by Steven Estevez
The Xbox One might not enjoy a great launch but as time goes by, things have been getting better and better for the console from Microsoft.
Today, UK gamers can enjoy this next-gen console for a bargain like never seen before. Popular gaming retailer, GameSeek, is putting up a promotion where the Xbox One will go on a special discount together with one of the most popular games around.
Just like a bundle, GameSeek is selling both the Xbox One and FIFA 14 for £100 off the total bill. FIFA 14 is the latest footballing instalment and in the UK, football is treated like a religion. As such, this is one bundle that should not be overlooked.
On the downside, the discount works under the Co-Buying scheme from the retailer. It is basically something like Groupon where the discounts get better with more interest shown. If the bundle is too happen, a certain amount of signups have to be made. Of course, GameSeek didn’t reveal the numbers.
The deal will run for a few hours only. Football fans must put their rivalries aside for this one and unite to enjoy the special deal.
2014年4月30日星期三
2014年4月11日星期五
FIFA 14 TIPS – HOW NOT TO DEFEND
POSTED BY EA SPORTS News
Football journalist and FIFA fan Darren Cross looks at five common defensive mistakes in FIFA 14 and how to avoid them…
I definitely know how not to defend – I’ve spent hundreds if not thousands of games of FIFA expertly demonstrating that over the years.
Eventually – and thankfully – I started to learn from my defensive mistakes and now, although I do still switch off and slip up from time to time, I concede far fewer goals than I used to.
In this week’s Backpage we’re going to look at five of the biggest defensive mistakes I used to make, which I still see regularly from opposition players online, and how to avoid them.
1 – Constantly Applying Pressure
Playing with high pressure at the right time and in the right areas of the pitch can be a really effective way to defend, but always applying pressure without the ball is generally a bad idea.
For starters, a never-ending high-pressure tactic will gradually begin to destroy the shape of your team as players charge around until they end up out of position, leaving big spaces in dangerous areas. A good opponent will quickly spot that you’re playing with a pressing tactic, and will simply play the ball around your chasers while waiting for one of these gaps to open up. Once they advance into that space then stopping their attack is so much more difficult, because you’ll most likely need to move another defender out of position to halt the advance – leaving a gap somewhere else.
It also eats your players’ stamina up. Nothing is more tiring in football than constantly running around chasing the ball, and reduced stamina can be a real problem in the late stages of games. If you often find that your opponent’s players have more stamina remaining than yours, it’s probably because you’re pressing too aggressively and tiring them out.
How To Avoid It
Unless I’m chasing the game with just a few minutes to go, I generally avoid pressing players in my opponent’s third. Chasing them down there will pay off occasionally, but most of the time your forwards make a fruitless run as the opposition pass them by, sapping their stamina levels, which could prove vital later in the match.
Once the other team approach the middle third then my pressure starts and increases as they get closer to the danger areas. As the pressure cranks up I keep my eyes on who is doing the chasing and where they should be, always making sure to switch to a different defender once the ball leaves my current player’s zone of the pitch. For example, if I’m pressing the ball with my right winger and the attacking player heads in field, I quickly pass that responsibility on to a central midfielder by using the player change button or right stick to switch to him, allowing my winger to stay more or less in the right position.
Pressing like this should help you maintain a solid team shape defensively, and it’ll leave your players with more gas in the tank for later on.
2 - Pressing With Centre-Backs
If you use contain or secondary contain without worrying too much about which of your players are applying the pressure then, as the ball gets closer to your third of the pitch, there’s a good chance one of your centre-backs will move out of the back line to close it down.
As your CB moves out he is likely to leave an opposing striker unmarked in the worst place possible, which again makes the attacker’s job so much easier. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve done this myself in the thousands of games I’ve played – it’s a very easy mistake to make and almost always results in conceding a goal, so it’s vital to keep your centre-backs together and in line.
How To Avoid It
Watch your CBs and react quickly when they start pressing.
If you’re in control of the player and suddenly realise you have a centre-back selected, use the player change button or the right stick to switch to someone else. Your defender should then move back into position automatically.
If you’re using secondary contain and notice a CB stepping out, just release the secondary contain button and try again when a different defending player is closer to the ball than your centre-backs.
In both cases, speed is the key. The faster you can spot your CB moving out of position and do something about it, the quicker his recovery.
3 – Rushing Tackles
This is another one that took me a long time to remedy, because it’s so tempting to always try to win the ball back as quickly as possible by diving into tackles or edging around attackers in an effort to nick it away.
