EA Sports have revealed a ton of new details about their upcoming FIFA 14 recently. First up, in the press release for the game, EA noted that, “Additional platforms will be revealed in the months ahead.” This is interesting because even though the PS Vita, Wii U and 3DS versions could eventually be revealed (as the series has been releasing on these platforms for years now), it also suggests that the games could be arriving for the PS4 and Xbox 720.
Given how most FIFA games have been releasing in September, this would mean it comes out much earlier than either the PS4 or Xbox 720. Nonetheless, EA has also had a habit of releasing cross-generational titles for newer consoles when older versions will still available. So there’s still the possibility.
EA also discussed the changes to the scouting system made for FIFA 14’s career mode. We already talked about how they want players to have the feel of an extensive global scouting network for finding players all year round. The advantages of this are that you can scout players ahead of time and sign them when the transfer window appears.
Scouts can also head to specific leagues, look for specified player types or even stalk a special player. You can also specify which footballers your scouts can keep an eye on based on their overall prospects rather than abilities.
Producer Nick Channon also talked to OPM UK about changes to the game. “On shot types: For us, the first part was the animation. In previous FIFA games, we had the times where we’d hold you in a pose to get you into a position to strike the ball.
“If the ball’s at your feet, you’d snap your leg up to get the same kind of animation. It looked the same but the ball would come out in a different. That visual tell was always kind of disconcerting, so now you’ll be able to adjust your stride to step into a ball.” The different animations thus help you understand why the ball acted the way it did.
“In previous games, the marking was quite loose which helped players basically turn and run at the defenders. This year, the marking is more realistic. We also fixed some issues around run tracking where defenders would lose the player they’re tracking by making a bad decision, so that’s being fixed too.”
The defending this time around also challenges you to use a bit more variety when it comes to attacking the opposition such as moving the ball around the mid-field and employing different shots. This is to cut down on the number of “cheap shots” employed, and thus reducing the repetitiveness in the way one scores. The physics is also improved to realistically simulate drag, low rising shots, dipping shots, air movement and more.
You’ll still be able to use your own style of playing but these new mechanics just expand the field of options for a player.