FIFA 14 First Look (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

EA Sports’ FIFA has dominated the past few years, selling millions of copies and surpassing the the money-making Madden NFL series internationally.  With a deal secured between EA and FIFA for the next few years, the goals will keep on coming.

EA Sports is moving forward with the series and with this Fall’s FIFA 14, a cross-generation game for current-gen consoles and the Xbox One (and possibly the PlayStation 4 as well), using the new EA Ignite engine.  Today we’ll just talk about some of the features coming to the new entry in general as we haven’t yet seen the next-gen version in action.

Trust us when we say they’re be a lot to there’s a lot to look forward to, and the first step comes with better controls with your shooting.  With the introduction of Pure Shot, players will have much more precision for goal scoring.  You’ll be able to adjust both your stride and approach while running towards the goal, so you don’t always have to snap off a quick shot.  Instead, you can motion a buddy into place or ready yourself to aim for one of the corners, perhaps out of a goalie’s reach.  You can also shoot while off balanced or rushed if you think you can get the ball off under pressure, though it will be more  likely to miss.

FIFA 14 has improved defense as well as offense.  The new Protect the Ball feature lets players move the ball as they run through mid-field.  Defenders won’t automatically be able to just run over and take the ball unless you leave yourself wide open.  You can now use your feet to keep the ball in play while out-muscling opponents to keep control.  You can also turn past defenders while making a rush for the goal – it’s tricky but very rewarding to do.

Ball physics have also been greatly improved in FIFA 14, so when you kick the ball it comes off realistically.  If you try for a loose kick and don’t really aim properly, it could sail over the goal or out of bounds.  You can also use trajectories to move the ball greater distances than ever before for both clearing and passing.  You can also use your feet to drill low rising shots, as well as blast dipping and swerving shots.

You’ll need every bit of soccer skills that you can muster because EA Sports has really bumped up the AI behavior in FIFA 14.  Defensemen won’t be so trick by your moves and will track you down in an attempt to gain control of the ball.  Along with a bump in their skills, your teammates have also improved and will and allow you to set up a pass or perhaps set up a scoring opportunity with multiple players rushing the net.  They’ll also create space for themselves, important for incoming passes or keeping pace when it comes to attacks.  Soccer doesn’t get much smarter than this.

Finally, Career Mode will see a significant boost with the inclusion of a Global Scouting Network.  You’ll be able to build yourself a prime soccer team as you search for talent throughout the world.  You’ll be able to hold evaluations to see how players balance with your current squad and check on reports to keep an eye out for any hot prospects.  Throw in the ability to manage seasons like a pro and turn a rookie player into an overnight sensation on the soccer field and you have the best Career Mode that money can buy.

FIFA has dominated quite well over the years and we expect that to continue based on what we’ve seen in FIFA 14 thus far.  Look for the game in late September on current consoles and later this year for Xbox One.