This makes things easier for good attacking players, because all they need to do is avoid the challenge and they’ll have a space to play into while one of the defenders is temporarily out of the game.
How To Avoid It
Slow down. That’s the first thing I tell myself when I’m defending. If the defender closest to the ball can hold his position and make it difficult for the attacker to pass him – perhaps even forcing the player to turn back or pass to a team-mate – then that’s much better defensively than flying into a risky tackle or aggressively trying to steal the ball.
Again it comes back to shape. If you can keep yours while steadily applying pressure and waiting for the right moment to win the ball back then you’ve got a better chance of stopping the attack. Of course there is a time to go for a riskier tackle – either to block a shot or as a last resort – but in the main I find it pays to defend patiently while looking for the right opportunity to take the ball back.
4 – Sprinting Everywhere
It’s so easy to constantly hold sprint whenever you’re moving without the ball, but it’s really important to avoid that when approaching a player in possession in FIFA 14.
If your approach is too quick then it’s very easy for the attacking player to change direction and, because of the improvements to the momentum system, your player is out of the game for just long enough for the attacker to get past. Even if you read the play and can see what the attacker will do next, approach them too quickly and you may not be able to adjust fast enough to do anything about it.
That’s not the only big negative though; as with high pressure, constant sprinting also saps stamina.
How To Avoid It
Use the sprint button to quickly close the distance when you need to, but reduce your speed before you get too close to the ball. It sounds simple but if you’re used to sprinting almost by default then it can take some getting used to.
5 – Overplaying At The Back
We all like to play beautiful football as often as possible in games, so it can be tempting to try something a bit flash even when defending. Maybe a cushioned header to a team-mate in your own box, a quick turn to trick a striker or a flash pass after just winning the ball back in a crowd of players. I’ve done all of those things many times and lost count of the amount of games I’ve handed to my opponents as a result.
I think of this as overplaying in defence – going for something complicated that looks good instead of the ugly but safer option – and it costs goals.
How To Avoid It
What really helped me with this was using the shoot button more in defence. If one of my defenders is competing for a cross then I use the shoot button to head it as far away from danger as possible, rather than trying to direct it to a team-mate with the pass button. Similarly, if I’m in a race with a striker and there’s any doubt at all about being able to control the ball or pass it safely, I use the shoot button to get it away.
Of course, if I can safely control the ball and start an attack then I will do, but if it seems even slightly risky then I take no chances. It isn’t the prettiest tactic but it has made a huge difference in reducing the amount of goals I concede.
So they’re my big five mistakes to avoid. If you’ve got more defending tips you’d like to share with FIFA fans then please comment below or tweet them to me @darren_cross
Thanks very much for reading this week’s Backpage, and I hope to see you again next time.
Football journalist and FIFA fan Darren Cross looks at five common defensive mistakes in FIFA 14 and how to avoid them…
I definitely know how not to defend – I’ve spent hundreds if not thousands of games of FIFA expertly demonstrating that over the years.
Eventually – and thankfully – I started to learn from my defensive mistakes and now, although I do still switch off and slip up from time to time, I concede far fewer goals than I used to.
In this week’s Backpage we’re going to look at five of the biggest defensive mistakes I used to make, which I still see regularly from opposition players online, and how to avoid them.
1 – Constantly Applying Pressure
Playing with high pressure at the right time and in the right areas of the pitch can be a really effective way to defend, but always applying pressure without the ball is generally a bad idea.
For starters, a never-ending high-pressure tactic will gradually begin to destroy the shape of your team as players charge around until they end up out of position, leaving big spaces in dangerous areas. A good opponent will quickly spot that you’re playing with a pressing tactic, and will simply play the ball around your chasers while waiting for one of these gaps to open up. Once they advance into that space then stopping their attack is so much more difficult, because you’ll most likely need to move another defender out of position to halt the advance – leaving a gap somewhere else.
It also eats your players’ stamina up. Nothing is more tiring in football than constantly running around chasing the ball, and reduced stamina can be a real problem in the late stages of games. If you often find that your opponent’s players have more stamina remaining than yours, it’s probably because you’re pressing too aggressively and tiring them out.
How To Avoid It
Unless I’m chasing the game with just a few minutes to go, I generally avoid pressing players in my opponent’s third. Chasing them down there will pay off occasionally, but most of the time your forwards make a fruitless run as the opposition pass them by, sapping their stamina levels, which could prove vital later in the match.
