By Simon
Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
This article was written for TheRankTank
While the
obsessive fans of the Grand Theft Auto series drool over the new game that came
out recently, another iconic brand made a quieter but just as productive
release last week.
FIFA 14 went
on sale at midnight on Friday, 27 September in game shops such as Game and HMV
and on many online stores. The latest
version in the popular franchise seems to have got some of the best reviews of
its long life, but is it still the king of football games?
A week
earlier, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 made its debut in the shops to
almost unnoticed knowledge, such was the widespread talk of GTA as it came out
just a few days earlier. Konami have
official licenses to the two European club competitions, the UEFA Champions
League and the UEFA Europa League but it is letdown by the lack of official
club licenses. Unless readers are fans
of Manchester United, English clubs are not licensed. There are only three German clubs and many
other European sides have been removed in recent years as Konami shifted its
market more towards Asian and South American outfits.
What is
letdown in the license department, Konami have listened to feedback from last
year’s lamentable game which was their worst in the current console
generation. The game engine has been
radically improved and there is more of a challenge this year, even if the
commentary is as basic and bland as ever from Jon Champion and Jim Beglin.
However Pro
Evolution Soccer 2014 is a decent game, and arguably has made some ground up
after having taken a battering in recent years by its EA counterpart. Once a competitive battle has become as
dominant as Sebastian Vettel has in Formula One, or Usain Bolt in track sprinting.
Nevertheless
it meant EA were under pressure to deliver, and they have come up with the most
realistic and playable football SIM in the business. While I will save the more technical gameplay
aspect explanations to the expert gamer reviewers, wise and useful changes have
been made to allow tempo of a match to be dictated more by the user, team-mates
have become smarter in off-the-ball movement and ball physics have become far
more realistic.
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| FIFA's gameplay has improved once again on the latest edition |
EA have also
been helped by landing two of arguably the best three players in the world on
the cover in Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and new Real Madrid signing Gareth Bale,
complete in the £85m shirt that was quickly altered after his early September
transfer. The trailer (video below) also features the likes of Stephan El Shaarawy (pictured in the game), Javier Hernandez and Tim Cahill. Any game with Messi and Bale
on the front cover must be worth giving it a try for keen football
enthusiasts.
Other
improvements include better updates to the popular FIFA 14 Ultimate Team mode
for online users with more formation combinations and stronger team chemistry
attributes. 33 leagues have been
licensed in over 600 clubs with all the major teams from England, Spain,
Germany, France, Italy and Portugal covered.
Lastly there are major updates to the transfer networks, Co-Op seasons
and new licensed stadiums such as Goodison Park for Everton FC and Shakhtar
Donetsk’s often intimidating Donbass Arena.
When it comes
to football games, FIFA 14 isn’t always the king, particularly when you throw
management simulations like Football Manager 2014 into the mix but it is still
the leader in playable terms, and is likely to be for some time to come. FIFA 14 is the most authentic game of its
generation, but don’t spend an entire weekend infront of the TV screen. Enjoy playing this challenge in good
moderation.
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