FIFA 13 Demo: Review

It’s that time again! No, not the Premier League or the La Liga (which are temporarily put on hold due to the infuriating International break). It’s that time when Electronic Arts revamps its bestselling football simulation game – FIFA! To many of us this is more than just a game; rather a part of our daily routine. For the past few years, FIFA’s main rivals have been …well..the previous iterations of the game itself. So we take a look at the Demo which has just been released to see if it justifies its price tag or is just a tweaked version of FIFA 12.

NEW FEATURES

Off the bat, the most noticeable feature is the player’s first–touch system. In the previous versions, a pass (grounded or lobbed) would just go on and remain stuck on to the receiver’s foot. This time, depending on the player’s skill level in that department, he’ll be able to take control of the ball much quicker and can propel himself towards the intended direction. This opens a new world of defensive and offensive possibilities and greatly increases difficulty.

A new player physicality system is introduced. Players can now push and pull each other and can also block players who make runs although, if you overdo it, you can get penalized.

The game’s impact engine has also been refined. During the time that I’ve been playing there haven’t been any collisions which have led to unintentionally hilarious animations. Also, the ball itself has a more realistic feel to its motion.

GAMEPLAY ADDITIONS

Taking cues from the FIFA Street series, FIFA 13 allows much simpler dribbling with their new mechanics. This is, of course, subject to the player’s dribbling stats and the opposition, but pulling off a dummy maneuver is easier this time around.

The attacking AI has also been tweaked. Efficient strikers move into good positions – anticipating a pass – and also help in creating space with decoy runs. To make things difficult, the opposition AI is also much more intelligent at anticipating shots and tackles.

The new free kick system allows for customization of your attempts. It allows complex fake free kicks, playing the ball to a free player or into space, lobbing it towards forwards to head it in and others which I really haven’t found out yet. Defenders can add players to the wall, shimmy them around, mark players and even rush towards the free kick taker when he shoots!

Minor improvements over FIFA 12 can also be noticed including the then-annoying quick throw and quick-free-kick system. The players rush back and get to the ball so that you can proceed with the game.

However, bugs with the PC version of the game involving crashes during the free-kicks and throw-ins have been found – if the controls are changed (Thanks Sherry Philips). These should be ironed out in the final version of the game.

The graphics of the game have remained largely unchanged. Although there was very little to improve, you have to think that the PES series just seems to have that extra bit of realism. A host of new animations have been included and they serve the purpose (I even got Balotelli to do his “Hulk” celebration!).

The commentary slightly disappointed me. Details about the players and their history are often mentioned, but most of the in-game talk is just recycled material from FIFA 12 which we already have gotten tired of listening to. Hopefully there’ll be improvements in the full version.

The in-game menus are mostly the same, extremely accessible type of FIFA 12. The loading screen to a match features small games like passing and shooting practice, replacing the feature of blindly running towards your goalie trying to score. Also players’ form is based on data on the progress of their real life counterparts and should make for some interesting gameplay. More variations of different formations are also included like attacking and defensive variants of the same formation.

The demo offers the option to play as AC Milan, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Manchester City. India will also make an appearance in the full version for the first time. Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium will not be featured due to a failure to reach an agreement to the rights for it but it shouldn’t be a major distraction.

VERDICT

So far, the new FIFA iteration checks all the boxes. It’s not a grand step-up like what FIFA 11 was. But such a well refined product needs little tampering with. The on-pitch experience is brilliant and extremely realistic and, not to mention, challenging. It is a big step forward. Would I spend Rs. 1500 (for the PC version, Rs. 3000 for X360 and PS3 and Rs. 1000 for PS2) for it?

For all the realism added to it along with FIFA’s brilliant Online system – YES!

RELEASE DATE : 28^th September 2012