Once the other team approach the middle third then my pressure starts and increases as they get closer to the danger areas. As the pressure cranks up I keep my eyes on who is doing the chasing and where they should be, always making sure to switch to a different defender once the ball leaves my current player’s zone of the pitch. For example, if I’m pressing the ball with my right winger and the attacking player heads in field, I quickly pass that responsibility on to a central midfielder by using the player change button or right stick to switch to him, allowing my winger to stay more or less in the right position.
Pressing like this should help you maintain a solid team shape defensively, and it’ll leave your players with more gas in the tank for later on.
2 - Pressing With Centre-Backs
If you use contain or secondary contain without worrying too much about which of your players are applying the pressure then, as the ball gets closer to your third of the pitch, there’s a good chance one of your centre-backs will move out of the back line to close it down.
As your CB moves out he is likely to leave an opposing striker unmarked in the worst place possible, which again makes the attacker’s job so much easier. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve done this myself in the thousands of games I’ve played – it’s a very easy mistake to make and almost always results in conceding a goal, so it’s vital to keep your centre-backs together and in line.
How To Avoid It
Watch your CBs and react quickly when they start pressing.
If you’re in control of the player and suddenly realise you have a centre-back selected, use the player change button or the right stick to switch to someone else. Your defender should then move back into position automatically.
If you’re using secondary contain and notice a CB stepping out, just release the secondary contain button and try again when a different defending player is closer to the ball than your centre-backs.
In both cases, speed is the key. The faster you can spot your CB moving out of position and do something about it, the quicker his recovery.
3 – Rushing Tackles
This is another one that took me a long time to remedy, because it’s so tempting to always try to win the ball back as quickly as possible by diving into tackles or edging around attackers in an effort to nick it away.
This makes things easier for good attacking players, because all they need to do is avoid the challenge and they’ll have a space to play into while one of the defenders is temporarily out of the game.
How To Avoid It
Slow down. That’s the first thing I tell myself when I’m defending. If the defender closest to the ball can hold his position and make it difficult for the attacker to pass him – perhaps even forcing the player to turn back or pass to a team-mate – then that’s much better defensively than flying into a risky tackle or aggressively trying to steal the ball.
Again it comes back to shape. If you can keep yours while steadily applying pressure and waiting for the right moment to win the ball back then you’ve got a better chance of stopping the attack. Of course there is a time to go for a riskier tackle – either to block a shot or as a last resort – but in the main I find it pays to defend patiently while looking for the right opportunity to take the ball back.
4 – Sprinting Everywhere
It’s so easy to constantly hold sprint whenever you’re moving without the ball, but it’s really important to avoid that when approaching a player in possession in FIFA 14.
If your approach is too quick then it’s very easy for the attacking player to change direction and, because of the improvements to the momentum system, your player is out of the game for just long enough for the attacker to get past. Even if you read the play and can see what the attacker will do next, approach them too quickly and you may not be able to adjust fast enough to do anything about it.
That’s not the only big negative though; as with high pressure, constant sprinting also saps stamina.
How To Avoid It
Use the sprint button to quickly close the distance when you need to, but reduce your speed before you get too close to the ball. It sounds simple but if you’re used to sprinting almost by default then it can take some getting used to.
5 – Overplaying At The Back
We all like to play beautiful football as often as possible in games, so it can be tempting to try something a bit flash even when defending. Maybe a cushioned header to a team-mate in your own box, a quick turn to trick a striker or a flash pass after just winning the ball back in a crowd of players. I’ve done all of those things many times and lost count of the amount of games I’ve handed to my opponents as a result.
I think of this as overplaying in defence – going for something complicated that looks good instead of the ugly but safer option – and it costs goals.
How To Avoid It
What really helped me with this was using the shoot button more in defence. If one of my defenders is competing for a cross then I use the shoot button to head it as far away from danger as possible, rather than trying to direct it to a team-mate with the pass button. Similarly, if I’m in a race with a striker and there’s any doubt at all about being able to control the ball or pass it safely, I use the shoot button to get it away.
Of course, if I can safely control the ball and start an attack then I will do, but if it seems even slightly risky then I take no chances. It isn’t the prettiest tactic but it has made a huge difference in reducing the amount of goals I concede.
So they’re my big five mistakes to avoid. If you’ve got more defending tips you’d like to share with FIFA fans then please comment below or tweet them to me @darren_cross
Thanks very much for reading this week’s Backpage, and I hope to see you again next time.
