I have been following the Fifa series since the 1990s but got bored after seeing the game getting a bit repetitive in the past few years.
Fast forward to this year’s Fifa 14 and there’s still much of that similarity, though with each year, players are updated when they head to new clubs, for example.
Still, there are some changes to the gameplay that generally leaves a positive impression on me due to the long hiatus between the last time I played the series and now.
The physics and dynamics have improved, making it feel even more believable. Plus, players cannot resort to ridiculous tricks like numerous step-overs to get pass opponents that easily anymore.
There are two game modes that I immerse myself whenever I launch the game on the Playstation 3 – Career and Ultimate Team.
The Career mode puts you in the shoes of a player and you slowly build up the character to take on tougher leagues. Unlike the regular jump-straight-into-action mode, you do have to rely on the AI to get other players in position to either pass the ball to or to score.
You can certainly understand the frustration of a player who has team mates who don’t work well.
So it is really up to you as the player to get the ball from your own half sometimes and carry your team forward. Rather like what Wayne Rooney is doing now in real life at struggling Manchester United.
The Ultimate Team mode, on the other hand, is a mixture of team management and a trading card game. You can mix and match players to your heart’s content and also put them in various formations.
The strength of the team does not come just from individual skills but also how they relate to each other. If they have a strong relationship – say, they are from the same team in real life or are of the same nationality – they form a much better playing partnership on the pitch. You win more games, as a result.
The game isn’t perfect, for sure. Some of the commentary seems repeated too much. Plus, the menu system can be difficult to navigate through, given so many features and options in a game that has grown more complex over the years.
Still, Fifa 14 has improved – all previous Fifa games get better, if only just a little bit, with each year’s new release. And having not played the past few editions, I now find Fifa 14 pretty enjoyable as a whole.
