EA preps for 2014 FIFA World Cup

The team at EA Sports are getting ready for the launch of EA Sports 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil with a little bit of a gameplay walkabout.  Showing off how the studio brought the sights and sounds of FIFA to life in their game, this quick video also gives us a quick peek at the game in motion.  What’s new in this version?  Well…a whole lot, actually!

· World Class Control — Control the ball in possession with an all-new control system using:

– Response Dribbling – Turn quicker at every angle and keep the ball under control. Using the left trigger, fans will find success beating opponents at slow speeds with the new dribbling system. Plus, use all-new new flicks, dribbles, and a new Brazilian-inspired skill move to beat defenders.

– Pinpoint Passing – Key passing improvements and new animations result in crisper, more accurate, direct, and responsive passing. Ground crosses, outside of the foot curling crosses, and personality given to clearances make moving the ball more satisfying and precise than ever.

· Explosive Movement — Change direction on and off the ball with purpose and get to space. Players are able to accelerate, decelerate, and change direction quickly on and off the ball, as well as make tight dribble turns and close touches on the ball while dribbling at pace.

· Set Piece Tactics — New tactics will have opponents fearing set pieces from the flank or during corner kicks. Using the D-pad players tell their teammates to make runs to the near post, far post, edge of the box, or have them crowd the keeper.

· adidas® Ball Physics — EA SPORTS and adidas® partner to deliver the most realistic ball physics system on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Taking physics data from the adidas Innovation Lab in Herzogenaurach, Germany, EA SPORTS FIFA development team implemented it in EA SPORTS 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil to give the Brazuca and other adidas balls true-to-life flight and grass friction in the game.

· New Penalty Kicks— Feel the drama of FIFA World Cup™ penalty kicks with new save animations and a shot tuning that puts players in control of their nation’s fate. Penalty Kicks in the run of play now have players on the edge of the box and ready to rush at spilled shots. Also, distract the kick-taker by using Goalkeeper Antics to throw them off using a series of animations including wobbly-knees, matador, and shoot-it-there animations.

· Over-the-Back Headers — Jump over your opponent’s back to win the possession battle and head the ball. In one example – defenders can now jump over the back of a holding attacker to clear the ball to safety.

· adidas® micoach Training – Complete adidas micoach training sessions to boost in-game attributes for individual players on your team. Choose from six different attribute boosts and 18 different drills to improve your players’ performance during the tournament.

That is just the tip of the iceberg.  There are 203 teams, 7,469 players, 19 managers, 21 new stadiums including all 12 stadiums in Brazil, and over 15 hours of additional commentary.  Our own Patrick Rost will be taking to the field shortly after launch with his review of the game.  Stay tuned as we run up to the launch in North America on April 15, 2014 and Europe on April 17, 2014.

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