FIFA 14 Review

FIFA 14 Review

       

          It’s probably worth pointing out that while there are many titles coming to the Xbox One in the very near future, which are sure to act as genuine jaw-dropping showcases of all that the new generation consoles can deliver, FIFA 14 is unlikely to be one of them. Not that it’s an ugly port of the 360 version, of course, it’s just that it has obviously been developed alongside its more restrained counterpart and could be seen as being more of an enhancement to what’s gone before.

          That said, the changes made to this ‘gen 4’ version of the game are more than enough to transform it into a completely different experience, bringing new life and immersion to a franchise that was already pretty healthy on both counts. All that’s new may be merely aesthetic and expected improvements of a new console but, though it may lack that ‘wow’ factor of a new Halo, to play FIFA 14 on the Xbox One is to feel like you’re playing a whole new ball game.

          This latest offering is essentially the same as it is on the 360, with all the same game modes, features and content, but it’s been created using EA Sports’ Ignite engine, purpose built for the next-generation consoles. This impacts upon the game primarily in terms of physics and animations, along with player AI and far smoother presentation.

          The visuals on their own aren’t a huge step up and we’d wager that player models are shared across both platforms, albeit with a few new layers and degrees of detail added, but the combination of new and more varied animations, coupled with fully 3D crowds responding to the action and a new real-time ‘Match Flow’ engine creates an incredible, lifelike experience.

          Whereas before there were two or three animations for a simple pass, there are now maybe five or six. Players can use the outside of their foot, chest balls off to a teammate or drill crossfield passes with beautiful ease. There are newly created animations for through-balls and the like, more angles for players to move or pass within and simply a greater variety of options on the ball and animations to link everything together.

          Enhanced AI gives players greater positional awareness and anticipation, and they’re now capable of using their bodies to keep possession rather than you having to resort to shielding on the left trigger, while the improved physics system gives everything a far more realistic grace than ever before.

          One key improvement is the new Match Flow presentation that enables you to follow matches in real-time. From the moment players walk out of the tunnel before kick-off to them leaving the pitch basking in glory or wallowing in defeat, the game can be a single, seamless experience. If the ball goes out for a goal kick, you can watch as the keeper fetches it and the other players jog back to their rightful positions, while the new in-game director interjects replays and player close-ups, just as if you were watching a real match on telly.

          It’s all skippable with a tap of the A button (and the in-game clock stops during these links), but being able to play in a match that doesn't cut away for substitutions or jump players into position for a throw-in is a hugely impressive feat and ensures your heart and mind are always on the pitch. And if you do choose to skip ahead, the absence of anything close to a loading screen is another bonus of the nextgen tech whirring away underneath the hood.

          The presentation is helped greatly by the 121 camera angles now in place (including rail-cams and those neat sky-cams you see at World Cups), which ensures a much improved variety of broadcast-quality coverage, with great tackles or sweet skill moves given close-up replays. The enhanced visuals also mean that players now have a much more detailed range of reactions and facial animations that show the contrasting sense of joy or anguish at recent events.

          Some of the likenesses are still pretty generic outside the major international stars, but the power of the Xbox One at least gives them far more personality than seen in the 360 version, while added effects such as grass flying up and spray from a damp pitch, or shirt textures that flap and twist realistically add to the impression that you are watching something real.

          The new crowds add to that as well, now looking far more lifelike and less cutout than their 2D predecessors, with fully rendered 3D supporters reacting to the action. There remains a slight awkwardness to them when seen up close, and you will still see noticeably cloned characters (well, you can’t expect 90,000 individually animated fans, can you), but there is a far more realistic contribution to the game from them.

          Some will stand up in anticipation when you burst clean through on goal, while the finish itself will be celebrated in different ways (contrasting with the slumped demeanor of the conceding team’s fans). The overall result is that crowd has now become part of the action rather than just a backdrop for it – to the point where the default camera setting has been lowered so that you can constantly see part of the stadium in the background.

          It’s this degree of detail that makes the Xbox One version a more than worthy upgrade to the xBox 360. It may be basically the same game in a slightly shinier skin, but it looks and (more importantly) feels like a completely different experience. Between the in game director showcasing relevant clips within the real-time game play and the game now being smart enough to react to your choices (drop your star player and it will be commented on), the next-gen FIFA 14 is no longer constrained within the same sequences and prescripted events of old, and is now free to become a living, reactive and beautifully seamless world.


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