FIFA 14 is the next edition in Electronic Arts’ FIFA video game series, developed by EA Canada.
The game was released on September 24th 2013 in North America and on September 27th in Europe for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android and the PC. The game was also released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Given the power differences between the last generation of consoles (PS 3 Xbox 360 etc) and the current generation consoles (Xbox One and PS4) the game will be running on two separate engines, named Impact and Ignite respectively.
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Over the years the developers of the FIFA series have been trying to create a realistic football sim. The developers have stated that they have included a variety of new elements with FIFA 14, like precision movement, greater midfield build-up and team intelligence. The precision movement brings more dynamic momentum and foot planting, as movement is calculated which each individual step.
Senior gameplay producer Aaron McHardy stated in an interview that, “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. So that’s going to feel fundamentally different when you’re running around with any player on the pit. The game is more like a chess match of creating opportunities building up to the midfield than it was in previous years, which was more about running down the wing and hoping that someone was open for you to pass the ball to. Now it’s a lot more strategic. We want you to think football a lot more than we did in last year’s game.” [reference]
Team intelligence allows AI players to make better decisions and really force the player to play smarter. In an interview they stated, “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,” EA Sports revealed. The attackers knew exactly where they should be to open up the opposition and they executed flawlessly. With Teammate Intelligence in FIFA 14, players will have better decision-making and teams will play smarter on both the attack and defense to bring the beauty of the game to life.” [reference]
FIFA 14 won’t support Kinect. As Electronic Arts Sports boss Andrew Wilson stated in an interview; “We feel the evolution of that will do more for gamers this year [than motion]. We’re not quite at motion yet. We’re running some prototypes, but as yet we’re not seeing anything that universally enhances the core sports experience. Right now we’re still in a position where we see voice as the feature of Kinect that’s most relevant to FIFA. And that’s how you’ll see it this year. We did voice last year. There are new capabilities of voice recognition in the new Kinect the team is trying to utilize to make sure we take that to the next level and give you an even greater level of control through voice in the game.” [reference]
Ignite, the new engine that will be used exclusively for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, will not be featured on the PC. Steve Frost the Global Communications Manager for EA Sports stated in an interview that. “Ignite will be the engine that drives our sports games on PS4 and Xbox One. It will not be used for FIFA 14 on PC.Ignite will also run NBA Live 14, EA Sports UFC and Madden NFL 25 when EA Sports announced it during the Xbox One reveal. The video uses assets pulled directly from the in-game engines, and was rendered to create this first look multi-product trailer. It’s representative of where we expect our games will be when they launch.”
EA Communications Specialist Brad Hilderbrand also commented. “Yes, given the timing and planning required for the Xbox One reveal event the EA Sports Ignite video was developed in a pre-rendered video format. We’ll be showing off the game using in-game assets at E3.” [reference]
A petition was started to feature female players in FIFA 14, but despite more than 10,000 signatures, FIFA 14 producer Sebastian Enrique stated in an interview that it won’t be happening. “It is something we have talked about but there are no plans at the moment”. For the game to feature female players, “there are lots of things we would have to change though, like the physics would be different, it would affect collisions. There are lot of things that are involved”. This included “new models and hair styles”. [reference]
Career mode has been retooled this time around. It includes a Global Scouting Setup through most countries. You can now search for talent all season long using the same scout, and pick from various clubs around the world as players compete in various football tournaments and battle against the best.
New features coming into play with FIFA 14 include the Pure Shot and Real Ball physics. New shot types include off-balance and rushed shots, with Real Ball now defining ball routes for players to kick with relative force from a distance. With these enhancements, one can now search for the best angle and approach for making shots.
Executive Producer for FIFA 14 David Rutter stated in an interview, “FIFA 14 will play the way great matches are contested with build up through midfield, tension throughout the match as chances are created, and incredible finishing. Opportunities in FIFA 14 will be rewarding and great goals will look stunning.” [reference]
The “Ultimate Edition” from Amazon UK will receive 24 Ultimate Team gold packs, one per week. Each gold pack features a mix of 12 items including players, contracts, healing, badges and more, along with a special item such as a strong, valuable player or longer contracts.
The Ultimate Edition will include historic kits, Virtual Pro Boosters and an All-Star Team sponsored by Adidas with Barcelona and Argentina star – and cover man – Lionel Messi.
The Limited Edition will feature the same perks as the Ultimate Edition, but will have 2 additional rare items with the gold packs. The Limited Edition will be available to pre-order until August 1st, midnight. The Collector’s Edition features all of the above content along with a special edition Adidas EA Sports glider football, and it will be available till September 26th midnight.
