As the world cup in Brazil is fast approaching, Betfair have asked for our opinion on the new official FIFA 2014 game, out now. It takes a special kind of event to capture the world’s spotlight and nothing, and I mean nothing even remotely comes close to the fever and passion that the World Cup generates. Not even the Olympics can create as much buzz and excitement as the World Cup as National Football (or “Soccer”) Teams from all over the globe compete in a month-long tournament for the pride of their country and the top prize of Football. And of course no other video game franchise captures the game quite like EA Sports’ FIFA franchise has. That is why its no surprise that the FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil, EA Sports’ newest addition to the FIFA series, is a game that anyone caught up in the World Cup fever must try.
In this review, we will see if the FIFA World Cup 2014 has what it takes to get through the questions about its price tag among others, and score a perfect goal. Read on to find out.
Graphics & Visuals
EA Sports made a brilliant job in capturing the festive nature and grandeur of the World Cup. From the vibrant and colorful main menu, to the sweeping camera angles that capture the magnificence of the stadium, to the rabid cheering and celebrations of the fans after every made goal, FIFA came out blazing hot like the summer heat and just flat out gave the game the perfect environment to play in, whether your playing a match during the day or night. Even though its not on par with those of FIFA 14,which was released for the PS4, FIFA World Cup 2014 still manages to give great graphics and attract people who are not that familiar with Football, just like how the real World Cup does.
Sounds
EA Sports games almost often have great soundtracks included in them, but since this is the official game for the World Cup, they have gone the extra mile in giving us the best tracks possible. its tracks are heavily composed of Brazilian-influenced music that helps in portraying the beauty and culture of the 2014 World Cup Hosts. The tracks are really upbeat and most definitely keeps you immersed in the feeling of being surrounded by the passion of the world.
In game, commentary will be provided by long time FIFA franchise broadcasting team Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend. FIFA also added 15 hours worth of additional dialogue between them as well as team specific quotes that will keep you at your wits. and partly because their not as biased towards England’s performance in the game compared to real life.
There is also a feature called the EA Sports Talk Radio which are analysis of your offline progress in the game, which is done by Michael Davies and Roger Bennett of the Men in Blazers or Andy Goldstein of talkSports and Ian Darke of ESPN.
Of course any Football will not be complete without fan chants and celebrations. The way that fans celebrates goals in this game really gets you hyped if you’re the home team because of how loud the celebrations can get.
Gameplay
Controls
FIFA games tend to be the same in game play and the 2014 World Cup version is no difference.  Moving to and from around the pitch with the ball can be a bit hard to master if you are not that familiar in playing FIFA, as defenders can easily steal the ball from you. The control can also be a bit of a pain because it is less responsive when doing split second change of direction plays, so players better be more careful.
In terms of ball movement and scoring, the ball seems to have the tendency to not go where you want it to go. Even for players that have experience in playing FIFA will have a hard time in trying to successfully make a high arching pass, as it requires a lot of skill and pinpoint accuracy to be able to make them a good clip. Speaking of passes, I am almost always getting the ball stolen from me whenever i try to do a cross pass to a player, to the point that I am wary of doing it even though he is wide open.
Scoring the ball is a bit easier to get the hang of than passing, but still is a bit tricky. Their is a delay with how much power you set in a shot that sometimes it is a bit over powered and many a shot was seen zipping past the goalie…and above the ring post and on to the crowd.
The good thing though is that the penalty kicks have been simplified for beginners and you now have more options to score easily by distracting the goalkeeper with set pieces plays and tactics or try do flashy but risky plays around the goal.
Game Modes
The World Cup edition sadly does not have the game modes that provide a ton of longevity that is present in the annual releases like “Ultimate Team”. It compensates for it though with a wider variety of game modes like “Captain Your Country” which provides the players with a career-mode like simulation that gives you a chance to lead your nation in the World Cup, and “Story of Qualifying” with provides players with a bit of insight and history about the team that qualified in the world cup and gets a chance to experience qualifying scenarios that happened in real- life.
Of course there is still nothing like playing with and against friends using the multi player game modes that makes the game a lot more enjoyable. If your friends are not available, there is always an option to find players online and have them square off against you, though a concern that arises is that since this is a tournament game, how many players can you find online that are still playing at August, when the World Cup has ended? Probably not a lot.
Conclusion
All in all, EA Sports has provided fans of FIFA and football in general; a game that masterfully simulates the excitement and fervor of the World Cup. They did not hold back in their presentation with the bright and cheery theme combined with the majestic stadium view and the furor of the fans, who are show patriotic passion for whoever is the home team.
However over-the-top the celebrations and fanfare may seem, the game is still flawed in terms of its gameplay. The controls are still a bit heavy and does not respond well to quick reactions when turning or changing directions. Learning how to score and pass can be hard as well since passes need to be hit with pin point accuracy and shots need just the right amount of power in them to keep it from sailing above the goal.
Longevity is also a bit of a concern since this is a tournament-themed game, its popularity and shelf life can only take it as far as the real World Cup can, with lasts all of 1 month. It seems pretty bleak afterwards that many people will still play it, which can lead to a lack of online players, which is sad because multiplayer is still the best game mode in any FIFA game.
Still, with all of its shortcomings, its still a good souvenir to take away from the World Cup and a game worth playing to bask in and enjoy this event that only happens every four years, just not with that price tag. Recommended!
