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FIFA 13 Review

The most fun you can have with your cleats on
Posted by SpectralShock
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After winning numerous Sports game of the Year awards (including ours) in 2012 with FIFA 12, the task at hand for FIFA 13 was a tough one. As the next generation is likely looming on the horizon, the sports market non the less needed to get their soccer fix year after year, and nothing less than innovation and feature advancement is expected from this highly popular series. FIFA 13 attempts to deliver on these expectations, with updated AI and physics, expanded online modes and various gameplay improvements and tweaks. Some technical issues aside, this is indeed the most fun you can have with your cleats on.

FIFA 13

Starting off with the basics, this is yet another yearly offering from EA Sports that attempts to satisfy your soccer craving. If you’ve played FIFA 12 or even FIFA 11, there’s not a whole lot to discover in 13 as most modes are back and the only thing really new are the Skill games. If you recall your loading times before matches being spent simply playing a one on one scenario, those days are over. Instead, the game borrows an idea from PES series and introduces various challenges for you to try. Everything from dribbling to shooting drills, you can truly improve your gameplay skills by trying these out. Challenges have a few levels, which range in the complexity and difficulty of these scenarios. It’s not only a fun way to waste time, but can be addicting in trying to reach the next level and set your best score.

Your progress in these challenges is largely superficial to the rest of the game, but it does earn you EA Football Club points. EA FC is back as well, but has been expanded to include a currency. Everything you do in the game is still tracked to earn you more XP to the next EA FC level and improve your favourite club’s standing in the global leaderboards, but now you earn points to spend. These points are your currency in the EA FC store which has tons of items to unlock – everything from new kits, celebrations, and other vanity items to Pro boosts and extra match allowances in online Season play. While last year’s EA FC was a cool yet ultimately non-essential feature, with the store addition it becomes a worthwhile attraction.

FIFA 13

Like Ultimate Team before it, this year’s DLC-now-on-disc feature is called FC Match Day. If you recall a few years back, EA offered users a chance to pay in order to get detailed and almost daily updates to everything from player ratings and form to recent match scores. Now this feature is included with the game, letting you play the most anticipated games of the week with accurate line-ups, form, and player ratings. It’s a very nice addition, since being to quickly jump into a game of the week and accurately simulate (or change) what happens in real life is immensely satisfying. Speaking of Ultimate Team, it’s also included once again. The interface has been updated to make it easier to navigate, and the updated tutorial does a good job of introducing new players to the basics.

Other modes are kind of like seeing your friends for the first time in a while. They got improvements, nice touches here and there, but are mostly the same. Which isn’t a bad thing of course, especially with a game as polished as FIFA. The middle ground Player Manager role has been eliminated, so your options for Career mode are just to be a player or a manager. In Be a Pro you can now be loaned out by your club if your rating isn’t quite up to par for the rest of the squad, which is a nice touch of realism and a chance to enjoy having a starting role in a lesser club as you upgrade your skills over time. International competition has been added, so as a player you can get called up for the country duty, and as a manager you can earn the job to lead your nation. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but still nice to see the mode’s options being expanded.

FIFA 13

Trade logic, one of the concerns from last year, has also been addressed. No longer will you see insane trades worth billions happening at every transfer window. Players now have specific roles (star, first team, bench, etc) and this, along with their age, remaining contract, and happiness all affect their decision to switch clubs. So trying to steal away a young and happy player is not going to be easy, regardless of cash. Trades now include options to use said cash as well throwing your own player as the offer, which can lead to newly added counter-offers.

Down at the grounds, FIFA 13 continues to carefully refine the elements introduced last year, without throwing anything substantially new into the mix. The systems of dribbling and player injuries/physics are further improved, giving the gameplay a more realistic feel. New tactical free kicks allow more flexibility for attackers via fake runs and passing options, while defenders can now move the player wall and even sneak forward – but at the risk of being booked if done too early. A new first touch system now takes into account player skills, so lesser players will have realistic trouble receiving tough crosses and passes, and that makes a huge difference in gameplay. Finally, AI is almost incredibly good this year at reading the game, anticipating passes, and timing their runs to stay on-side. Overall, the gameplay adjustments this year don’t revolutionize the game, but they improve on almost all aspects of it without cutting corners on any visual or technical details, creating probably the most authentic soccer experience ever.

FIFA 13

Not everything is perfect though, but these are minor faults compared to the overall experience. It feels like this year players have a bit too much control over the ball – with AI on normal difficulty and using a poorly skilled team, CPU has no problem dribbling past you as if the ball is tied on a string to their feet, which comes in sharp contrast to the realistically poor first touches from tough passes. The Player Impact Engine which powers the physics of the game, though improved, can still be a bit glitchy and produce some wild behaviour. There also seems to be an unrealistically high amount of injuries (almost every game), and far too many are related to players’ arms and shoulders.

Online, the usual options of Pro Clubs and Seasons return. In Pro Clubs, you’re once again going to create a Pro and guide them to victory, this time through new 10 game seasons that result in division titles and qualification for cups (that can be stored in a new silverware cabinet). Also new this year is the fact that your Online Pro is separate from the offline game, which seems fair for those who may have boosted their stats in the past offline. In Seasons, play against others to also be promoted to the next division or battle for the division title that have been added to each level. FIFA 13 also has a new way to play Seasons online, this time with a guest in a 2v2 matchup.

While on the subject of online play, it has to be said that the series sadly continues to be less than smooth in this regard. EA FC frequently disconnects, though thankfully there is an option this year to retry the connection without leaving whatever offline mode you’re playing. Since EA FC is a somewhat optional endeavour, it’s not experience-breaking. If you’re in a Seasons match or FUT however and lose your connection to EA Servers altogether, this usually means a disconnect, even mid-game. These severe issues are more rare than EA FC disconnects, but still exist and can cause some frustration. The matchmaking system is also shaky at times, often matching us up against players clearly outside of North America based on the in-game lag and the obscure teams they use.

FIFA 13

FIFA 13 amazingly continues to improve on its presentation. Maybe not in the technical visuals, as everything looks pretty well the same, but rather in new animations and attention to detail. There are new cutscenes, player interactions, more props on the sides of the pitch, and generally an improved visual experience. Commentary is once again excellent, with notable new lines and even a whole new commentator who focuses on providing details on injuries and scores from other matches. It’s another small but substantial touch that expands an already impressive audio design. Licensed soundtrack is great as always.

FIFA 13 remains a complete and very broad offering, with a ton of licensed leagues and players. There are no new modes or revolutions in gameplay, but everything here has been fine tuned since last year. Updated gameplay physics, control over free kicks, and improved AI do make a difference on the field of play, while Manager mode players will appreciate improved trade and international team integration. Combine all this with great presentation, and while online connectivity could be better, this is still a very appealing title for any FIFA fan.