Those that enjoy the FIFA series have come to expect the obligatory annual release, but this latest game is truly spectacular and might be considered the greatest football game ever produced. Fans of football and sports gaming are rejoicing right now because FIFA 13 is everything they’ve been expecting and wanting for years. While some might say that EA’s slightly repetitive approach to the FIFA franchise does little to create dramatic improvements over previous builds, they seem to be missing the point. What EA has done with this series is to slowly build upon their design, making changes at the behest of fans, and gradually adding features while experimenting with new modes of play and control mechanisms. Needless to say, they always come up with a winning formula in the end, but this latest installment is really a crowning achievement. I guess 13 isn’t such an unlucky number after all?
First off, there is an almost insane level of detail in everything. From the character models to the stadium environments, everything is very realistic looking and extremely well polished. Likewise, this is arguably the more stable and smoothest playing FIFA release to date; virtually no stumbles or frame-rate hang-ups to speak of. Overall, the general feel and appearance of this game is very refined, this is the FIFA experience that gamers have been waiting for.
The real charm of FIFA 13, however, is in its gameplay, which is by all accounts, amazing and a marked improvement over all other previous editions. Player A.I. has been improved as well, which adds yet another layer of strategy and fun to the mix. Additionally, the defending system has been slightly improved, along with dribbling controls. New game modes have been introduced (skill games and ultimate team modes); as you might expect, they are so incredibly fun and addictive that it’s almost unbelievable. Some tweaks were also made to the player impact engine, in an effort to reduce some of the odd accidents / glitches which sometimes occur when players collide. Scoring seems to be a little bit easier than before as well, which will be goodnews for some gamers while others might feel that they’re missing the challenge.
All-in-all however, FIFA 13 is basically a refinement of FIFA 12; but rest assured, it is still an improvement in a number of key ways. If someone is just discovering FIFA for the first time, 13 is going to absolutely blow their mind; hardcore fans and veterans however, will simply be extremely pleased with what’s been done to update the series this time around. Don’t even hesitate for a second, go out ASAP and pick up a copy of
FIFA 13 and experience it for yourself.