FIFA Soccer 13 Review (PS Vita)

FIFA Soccer was one of the best sports games I played at the Vita Launch in February of this year. It seemed to closely mimic the console versions sans a few gameplay details and my hopes were high for the franchise as it entered it's second year on the Vita console.

What we have gotten this year is a familiar game, perhaps too familiar -- with the FIFA franchise taking no clear steps forward with FIFA Soccer 13.

No serious, the game literally didn't move at all. In almost every way, FIFA Soccer 13 is the same game as the game released in February when the Vita first hit store shelves in America.

As I played through the game, I literally felt like I was playing the exact same game that I played last February. The controls felt identical, the same tactics worked exactly as they did before, and honestly after playing a good bit of the console version I can't help but feel the Vita version is actually sorely lacking in many areas anyways.

Simply put, the game felt too familiar. If there were any changes made to this year's game, they were so subtle that they are actually indiscernible.

What FIFA Soccer 13 amounts to is an attempt to make a quick buck -- as neither Football Club or Ultimate Team were even added in this edition. The least EA could have done is recycle gameplay but add more of the console modes we're used to seeing.

The Vita has been hailed as a console-like experience on a hand held. What we get with FIFA is a stripped down, bare bones, just adequately functional version of soccer in FIFA Soccer 13.

The things that made FIFA Soccer 13 a hit on consoles -- the enhanced tackling, better dribbling, improved attacking AI -- are missing in the Vita version. I was willing to extend a bit of forgiveness for the missing features FIFA Soccer in February for being a launch title and assuming (falsely) that things would improve with the sequel.

I was wrong.

This is a screenshot of FIFA Soccer, which is for all intents and purposes the same game as FIFA Soccer 13.

Final Thoughts

You can literally read my review from March to get my full thoughts on this game -- but don't buy FIFA Soccer 13. I have literally never outright told people to not buy a game, but I can honestly say without hesitation that spending money on FIFA Soccer 13 vs. FIFA Soccer is simply a waste of money. You would get the exact same game at a much lower price by buying the former edition. I can't not recommend this game enough simply on the principle of the matterScore: 3.0 (Bad)