2014年2月19日星期三
FIFA 14: Ultimate Team player upgrades
by Luke Adcock
This season's edition of mid-season upgrades on FIFA Ultimate Team have been released by EA Sports, with over 50 players getting a boost in their in-game stats.
Here are some of the more notable upgrades!
Defenders
Jerome Boateng 81 > 83
Mehdi Benatia 82 > 84
Per Mertesacker 80 > 82
Laurent Koscielny 81 > 83
Seamus Coleman 72 > 76
Luke Shaw 70 > 73
Midfielders
Ross Barkley 72 > 77
Andros Townsend 72 > 74
Ravel Morrison 68 > 74
Felipe Melo 80 > 82
Antoine Griezmann 80 > 82
Paul Pogba 79 > 81
Aaron Ramsey 77 > 81
Forwards
Adnan Januzaj 61 > 73
Christian Benteke 79 > 81
Romelu Lukaku 77 > 80
Luis Suarez 86 > 88
Daniel Sturridge 80 > 82
These players are in packs now on Ultimate Team and have seen huge price increases, so if you get your hands on one you're sure in for a treat!
Just as an example, the new Januzaj is going for over 150k... now that's what I call an upgrade.
Some players have also seen position change, such as Januzaj's RM > LM, and Pogba's CDM > CM.
There are more upgrades scheduled to be released at the end of the month.
This season's edition of mid-season upgrades on FIFA Ultimate Team have been released by EA Sports, with over 50 players getting a boost in their in-game stats.
Here are some of the more notable upgrades!
Defenders
Jerome Boateng 81 > 83
Mehdi Benatia 82 > 84
Per Mertesacker 80 > 82
Laurent Koscielny 81 > 83
Seamus Coleman 72 > 76
Luke Shaw 70 > 73
Midfielders
Ross Barkley 72 > 77
Andros Townsend 72 > 74
Ravel Morrison 68 > 74
Felipe Melo 80 > 82
Antoine Griezmann 80 > 82
Paul Pogba 79 > 81
Aaron Ramsey 77 > 81
Forwards
Adnan Januzaj 61 > 73
Christian Benteke 79 > 81
Romelu Lukaku 77 > 80
Luis Suarez 86 > 88
Daniel Sturridge 80 > 82
These players are in packs now on Ultimate Team and have seen huge price increases, so if you get your hands on one you're sure in for a treat!
Just as an example, the new Januzaj is going for over 150k... now that's what I call an upgrade.
Some players have also seen position change, such as Januzaj's RM > LM, and Pogba's CDM > CM.
There are more upgrades scheduled to be released at the end of the month.
2014年2月10日星期一
Xbox One and PS4 fail to qualify for 2014 FIFA World Cup
EA Sports has confirmed that its 2014 FIFA World Cup video game will not be available on the next-generation consoles.
The FIFA 14 spin-off due out in time for the summer showpiece will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3, meaning Xbox One and PS4 owners will miss the chance to guide their country to World Cup glory.
Explaining its decision, the publisher said FIFA 14 players can still experience the World Cup in Ultimate Team mode, but wanted the focus to be on the previous-generation offerings.
A statement reads: "For our fans on the new generation of consoles and playing FIFA 14, we will have a range of engaging content, promotions and tournament within FIFA Ultimate Team so that those fans can experience the World Cup in unique and fun ways."
Laser focus
The company said it wanted to create a 'great game,' within its available resources, which would be available within to as many people as possible.
In a lengthy statement, it explained: "When we made the decision we considered a number of factors but most importantly we wanted to create a great game within our development resources that could reach as many people as possible and the way to do that was make our best game yet on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
"We gave our team the mandate of setting a laser focus on building the highest quality game for Xbox 360 and PS3 they could, and that's exactly what they are doing."
Seeing as, judging by the company's previous, the World Cup game will simply be an international football-focused version of the regular game, it's unlikely to upset too many folks, but EA's rationale is interesting nonetheless.
2014年1月22日星期三
FIFA 14 Xbox One update improves stability, fixes online issues, more
By Liam Martin
FIFA 14 has been updated on Xbox One.
Available to download from today (January 22), the update improves stability, fixes a number of online issues and modifies camera control.
In a statement on the EA forums, the community manager said that the company would continue to improve FIFA 14 based on player feedback.
"Our commitment to improve FIFA 14 is ongoing, and regular feedback from our fans helps us prioritize and identify future improvements," the statement reads.
"Thanks again for your feedback on Twitter, Facebook, and the EA Forums. We'll continue to provide you with information through those channels as and when it becomes available."
