FIFA 13 with a couple of new shaders. Animations and general appearance of the character models still looks about the same.

BUT THE QUICKLOOK WILL BE GRAND

I've been playing it for the last couple of days because I'm in the closed Beta for Career mode - so I'm probably not allowed to say too much.

Career mode UI and transfers are a lot better. When you try and find players to sign they won't necessarily have a rating straight away. With well known players (Ronaldo, Van Persie, Mata etc.) they have a rating but with other players you may just be told that, for example Acceleration is between 70 and 85. It seems that the more well known a player is the more precise these stats are. What you need to do is scout these players (for maybe a week or upwards of a month) so you get a more accurate measure on how good they are. As for finding players you assign scouts to certain countries with a list of instructions (eg. Tall players, Box to box players, Attack minded, Prolific etc.) and then they come back to you a week or so later with a list of players.

As for gameplay.. well yeah it's more FIFA. Pace is not really much of an issue anymore, most of my goals haven't been on the counter attack because defenders do a better job of tracking back and making important last ditch tackles.

May be you should play it first, who knows, trailers be trailers.

Madden 25 is incredibly different from Madden 13 (the running game is very much improved, the physics engine is miles better, the presentation is better, etc.). I expect FIFA to be just as good. You can't completely rewrite something that is already perfect. Both FIFA and Madden are pretty much at their absolute best, all you can really do is tweak it.

Did that 23 day old post really bother you THAT much? Huh? Did it?

Why would EA do this when there are so many customers willing to pay $60 every year for a new version.

Even from with who I talked to today, there's plenty of reason of why buying FIFA and NBA Live is still fucking good. Like, most people that aren't in the know have no fucking idea about this haterade stuff. They just wanna play, and then have fun.

It bothered him so much that he seethed on it for 20+ days trying to find the right words to articulate his emotions. I have to say, I'm disappointed with the outcome. 1/5 Stars

I want you to refactor hundreds of thousands of lines of solid, working code just so that I can 'justify' a $60 purchase. Solid logic. Actually, the real fun here is that even if they did do that, you wouldn't tell a difference.

I know you feel it necessary to tear apart an entire product because it's paradigm doesn't shift once a year, but when it comes to sports games, I feel it's fine. From a technical side, launching yearly means that you have very little time to actually write significant amounts of code. AfAIK, FIFA chooses one or two features they want to update each year and focus on those things--along with any updates to rosters, stadiums, online play changes etc.

The game feels dramatically different, I don't know what else you expect a football simulation game to do. I do think the game isn't as good as previous iterations, but it is a major change, a first since FIFA 07.

It doesn't even have to majorly change, but $60 for minor and cosmetic changes at best is pretty ridiculous. Then again it is EA, and FIFA 14 on the 3DS is confirmed to be identical except roster changes to FIFA 13.

In the age of DLC on pretty much every device, it doesn't make sense. If people keep lapping it up (which they will) then it's unlikely to change. I usually only buy FIFA and Madden on the years where something is genuinely improved or revamped.

I don't like football games, and yet even I know this is complete balloney.

Have you played FIFA before?

12 played vastly differently to 13, which in turn is vastly different to 14.

Then you have the FUT modes, seasons, a fully fleshed out career.

As someone who plays it a lot, the value is there to see.

European football: Play with your foot and a ball.

American football: Play with your hands and an egg.

Yeah. Your football should be called Handegg.

My post was a joke. Nonetheless, handegg sounds much better.

Again FIFA, the NFL etc wouldn't allow that.

It does more than blow.

Its posts like those that make me wish this site had a + button or like button for posts.

That was a thing once, and it should be again (imo).