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FIFA 14 Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
FIFA 14 isn’t a leap into the future of the series; it has a lot in common with the version of FIFA 14 that's already out. There are real flashes of potential, though, and hints at where it may go in the future – the sheer variety of animation, cognisant players, more palpable atmosphere – but what FIFA 14 on next-gen consoles does right now is add an impressive visual layer to an already brilliant sports game.
“EA Sports owns the virtual pitch once again in ‘FIFA 14,’ a marginal current gen upgrade that excels for remembering to stick to the fundamentals.”
-Chris IEditor Find me at Twitter: @Slapshot82 Find me at Game Center: Slapshot82
FIFA strives to mimic the off-pitch strategy and on-pitch tactics of real football, and in the 12 months spent with each annual iteration, its fans become accustomed to the weight of its physics and the subtleties of its animations. As one of those fans, I’ve learnt the possible arcs of an aerial through ball, and the movements of teammates off the ball. When you’re so carefully attuned to the
Note: The main text is from the current-gen review, and the additions from the PlayStation 4 version have been added below.
Updated graphics and player visuals are what make FIFA 14 worth picking up. The stadiums and fields look spectacular, though some minor issues with gameplay elements can bring the game back down a notch. For a title that may not have been rushed, but definitely hurried for launch, EA Sports did a good job in getting soccer fans their fix.
Now comfortable and confident with its position right at the very top of the football gaming league, FIFA remains a solid and reliable choice this year. But with Pro Evolution Soccer slowly but surely closing the gap between itself and EA's consistent franchise, does FIFA 14 do enough to secure its lead?
In spite of the lack of a standout new feature, FIFA 14 is a great game that remains as fun as ever.
This will also upset some people. I felt that Fifa 14 pre patch was a lot less skill based and had a much more arcade feel to it. After the patch it is back to its strategic, skilful best and will really require you to put in effort in order to score a goal. This will ultimately lead to less goals being scored in matches so it all comes down to personal preference. I still feel like there are some oddities in AI making stupid decision and a few overpowered players that really change the game up.
Next-gen platform reviews for cross-generational games thus far have been an exercise in copy and pasting the last-gen, tweaking a few paragraphs regarding the graphics, then bosh, job’s a good’un – unless you’re Battlefield 4 in that case, what with it’s 64-player multiplayer and 60 frames per second. FIFA 14 is the true exception to the rule, bringing with it a new engine, shiny new next-gen visuals and a whole new experience for FIFA fans the world over.
FIFA 14 does a terrific job of differentiating levels of soccer competition around the world, which is rare. But there are so many different modes of play that players of just about any skill level or familiarity can hop into FIFA 14. For a sport I’m still learning, that accessibility is FIFA 14’s most impressive accomplishment.