FIFA 14 recently secured its fifth consecutive week at the top of the all-format gaming charts, and its eighth week in total.
It was last year's third biggest gaming launch behind GTA 5 and Call of Duty: Ghosts.
The FIFA 14 Xbox One patch notes in full:
Some stability issues when entering Online matches.
Some cases where users with large friends lists can't access certain Online features.
Allows the Goalkeeper in Clubs mode to change camera angles.
Modifications to a couple of camera angles in specific stadiums to improve playability.
Ensures the Brazuca match ball appears properly in FUT once redeemed in the EAS FC Catalog.
Resolves some Online issues regarding match invites.
Improvements to some Kinect Global Speech Commands.
Occurrences of mismatched roster names in Seasons matches.
Virtual Pro Ball Skills varying from match to match.
Random list appearing instead of Friends Clubs list in Pro Clubs.
FIFA 14 has been updated on Xbox One.
Available to download from today (January 22), the update improves stability, fixes a number of online issues and modifies camera control.
In a statement on the EA forums, the community manager said that the company would continue to improve FIFA 14 based on player feedback.
"Our commitment to improve FIFA 14 is ongoing, and regular feedback from our fans helps us prioritize and identify future improvements," the statement reads.
"Thanks again for your feedback on Twitter, Facebook, and the EA Forums. We'll continue to provide you with information through those channels as and when it becomes available."
FIFA 14 recently secured its fifth consecutive week at the top of the all-format gaming charts, and its eighth week in total.
It was last year's third biggest gaming launch behind GTA 5 and Call of Duty: Ghosts.
The FIFA 14 Xbox One patch notes in full:
Some stability issues when entering Online matches.
Some cases where users with large friends lists can't access certain Online features.
Allows the Goalkeeper in Clubs mode to change camera angles.
Modifications to a couple of camera angles in specific stadiums to improve playability.
Ensures the Brazuca match ball appears properly in FUT once redeemed in the EAS FC Catalog.
Resolves some Online issues regarding match invites.
Improvements to some Kinect Global Speech Commands.
Occurrences of mismatched roster names in Seasons matches.
Virtual Pro Ball Skills varying from match to match.
Random list appearing instead of Friends Clubs list in Pro Clubs.
2014年1月9日星期四
FIFA 14 (PS4/Xbox One)
Author: Andy Corrigan
It’s almost a guarantee that with every new console launch, a version of EA Sports’ FIFA series will be found among the initial software line-up. Traditionally these launch iterations of FIFA are shallow husks of the prior ‘last-gen’ release, admirably built from the ground up but ultimately rushed to make tight deadlines. They’re usually devoid of series-established features, riddled with bugs, and are generally sloppy in production.
Change is upon us, however; as for the PS4 and Xbox One, EA have brought us a FIFA that not only matches the depth and feature set of the previous generation’s, but just about surpasses it in gameplay too.
Although built on EA’s new Ignite engine, FIFA 14 on next-gen consoles plays very similarly to what you may have already experienced on 360/PS3. The general pace is quick and satisfying, complimented by lovely responsive controls. Both moving with the ball and passing around the pitch feels smooth and natural, while player movement with added animations seems more fluid than its last-gen counterpart. This has afforded EA Sports the ability to add some lovely subtle touches, such as players ducking or jumping over teammates’ shots or extra levels of tricky footwork. My absolute favourite thing about how FIFA now plays, however, is that the ball is not glued to the players’ feet; it is almost its own physical object. Just as in real-life, players can lose the ball through over-control or overrunning it, it’ll move in unpredictable ways after 50-50 clashes; it behaves just as a ball should.
What I don’t like, however, is the series’ reliance on preventing you from getting the ball in certain situations, which is prevalent here yet again. You likely know the situation; you’re jockeying to win the ball fairly, stick your foot in and knock it a short distance away from the opponent. It’s anyone’s ball at this point, yet no matter whether you stick with the tackling player or switch to another unimpeded nearby, some invisible force prevents you from getting there first, even if your chosen player’s direction and momentum would dictate that they would tidy up easily. Disappointing.
While not quite as striking in its next-gen visual upgrade as NBA 2K14, the visual improvement in the new versions of FIFA 14 is certainly clear. The extra animations make a world of difference as players turn, burst into runs or shift their weight to receive the ball. Player models are sharper, losing barely any detail when the camera is far back, and the same can be said for the pitch, with much better detail and definition. Although the way the players move and run impresses in general play, the close-up camera shots offer up some horrors. Players are still scarily dead-eyed, and awkward and robotic interactions with each other take away a touch of gloss despite the visuals generally being much better.
