PlayStation 3
Released in 2013 by EA Sports
Grade: A
This installment takes the series another step toward the sim end of the spectrum. The action is more unpredictable, the movement is more organic, and the control is more difficult. It may not be as immediately fun as previous editions, but it may be more rewarding over the long haul.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the sixth of 12 on PS3, and the PS4 debut (using a new engine) was released the same year. Some say this is where the series strayed from the perfect balance it hit with FIFA 12 and FIFA 13, but I like it. Check out my nerdy breakdown of a key 4-year stretch of games in FIFA 11 vs. FIFA 12 vs. FIFA 13 vs. FIFA 14.
Praises and gripes
You’ll notice new physics right from the opening kickoff. Players don’t respond to your movement of the analog stick quite like they used to. They need to gain momentum more like human soccer players. They turn and dip their shoulders, and they need a few steps to come to a stop. When passing or shooting, the controls also seem “delayed,” which is sure to frustrate you initially. But, in time, you’ll make the adjustment to this more realistic control.
As usual, the action unfolds nicely, and you’ll be craftily passing to the open man, inching your team closer to a scoring chance, trying to unleash a shot on net. On defense, you have to watch the angles and plan your tackles wisely. The controls are expansive and tuned well, allowing you to gain a sense of how long or short to hold a button, or when to use a through pass, lob pass, cross, etc.
The ball seems to take even more realistic bounces than in previous years. I like how when players clear the ball, it can often end up in an open patch of grass, with two players racing to get to it first. If the ball is headed or frantically kicked, it doesn’t magically go straight to another player; you usually need to go get it. FIFA always has players playing proper positions, but that too is less predictable in this version. Players seem to improvise more and abandon their pre-determined positional duties, leading to more unique moments of action.
All these changes put together, I just really like the feel of this game. It feels like soccer, and yet it still strikes that great FIFA balance, where you’ve got more scoring happening than in real soccer. Play with 10-minute halves and the final score might be 2-1 or 3-2, which would never happen in real life.
On the downside, the graphics have kind of a glossy look, which isn’t as easy on the eyes as previous versions. They also removed a critical control, where you can point the right stick forward while sprinting to have your player dribble the ball farther ahead. Other gamers complain about the delay on the controls. It’s certainly more difficult, and if you haven’t played FIFA in a while, this isn’t the greatest version to start with.
My usual gripes about soccer gameplay remain as well. Free kicks and penalty kicks utilize some quirky controls that will take practice. Even with improved physics, there are moments when you don’t feel in control, like when the ball comes off a cross and an opponent already has you shielded off, or when the ball gets jammed between players and there’s no telling who will come out with it. And I despise soccer’s dumb overtime rules, too often letting a penalty shootout determine the winner.
But, you’re not getting around those flaws in soccer, and FIFA consistently does a great job of providing satisfying realism with enough user-friendly fun. This version might not be quite in balance with itself as the last two, but I really like it.