FIFA 14

For a free game, FIFA 14 is an amazing value and packs in all of the fun and deep content of a console sports game down into a mobile platform. You don’t have to spend a dime to enjoy yourself and there’s enough for you and your friends to do that FIFA 14 can, at the very least, become a fun distraction. Even if you don’t particularly enjoy sports games, FIFA 14 is fun enough to get you tapping for at least 20 minutes at a time.

Regardless, this is the quintessential version of FIFA 14. It brings a level of authenticity never before seen in the genre and sets new standards for player control and stadium atmosphere. ...Whether you're scoring in front of a screaming Kop or eking out an unlikely cup victory, FIFA 14 produces special moments that will live in your memory long after you've put the controller down.

At the end of 90 minutes, FIFA 14 on the next-gen consoles doesn’t deliver anything jawbreaking, instead opting to improve the game through graphics, animations, and minor gameplay tweaks. While some might be annoyed that it doesn’t stray far from the last-gen offering, it does enough to build upon an extremely solid base and provide gamers with strong play throughout.

And it’s a leap you need to make the second you acquire that half-matte, half-shiny black box. FIFA 14 is one of the few launch games to have evolved in ways that aren’t solely graphics-based, and every one of its changes brings clear, distinguishable improvement. This is an essential day one purchase and – quite literally – the football game you’ve waited generations for.

But while I have mixed feelings about EA’s perch on this lucrative pedestal, it’s hard to to argue that the EA Canada team hasn’t earned it, and doesn’t continue to earn it, by delivering a game that really does feel better, really does feel different, every year, even if you have to be an avid player of the game to really appreciate how. But even if you’ve never played a soccer video game, and you want to start, this is the choice.

In combining the old with the new, EA has done a remarkable job of adding a genuine bit of innovation to a rather predictable series, and there's very little to dislike about the game. No matter how much FIFA you might have played on your mobile prior to this morning, we're confident you've never played a FIFA quite like this one.