The most impressive enhancement, however, comes in the form of the crowd. Models are more varied and detailed, their individual movements more prominent when things are going their team’s way. Score and your fans will become an energetic hive of activity, and it looks utterly fantastic, improving the atmosphere no end. You can tell EA are proud of this, as they’re keen to show the crowd off during every goal celebration, not to mention before and after every match. Score in a difficult away tie and it’s just as satisfying to see your little pocket of travelling support bouncing around, while the despondent home fans stay motionless in comparison. Stadiums finally feel more like a mass congregation of passionate supporters rather than rows of cardboard cut-outs and it’s just brilliant to see.
The match-day presentation is still a cut above its nearest competition. Jeff Stelling introducing; Martin Tyler and Alan Smith commentating; Geoff Shreeves providing ptich-side information on injuries and substitutions; Alan McInally offering updates from other matches (if you’re in a Career): all this stuff goes a long way in making me feel like I’m sat in front of my telly taking in the action on a Saturday afternoon. In the offline modes, this level of detail can make the business end of a season feel all the more exciting, especially when relying on other results to do you a favour.
Unfortunately, the commentary team still tend to repeat themselves a lot, especially when you’re of the mindset to stick with the one team. Still, it’s awesome to hear Tyler and Smith blur the lines between virtual and real-life football, talking about real-life league positions and goal stats as you play (outside of a career or competition modes, at least). It’s total football in this respect.
All game modes – except for the Tournament mode, oddly – make the transition to next-gen, and it’s still a satisfying crop with which to spend your time. This represents my first ever go at Ultimate Team, which I found to be an addictive little mode, combining the best aspects of management whiling taking me back to collecting Panini stickers as a kid. The career modes sees subtle improvements, allowing you to be a manager or a sole player (newly created or existing), though the clean new menu system and layout make it all that bit more user-friendly.
Of course, the online modes are a huge part of FIFA’s appeal and the online implementation is strong once again. Ultimate Team can be taken online, you can set-up clubs and play 11 vs. 11 matches, and all of it works as smoothly as it has in previous versions. You can still play friendlies in ranked and unranked matches, but the better option now is the Seasons mode, which is admittedly where I’ve sunk most of my play time. Seasons allows you to pick any side and get matched against other players based not only on their ranking, but also on their selected team.
This means if you support teams in the lower echelons of world football, you can still play online and avoid playing against the likes of Real Madrid, Barca and AC Milan every single match. It’s not something that cropped up often for me being a Liverpool fan, but this feature means that online matches don’t have to be the all-star affair we’ve grown accustomed to.
A decent mid-season signing?
At the moment, FIFA 14 represents your only option for next-gen football and, to their credit, I don’t think EA Sports could have made a better first attempt. The new Ignite engine impresses heavily on its debut, not only in making everything prettier and bringing bustling stadia to life like never before, but also in polishing and refining an already solid gameplay experience.
On those terms the upgrade doesn’t represent massive strides forward for the genre or the series, but it’s easily the most accomplished football game on the market at this time.
It’s almost a guarantee that with every new console launch, a version of EA Sports’ FIFA series will be found among the initial software line-up. Traditionally these launch iterations of FIFA are shallow husks of the prior ‘last-gen’ release, admirably built from the ground up but ultimately rushed to make tight deadlines. They’re usually devoid of series-established features, riddled with bugs, and are generally sloppy in production.
Change is upon us, however; as for the PS4 and Xbox One, EA have brought us a FIFA that not only matches the depth and feature set of the previous generation’s, but just about surpasses it in gameplay too.
Although built on EA’s new Ignite engine, FIFA 14 on next-gen consoles plays very similarly to what you may have already experienced on 360/PS3. The general pace is quick and satisfying, complimented by lovely responsive controls. Both moving with the ball and passing around the pitch feels smooth and natural, while player movement with added animations seems more fluid than its last-gen counterpart. This has afforded EA Sports the ability to add some lovely subtle touches, such as players ducking or jumping over teammates’ shots or extra levels of tricky footwork. My absolute favourite thing about how FIFA now plays, however, is that the ball is not glued to the players’ feet; it is almost its own physical object. Just as in real-life, players can lose the ball through over-control or overrunning it, it’ll move in unpredictable ways after 50-50 clashes; it behaves just as a ball should.
