FIFA 14

Ultimately, FIFA 14 is a refined culmination of the past 7 or 8 generations of football game on current generation consoles. It’s been tweaked and polished into the best FIFA yet. I look forward to seeing how it plays on next generation consoles, as it was thoroughly enjoyable on what is considerably aged machinery now. I won’t pretend that FIFA 14 will be considered universally as the best football game ever though.

Despite the improvements in graphical fidelity and presentation, which are sure to be even more amazing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, FIFA 14 is essentially the same game from last year. EA Sports continues to set the bar for soccer titles, but Pro Evolution Soccer 14 has been doing its fair share of improvements. In fact, I believe a real feud is sure to break out. It's going to be like the old WWF vs. WCW ratings battles back in the 90’s. That's the kind of competition this genre sorely needs.

It mixes up the formula a touch by slowing the pace of the game down and forcing players to think more tactically by using adjusted dribbling mechanics. The result is a more deliberate, challenging game with less forgiveness, though it still mostly resembles the FIFA we're used to. It's better in some ways, especially with the fresh menu system and added strategic depth in both manager career mode and Ultimate Team.