FIFA 13 – All You Need to Know

Only a football game can make you skip a real game of football. At least that’s what FIFA 13 is claiming to do. Just when we thought that FIFA had reached new heights with its 2012 version, EA sports is coming out with a Mt. Olympus of a 2013 edition.

It’s time to shift up the gear folks, loads of entertainment and technicality is coming your way in a few weeks time and it promises to be better than ever. From what we have observed, the new features have really made our tails wag:

•NEW IMPROVED PLAYER IMPACT ENGINE
The engine is much more grounded, there are no definite impact micro lags and off the ball collision with the opponent player seems to have been paid much attention to.

•NEW SKILLS FEATURE (COMPLETE DRIBBLING)
Obviously it will depend on the player you are controlling, but don’t forget to trick the prick when in control of a Ronaldo, Messi or even Nani.

•ATTACKING AI
Now the AI will be much more involved in an attack, distracting the defenders and creating the through ball spaces.

•VOICE RECOGNITION (KINECT)

No this is not Siri, but the referee might get you going if you swear at him during the game. The voice recognition through Kinect will be used while playing the game on XBOX.

•MATCH DAY FEATURE
This one, we like a lot and I am quite sure that Konami will have something similar in mind. Basically, whatever is the player’s status in the real on-going season; same will be his status in the game. For e.g. – if Messi has gone for an international to Argentina in real life, then he won’t be playing for Barcelona on that day in the game; or if Hazard is out for 3 months for Chelsea in the real life, then he can’t play for your team in the game. This is an avant-garde of a feature, but will be optional as per gamer choice.

•TACTICAL FREE KICKS
Create dodgy and unpredictable free kicks. Up to three men can be positioned over the ball to confuse the opponents with dummy runs and more passing options. Opponents can also add or reduce the number of players on the wall; or position a bullet man to intercept the pass or block the shot.

•FIRST TOUCH CONTROL
FIFA 12 was a big step forward in this regard, but as per the excitement being shown by the developers, we believe there’s a lot more to come. If there’s a bad pass then the ball will not stick to the player’s feet, rather it will create uncertainty; pace on the ball, trajectory of the pass, weather condition will all contribute to the receiving player’s pass collection and ball control.

There will be a difference in the ball touching the knee or touching the ankle. A small deflection from the shin will also make a difference to the final control.

A much better use of the power bar will be possible because of the first touch, as the pass will depend on passer’s positioning and standing.

There are obviously the little factors like Messi’s first touch will not be the same as Carrick’s first touch because of the difference in player ratings and strengths. All this will make both defence and attack much more balanced.

•NEW IMPROVED CAREER MODE
Special emphasis has been laid on revamping the transfer scenario. The managers now have a strict financial condition and when they sell a player, the Chairman has the power to vary the cash at the manager’s disposal after the sale.

The trade floor AI has also been tweaked up a lot. When trading players in the transfer market, AI is extremely clever and the Manager might not end up with a done deal always. The opposition team will actually sit back and come to terms on whether or not the particular player that you are offering them will fit into the shape of their team.

Now the head scout can be used to enquire about potential targets without actually bidding for them. A personal chief executive will help the Manager to put a competitive yet less expensive offer on the table.
The best part is that the offer is now not only money, but also promising first team football, Cup football, top of the table finish etc.

Another change is while receiving an offer for a player, the manager has option to up the bid by any amount, but if the other team matches that price then the player is sold. One must be careful about accepting bids for the big players of the team.

•OTHER MINOR IMPROVEMENTS
A substitution bench can now be seen on the field along with players doing warm-up. Fans are louder than before and the touch lines have been tweaked up a bit too.

180 deg kicks, tactical defending, improved goal keeping, off-balance shots, new celebrations and enhanced refereeing etc will all add to the realistic feel of the new game.

There has always been an elite feel in playing FIFA because of the expansive license base they cover, along with awesome EA Trax music. XBOX owners have all the more reason to rejoice because of the Kinect integration, though little currently, but still makes a difference.

The 2013 edition looks like the most definitive football game ever. This is going to be the greatest football gaming year until FIFA 2014 comes out.

FIFA 13 recommended PC requirements:
CPU: Intel Core2Duo @ 2.66 GHz on Windows XP (SP3) / Vista / Windows 7 or AMD Athlon II X2 220
RAM: 2 GB
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT 512MB / NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
DX: DirectX 10.0
HDD Space: 6.5 GB
Minimum Resolution: 800 X 600

FIFA 13 trailers are already out and creating the hype while the Demo is releasing on 11th September, with the Full version on 30th September on PC, XBOX 360, PS3, PSP, PS Vita, PS 2 and Wii U.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrJY-szzwjU

Not all is good with one of the most anticipated games of the year; at least in India, FIFA 13 will cost Rs 1500 for PC and Rs 3000 for both XBOX 360 and PS3 (up for pre-order); which is quite a bit of escalation compared to FIFA 12 and especially for the growing Indian gaming fraternity, considering that the shelf life is also 1 year only. Tapping the market potential, we say. Well done EA! That’s why you are up for sale.

FIFA 13 will certainly be an amazing game and will definitely attract new players to the FIFA platform. It is a must buy for every football enthusiast/player.