What I don’t like, however, is the series’ reliance on preventing you from getting the ball in certain situations, which is prevalent here yet again. You likely know the situation; you’re jockeying to win the ball fairly, stick your foot in and knock it a short distance away from the opponent. It’s anyone’s ball at this point, yet no matter whether you stick with the tackling player or switch to another unimpeded nearby, some invisible force prevents you from getting there first, even if your chosen player’s direction and momentum would dictate that they would tidy up easily. Disappointing.
While not quite as striking in its next-gen visual upgrade as NBA 2K14, the visual improvement in the new versions of FIFA 14 is certainly clear. The extra animations make a world of difference as players turn, burst into runs or shift their weight to receive the ball. Player models are sharper, losing barely any detail when the camera is far back, and the same can be said for the pitch, with much better detail and definition. Although the way the players move and run impresses in general play, the close-up camera shots offer up some horrors. Players are still scarily dead-eyed, and awkward and robotic interactions with each other take away a touch of gloss despite the visuals generally being much better.
The most impressive enhancement, however, comes in the form of the crowd. Models are more varied and detailed, their individual movements more prominent when things are going their team’s way. Score and your fans will become an energetic hive of activity, and it looks utterly fantastic, improving the atmosphere no end. You can tell EA are proud of this, as they’re keen to show the crowd off during every goal celebration, not to mention before and after every match. Score in a difficult away tie and it’s just as satisfying to see your little pocket of travelling support bouncing around, while the despondent home fans stay motionless in comparison. Stadiums finally feel more like a mass congregation of passionate supporters rather than rows of cardboard cut-outs and it’s just brilliant to see.
The match-day presentation is still a cut above its nearest competition. Jeff Stelling introducing; Martin Tyler and Alan Smith commentating; Geoff Shreeves providing ptich-side information on injuries and substitutions; Alan McInally offering updates from other matches (if you’re in a Career): all this stuff goes a long way in making me feel like I’m sat in front of my telly taking in the action on a Saturday afternoon. In the offline modes, this level of detail can make the business end of a season feel all the more exciting, especially when relying on other results to do you a favour.
Unfortunately, the commentary team still tend to repeat themselves a lot, especially when you’re of the mindset to stick with the one team. Still, it’s awesome to hear Tyler and Smith blur the lines between virtual and real-life football, talking about real-life league positions and goal stats as you play (outside of a career or competition modes, at least). It’s total football in this respect.
All game modes – except for the Tournament mode, oddly – make the transition to next-gen, and it’s still a satisfying crop with which to spend your time. This represents my first ever go at Ultimate Team, which I found to be an addictive little mode, combining the best aspects of management whiling taking me back to collecting Panini stickers as a kid. The career modes sees subtle improvements, allowing you to be a manager or a sole player (newly created or existing), though the clean new menu system and layout make it all that bit more user-friendly.
Of course, the online modes are a huge part of FIFA’s appeal and the online implementation is strong once again. Ultimate Team can be taken online, you can set-up clubs and play 11 vs. 11 matches, and all of it works as smoothly as it has in previous versions. You can still play friendlies in ranked and unranked matches, but the better option now is the Seasons mode, which is admittedly where I’ve sunk most of my play time. Seasons allows you to pick any side and get matched against other players based not only on their ranking, but also on their selected team.
This means if you support teams in the lower echelons of world football, you can still play online and avoid playing against the likes of Real Madrid, Barca and AC Milan every single match. It’s not something that cropped up often for me being a Liverpool fan, but this feature means that online matches don’t have to be the all-star affair we’ve grown accustomed to.
A decent mid-season signing?
At the moment, FIFA 14 represents your only option for next-gen football and, to their credit, I don’t think EA Sports could have made a better first attempt. The new Ignite engine impresses heavily on its debut, not only in making everything prettier and bringing bustling stadia to life like never before, but also in polishing and refining an already solid gameplay experience.
On those terms the upgrade doesn’t represent massive strides forward for the genre or the series, but it’s easily the most accomplished football game on the market at this time.
2013年12月18日星期三
FIFA 14 PS3 Xbox 360: ESPN FC And Virgin Gaming To Present Champions Cup Tournament
One of the biggest games in sports gaming is FIFA 14. The annual soccer game has a huge following internationally with games played by millions online around the world. Of all the sports games, FIFA 14 is probably one of the most competitive as users go to great lengths to win their games against each other and/or the CPU. Hopefully you do not own a Xbox One while playing FIFA as you will probably be without your Skype capabilities for a couple of days from the passion you will play this with and, if you're me, the total lack of skill you play with.
