EA’s FIFA 14 is already hotter than hot with improved gameplay mechanics, more responsive AI, the implementation of human intelligence, True Player Motion, and more. However, that is not all the new FIFA offers, as there's also a dedicated FIFA 14 Ultimate Team offering this time around that single-handedly ups the realism involved.
For this year’s Ultimate Team mode, EA had already announced that that there will be exclusive content on offer for the Xbox One where a new feature for Ultimate team known as Legends will be added.
The Legends option is where players can opt for footballer from a bygone era, such as Pele, and Dennis Bergkamp. Apart from that, the new Ultimate Team also sees the return of the single online match, where players can compete in a single match that doesn't contribute to tournaments or seasons.
However, this post is not meant to re-introduce you to all the Ultimate Team features that you already know (as should any FIFA fan playing the game for a long time), but to inform you how you can use these new features and experience to your advantage.
There are a few things that you should keep in mind while accessing the Ultimate Team mode for FIFA 14. These are as follows:
The first thing you will need to get hold of in order to succeed in this level is go through the in-game chemistry. That will give you a wider look into your team and how they will fare against the opposition.
For all the newbies out there, chemistry is the number that represents the overall relationship of your team, and if its effective against the opposition. A total out of 100 will be produced depending on individual player links across the players on the pitch. The link remains strong as long as the relationship link between team mates is strong.
It's essential to remember that teams comprised of players from same league or nation will generate greater chemistry faster. Follow this logic, and you'll have yourself one of the most effective teams in the game.
The links between players is important to understand. Green links indicate that the relationship between two team mates is strong. Orange suggests that they are still carrying out a good job. However, a red link states that there’s absolutely no relationship between the players and that their on-the-pitch activities will be affected.
Don’t be afraid to build your team and experiment with it while doing so, as there’s no real guarantee that a team boasting players like Franck Ribery, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will win. Keep trying different tactics with your team.
Next is your ability to do flawless business, which is related to your ability to win matches and gather funds so you can improve the team overall. This year’s Ultimate Team features a real-life market scenario where your only objective should be to buy low and sell high.
Talking about introducing cheap players, try getting most of the popular players in bulk depending on how they are playing in real life. Listen to your heart once in a while and snap up the ones you think will improve the following week.
Make a slow and steady start with your team in the mode, and don’t buy extra added items for a single player with major overalls, as the risk involved gets higher, especially if you are unable to sell him off in the future. Always remember: Inexpensive players equals low-risk factor.
As far as in-game items for FIFA Ultimate Team mode are concerned, here’s a brief list of all the items you can expect to encounter in time.
Player Items
- Gold: The highest ranked players with ratings between 75-99.
- Silver: Medium rated players with overall scores between 65-74.
- Bronze: Anyone whose rating is below 64.
- Team of the Week: EA selects a team of stars each week who have performed well in real life. On a similar note, a number of related player items start will appearing in packs for one week with a points boost.
- Man of the Match: Similar to TOTW (Team of the Week), but released after cup matches, EA takes this opportunity to outline a single player from one of the day's cup games and offer him a selection of higher-rated stats. Note that these are only available for 24 hours.
Other items in this regard include Managers, Manager Leagues, Other Staff, Contracts, Chemistry Styles, Stadiums, Fitness, Healing, Player Training and Position Change.
FIFA 14, which was all aces in our review, has already arrived for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, PSP, PS Vita, and Wii, with versions for Xbox One and PS4 arriving in November.
