EA Sports has spent the last several months telling us about all the improvements that have been made to its FIFA Soccer franchise. If you're interested in how all those alleged improvements have played out, you can go and download the demo for FIFA Soccer 13 right now.
The demo features five teams (Arsenal, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, and Juventus) and one stadium (City's Etihad Stadium). The game mode is "play now" set to three minute halves. Three minute halves doesn't sound like very much, but it's enough to offer a glimpse of FIFA Soccer 13's First Touch Control, Complete Dribbling, Attacking Intelligence and the improved Player Impact Engine. Games are also connected to the EA Sports Football Club Match Day so that real world performance manifests itself in-game in the form of raised or lowered stats.
You can play the demo and judge for yourself, but my impression has been favorable. The First Touch Controls really add something that was missing in previous FIFA titles, and that's the transient nature of possession in soccer. Instead of balls that stick to boots like there's a magnet involved, they bounce and ricochet in unpredictable ways. Even against the CPU on higher difficulties, the proper amount of pressure can win a 50/50 ball and that was something that never happened in FIFA before because possession was locked in at all times unless the balls was knocked away with a tackle.
Another big improvement is to the Player Impact Engine. Players seem to have real weight and momentum now. It's cool to be able to knock players off the ball with incidental shoulder to shoulder contact without risking a tackle.
On the other hand, I did not see any notable differences in dribbling or AI teammates' attack positioning versus FIFA Soccer 12. Hopefully it's just a matter of spending enough time with the game to fully appreciate those improvements.
I'm really looking forward to FIFA Soccer 13 now, even more than before. It comes out September 25. To learn more, follow the jump.
EA SPORTS FIFA SOCCER 13 DEMO AVAILABLE NOW ON ORIGIN, XBOX LIVE, AND PLAYSTATION NETWORK
Demo Features EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Sept. 11, 2012 – EA SPORTS™ announced that a FIFA Soccer 13 demo is available around the world for download beginning today for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, and PC. The FIFA Soccer 13 demo is available through Origin™, Xbox LIVE® and PlayStation Network®. Fans across Europe and Japan will be able to download the FIFA Soccer 13 PlayStation3 version of the demo beginning Sept. 12.
Winner of the prestigious E3 Game Critics award for “Best Sports Game”, FIFA Soccer 13 has been called the “best football game ever” by GamesMaster Magazine in the UK. Play as Manchester City, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund in the demo, and experience EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day, a new feature that will drive the deepest and most meaningful connection yet between a videogame and the real world of sport ever achieved. FIFA Soccer 13 and the soccer season will be completely connected for the world’s top leagues. EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day will drive real-world news ripped from the headlines around the world into FIFA Soccer 13. In the demo, real-world drama such as injuries, suspensions, team form, and media gossip surrounding Manchester City, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund will play out in-game and be reflected through in-game commentary. Player form—displayed in detail within the team management screens—will change regularly, so players in form, or players struggling to keep form, will see their stats change throughout the season based on their real-world performances.
FIFA Soccer 13 captures the unpredictability of real-world soccer, with no two matches ever the same. The game features breakthrough gameplay innovations such as FIFA 13 First Touch Control and the Player Impact Engine that create a true battle for possession across the entire pitch, and features like Complete Dribbling and Attacking Intelligence that deliver freedom and creativity in attack. FIFA Soccer 13 is football's social network, where fans connect, compete and share with millions of others around the world.
FIFA Soccer 13 is a part of the EA SPORTS Season Ticket program. Available for $24.99, EA SPORTS Season Ticket offers subscribers several benefits across Madden NFL, NHL®, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, and NCAA® Football.
EA SPORTS Season Ticket* benefits include:
· Three days early access to all participating titles, including FIFA Soccer 13
· Access to over $100 of paid downloadable content across the five participating franchises. FIFA Soccer 13 specific content is valued at over $30 and consists of 24 FIFA Ultimate Team Gold Premium packs —one per week for 24 consecutive weeks—to help build an ultimate team of soccer superstars
· An additional 20% off any additional paid downloadable content purchased for participating titles, including FIFA Soccer 13 *
EA SPORTS Season Ticket is available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit
www.easports.com/seasonticket.
FIFA Soccer 13 will be available for the PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move support, Xbox 360 with Kinect™, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, Nintendo Wii™ console, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS™, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and later this year on Nintendo Wii U™ system. The game will also be available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. FIFA Soccer 13 is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and Pegi 3+.
Join almost 10 million fans in the EA SPORTS football community at
http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/easportsfifa.
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™, and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit
www.easports.com.
*Conditions and restrictions apply. See www.easports.com/seasonticket for details.
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About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™.
EA SPORTS, The Sims, SSX and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. Official FIFA licensed product. "© The FIFA name and OLP Logo are copyright or trademark protected by FIFA. All rights reserved." Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. “PlayStation” and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. KINECT and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Nintendo WiiU and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. iPad, iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