While the competition is fast and furious online, there has to be a way to see who the best FIFA 14 online player is, right? One player above all others. Well for those of you who believe that you are the best, there is a way to prove your dominance. ESPN FC, Virgin Gaming and EA Sports are joining forces to put on the FIFA 14/ESPN FC Champions Cup. The tournament will feature competitors from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil and Latin America. Soccer fans of FIFA 14 on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will all have the opportunity to participate in the tournament, which will have different stages of qualifying.
Players who are interested in the Champions Cup can sign up for the ESPN FC Champions Cup by going to the Virgin Gaming/ESPN FC website. The tournament will select the top two competitors for both consoles, who will travel to Bristol, Connecticut to the headquarters of ESPN. Once on the grounds of the worldwide leader of sports, the participants will compete live on ESPN FC, the new ESPN daily soccer program, for the grand prize of $2,500.
Before we get to the end of the tournament, the qualifying are now in full effect. For the next four weeks, every game of FIFA 14 played in the EA Sports Arena will count towards to the leaderboard rankings. There are four ways players can get to the top of the leaderboard with each week having a separate competitions and leaderboards.
Week 1: December 16-22- Most Games Players
Week 2: December 23-29- Most Wins
Week 3: January 6-12- Most Goals Scored
Weeks 4: January 13-19- Most Shots on Goal
The top four users from each of the four leaderboards will meet in the Sweet Sixteen of the ESPN FC Champions Cup and engage in three-rounds, single elimination style games leading up to the finals on February 5th at the ESPN headquarters. That final match will pit the top PS3 player against the top Xbox 360 player against one another to find the best of the best. Tournament progress can be tracked through the social media sites for ESPN FC, EA Sports and Virgin Gaming.
In addition to playing the deciding match on television and the winner receiving $2,500, there is more to the trip. Of course the trip is all paid for by ESPN, round-trip airfare and accommodations. In addition, the two payers will receive spending money for the trip and they will receive a behind the scenes tour of ESPN while they are there. For the other 14 players who were good enough to make the final 16 group, they will receive a custom ESPN FC Champions Cup Prize Pack. It's not $2,500 but it is something.
Stay with iDigitalTimes during the tournament for updates until the final match in February.
While the competition is fast and furious online, there has to be a way to see who the best FIFA 14 online player is, right? One player above all others. Well for those of you who believe that you are the best, there is a way to prove your dominance. ESPN FC, Virgin Gaming and EA Sports are joining forces to put on the FIFA 14/ESPN FC Champions Cup. The tournament will feature competitors from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil and Latin America. Soccer fans of FIFA 14 on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will all have the opportunity to participate in the tournament, which will have different stages of qualifying.
Players who are interested in the Champions Cup can sign up for the ESPN FC Champions Cup by going to the Virgin Gaming/ESPN FC website. The tournament will select the top two competitors for both consoles, who will travel to Bristol, Connecticut to the headquarters of ESPN. Once on the grounds of the worldwide leader of sports, the participants will compete live on ESPN FC, the new ESPN daily soccer program, for the grand prize of $2,500.
Before we get to the end of the tournament, the qualifying are now in full effect. For the next four weeks, every game of FIFA 14 played in the EA Sports Arena will count towards to the leaderboard rankings. There are four ways players can get to the top of the leaderboard with each week having a separate competitions and leaderboards.
Week 1: December 16-22- Most Games Players
Week 2: December 23-29- Most Wins
Week 3: January 6-12- Most Goals Scored
Weeks 4: January 13-19- Most Shots on Goal
The top four users from each of the four leaderboards will meet in the Sweet Sixteen of the ESPN FC Champions Cup and engage in three-rounds, single elimination style games leading up to the finals on February 5th at the ESPN headquarters. That final match will pit the top PS3 player against the top Xbox 360 player against one another to find the best of the best. Tournament progress can be tracked through the social media sites for ESPN FC, EA Sports and Virgin Gaming.
In addition to playing the deciding match on television and the winner receiving $2,500, there is more to the trip. Of course the trip is all paid for by ESPN, round-trip airfare and accommodations. In addition, the two payers will receive spending money for the trip and they will receive a behind the scenes tour of ESPN while they are there. For the other 14 players who were good enough to make the final 16 group, they will receive a custom ESPN FC Champions Cup Prize Pack. It's not $2,500 but it is something.
Stay with iDigitalTimes during the tournament for updates until the final match in February.
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