As I write this, I’m coming off the back of a 10 match online winless streak on FIFA 14 so excuse me if it comes across like I’m a sore loser. Admittedly, I am a sore loser but stay with me.
FIFA is the undisputed champ of football games now that Pro Evo has become about appealing as watching Dagenham and Redbridge on a Sunday. However, that doesn’t stop EA Sports from consistently putting out an infuriatingly patchy new edition each year that we still all snap up nonetheless.
There’s always a sense of one step forward, two steps back when it comes to FIFA. It can have all the fancy polishes and gimmicks in the world yet still have core problems year-on-year. With that in mind, here are 7 things we need to see addressed for the impending FIFA 15 in September. I’d still buy it even if Emile Heskey was lead developer to be fair.
1. Calm down the headers
Trying to play pure football online is hard when the opponent can simply spread it down the wing, dribble to the touchline and send a cross in that will result in a goal all too often.
Even from the most unlikely of angles, a winger will deliver a pinpoint cross. As well as being wildly unrealistic, most strikers will be able to convert no matter their size. Messi outleaping Kompany to smash a ball in shouldn’t happen but it sure does in FIFA. Fix it.
2. Less glitchy touches
Ever since FIFA introduced new engines for realistic ball control, the ironic thing is that some touches can be anything but controlled and will regularly ping off into the outer stratosphere.
When you’ve just defended a dangerous attack only for the ball to roll out of your feet and into the path of the opposition, it often results in swear words and lobbed controllers. It’s as if EA have been basing their motion capture on Titus Bramble.
3. Take away the effectiveness of lob passes
Eurgh. This is the worst thing. You don’t often see lob passes come off in a real football match but in FIFA 14, you can easily find your way to goal with just a few flicks. No matter how good you are, you’ll come unstuck thanks to this technique on an infuriatingly regular basis.
It needs to be addressed; online matches are often decided thanks to a lob pass and it cheapens the whole experience.
4. New commentator and commentary
Nothing against you, Alan Smith, but I’m pretty sick of hearing you talk.
Replacing  Andy ‘Champ Kind’ Gray was always going to be a tricky task and it was a bizarre pick to choose someone who isn’t even the best at Sky Sports. Two years later and with largely the same Alan Smith commentary from 13 to 14, it’s time for a change. Chris Kamara, your time has come.
5. Focus on game modes that aren’t Ultimate Team
I do not get the appeal behind Ultimate Team. Not even a little. So it’s quite a shame to see that EA Sports are spending so much time on building this up rather than Career.
Build on the other modes that the more casual gamer might enjoy and fix the many bugs and fixes that surround them and EA will help me to stop placing hexes on their mortal souls.
6. Champions League
EVERTON HAVE JUST WON THE CHAMPIONS CUP. Doesn’t sound quite as good, right?
It seems so odd that a franchise like FIFA has never been able to snare the rights to the UEFA Champions League beyond awkward standalone games that only the most ardent of fans will have snapped up. The fact that only PES have the rights to the most illustrious of club competitions is a bit of a disservice to FIFA’s fans and at the very least, we should be getting Europa League. At the VERY least.
FIFA 15 is released on September 26th
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