The next FIFA from EA is already upon us, and while we had a great time all year long with FIFA 13, new promises and new expectations (and of course, new line-ups after the current season transfer window come to an end) are brewing with FIFA 14.
With every year passing by, EA has continued to find new and innovative ways for the series to keep us hooked to the game for as long as possible, while also taking the market entirely away from the next big thing after the FIFA series – Pro Evolution Soccer.
As mentioned earlier, EA each year comes up with new features to integrate into the FIFA universe, and FIFA 14 is certainly not different from that. While there are some major changes and overhauls that will be presented with FIFA 14, we take a look at the ones that will actually set the game apart from all its predecessors.
To begin, one of the major inclusions to this year’s FIFA title is something EA calls Precision Movement. Precision Movement, according to the company, has been defined by stating the following: “Now every step counts as players plant, pivot, cut, and shift momentum with the agility and explosiveness of real footballers.”
In a recent interview with the Polygon, senior gameplay producer Aaron McHardy talked about FIFA 14’s Precision Movement feature, and mentioned that it will be one of the first things fans of the series will notice when they play FIFA 14.
"We've been able to change the way the acceleration curves work in the game to be more accurate to the real world and preserve that momentum better," McHardy said. "So that's going to feel fundamentally different when you're running around with any player on the pit."
According to him, the pace of the game will be different as a result of different build-up plays. “The build-up play will feature variable dribble touches, sprint dribble double turns and improved teammate intelligence, which allows for marking and attacking.”
McHardy also promised that the “AI will make more educated decisions and will fend off, push back and block the player from stealing the ball.”
Next up is FIFA 14’s enhanced transfer system that will now operate under single, seamless global network. The company has promised that everything is about to change the way we deal in the transfer market.
Managers will now be able to develop, build and improve their network of scouts, alongside gathering details on the attributes and traits of players who have been scouted from around the world. Scouts can be instructed to search numerous leagues, player-types or just to keep an eye on specific players with growing overalls.
“This innovative way of playing Career Mode also moves away from the concept of player overall rating as an on-demand metric of a player’s abilities. Instead, you communicate to your scouts what type of player you are looking for, using football terms such as prolific, promising, pacey and many more. This results in greater interaction with your scouts and the transfer market, and will feel much more organic and authentic,” the company writes.
To end it all, there’s also the newly improved Teammate Intelligence that enables better decision making for tighter and compact gameplay alongside improved run tracking and intelligent marking. EA says that with the inclusion of Team Intelligence, players will make better split-ends decision with the team itself performing smartly on both the attack and the defense sector of the game.
To compare the reach of Teammate Intelligence in FIFA 14, EA states: “One of the most memorable moments from the 2006 FIFA World Cup occurred when Argentina strung together 24 passes before scoring a fantastic goal against Serbia and Montenegro. The attackers knew exactly where they should be to open up the opposition and they executed flawlessly.”
FIFA 14 is currently scheduled for a release on PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.
