FIFA 13 Demo Available Now - Post Your Impressions

[Cubfan]

Played 1 game of the Fifa 13 demo on 360 and i already like it more then Fifa 12. Just in that game i have 4 fouls called that included 1 yellow card for each team. First one was from a Manchester City play who tackled the player was using. I was called for the other yellow for accidentally tackling they guy in the penalty area.(I hit the tackle button by accident.) Manchester City missed the penalty kick. Manchester City did tie the game up before extra time.

[demencia_total]

Can't get the time expander to work. Everything else works for me in the tweaker except that. Lame.

Its working now, sort of. But it doesn't seem to go past 6 mins halves.

[NaturalSelected]

I'll add my own brief comments on Xbox 360, WC, no slider adjustments (none of this is comparative to PES):

1. First-touch is a game changer. The unpredictability it adds to FIFA's gameplay means you need to be more deliberate at times. The outcomes of a particular movement isn't preordained, and as a defender, you can easily take advantage of bad touches to regain possession.

2. The 'Normal' speed is very quick. Not sure how this will play out user vs. user, but vs. the CPU I'll be adjusting it down to Slow.

3. The aerial game is vastly improved and the best I've seen in a FIFA game. The right approach and cross can result in jostling in the box. As an Arsenal fan, Giroud has a tangible impact.

4. I definitely saw more back passes and variation of movement from the CPU, but it's hard to tell with the limited sample size of teams that are all in the upper tier of world football. It's possible that we just aren't seeing the whole other side of the game because we're not playing with or against lower league teams.

5. The game is harder, which is a very good thing.

[demencia_total]

The level of freedom and control is incredible. You are given the tools to be able to do anything in the game as far as being on the ball, it is up to the user to execute. But it is still FIFA at its heart. AI uses the same tactic in higher difficulties, and while you might see a few back passes here and there, they seem to be on the attack constantly no matter what club you are playing against. Even when you cover most paths they still seem hellbent on going forward and they succeed often because of the accuracy of their passes. Quite a contrast when the user plays full manual and the AI rarely makes mistakes (to be fair, there are some).

If the actual retail product is on par with this, I just don't think I'll be up for another season of playing this AI. It got really old last season for me in Manager Mode because I always felt I was playing the same club every game with slight differences in player ratings. Demo doesn't do anything to discourage this in my view. I'll really have to give it some thought this year whether or not to get it.

[iaxy]

I just played 2 games. PS3 Default sliders. Juve v Milan.

It did not really experience a moment which wowed me in any shape or form. Yes, it is a good game and yes, it is better than Fifa 12, but it's not remarkable and all the improvements feel rather subtle in my opinion.

I guess the speed (too fast) contributes a lot to my lukewarm first impression. The good news is that sliders can adjust the speed but it remains to be seen what FIFA will do for online settings.

As the title is in its final stages of development, one cannot disregard the strides that the competition has been doing. I have played the PES 13 demo for over a week now and I have to say, they have made some important steps forward, which makes PES a very strong condendant now.

Gameplay wise, FIFA feels easier to play then PES but is also a bit more arcade-ish (almost too easy to string passes together). FIFA has a better build up AI though. PES is marred by some very questionable AI decisions (read lack of any intelligent runs and wrong selection of pass recipient when a ball is passed in the direction of two players on teh same axis).
PES has a better graphical definition and visually the pitch and players look almost real life, whereas FIFA looks as if the colours have been over saturated (the grass looks "too" green and there is a very visible colour bleed fro some of the players shirts. FIFA generally lacks that sense of crispness that PES has.
PES has some ridiculous animations, whereas FIFA is much tighter in this regard with a more fluid and organic feel to the action.

In summary (based on two games only):

+ First touch adds a much needed (if overdue) element of realism and real life unpredictability
+ Animations are fluid and crisp
+ the general gameplay "feels" better than Fifa 12. Somehow it feels too easy.
+ Build up AI is better. Player positioning is smarter and player runs are better.
+ Lofted passes play an important part in setting up (past editions were marred by a total ineffectiveness of vertical aerial passes).

- As others have commented, game is too quick (even on "slow").
- The goals look kind of small and visually there is something wrong with the way the posts / bar are drawn. They just look weird (no definition / shading)
- Game feels a bit arcade-ish (too easy and there is a lack of a sense of achievement when scoring a goal).
- Colours are still a bit over saturated

Overall promising, but the improvements are not that significant IMO and with PES catching up, FIFA need to look over their shoulders.

Looking forward to retail release to see how the other modes play.

[Qb]

Played five or so games last night by rematching Arsenal/Milan, which equates to one regular game for me (15' halves). As someone who got a lot of enjoyment out of FIFA12 offline with slider adjustments, I can't say I was overly impressed. Although demos usually don't do much for me, unless there was some sort of massive core improvement (like NHL13's skating). First touch control is close to that kind of change, but it's not quite there because there's still too much time & space by default.

There are a lot of positives, but the biggest thing I wanted to see improved doesn't appear to have changed. The balance between pressure and contain has been an issue for as long as I can remember. From FIFA11 and prior, it was too pressure heavy, largely due to the "heat-seeking missile" tackling. FIFA12 made a great change to more natural & free tackles, however now players generally give too much space and don't close down quickly enough. Not that they should go flying into tackles, but as the ball moves around the pitch, I'd like to see the defense react with more urgency. Shift to the ball, get in the passing lanes, play closer to potential targets, etc.

In most cases, the user can get by with a lot of switching and covering. However, with the somewhat improved attacking AI, it's even more pronounced. I tried doing some similar slider changes to what I used in 12, mostly compacting the defensive lines. It helps, but it still feels awfully lonely out there and often results in easy forward passing options because the AI defenders don't do enough.

At any rate, there's still a lot of good here and I suspect manual head-to-head games should be quite fun. Longer games, in-depth slider tweaking, and a solid career mode setup will likely help me enjoy the game's good points. I have Season Ticket, so hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised by the full game.

[sinc79]

It's a video game, of course it's going to be faster than real life. Is anyone forcing you to play fast? Can't you guys just pass it around the midfield until your hearts content? Would you like EA to take out the goals and just make a slow passing/skills game?

If you prefer to create 3-4 chances per game, then have at it. I like that I have the opportunity to create as many chances as I can. I usually get burnt in transition, but price I'm willing to play. Play your own style, don't wait for EA to tell you how to attack.

[demencia_total]

Quote: Originally Posted by sinc79

It's a video game, of course it's going to be faster than real life. Is anyone forcing you to play fast? Can't you guys just pass it around the midfield until your hearts content? Would you like EA to take out the goals and just make a slow passing/skills game? If you prefer to create 3-4 chances per game, then have at it. I like that I have the opportunity to create as many chances as I can. I usually get burnt in transition, but price I'm willing to play. Play your own style, don't wait for EA to tell you how to attack.

I think most people do play their own style. The problem is that against the AI, it tends to fall apart. But against a closely matched opponent, it is beautiful to contrast styles against each other. I remember playing in '11 a lot of games vs Pared, Matt10 and others which were absolutely awesome. But once I played the AI, it got old fast. Same plan of attack. Same issues with the AI teammates being completely lost.

I think a lot of us have been over saturated through the years with having the same issues popup. The game is excellent, but it is lacking in tactics when it comes to playing a computer opponent. It is a shame, because I love the level of control it gives me over the competition's game.