The buzzword quite deliberately thrown around all the FIFA 13 core gameplay improvements was “Balance”.

Balance between defending and attacking, balance between risk and reward and balance between authenticity and playability.

FIFA 13

When EA Sports lead gameplay producer, Aaron McHardy sat down with line producer, Nick Channon for this year’s FIFA 13 gameplay presentation expectations were high.

Details from EA’s FIFA 13 Showcase in London had already been leaked over the internet by sites not respecting EA’s embargo but details were scarce and reporting was either poor or opportunistic.

Finally the first official wave of FIFA 13 news (specifically gameplay innovation) can be released and we’re keen to hear your thoughts.

FIFA 13

Tactical Defending introduced a skill element to defending and created a balance between attacking with the ball and defending without and the new physics from the impact engine revolutionised the way players interact (despite the odd crazy bug).

Because the impact engine was a physics driven engine it took away scripted outcomes in collisions.

EA want to emulate this across the whole of FIFA and create a limitless number of outcomes all across the pitch.

To drive towards achieving this they’ve introduced 5 main gameplay features to FIFA 13 which we’ve summarised here (click the links for more details).

FIFA 13 Screenshots

FIFA 13 Screenshot - See Below For More

FIFA 13 Gameplay: 5 New Features

FIFA 13 Impact Engine

The FIFA 13 Impact Engine has been taken back to base level to eliminate the large number of bugs we saw this year.

Push –pull defending has been revamped. Players now push-pull relative to their attributes and the effects of push – pull are far more varied.

Referees have been re-engineered to compensate and are far more aware of the effects of push – pull therefore more lenient.

A whole new suite of shot animations has been introduced to compliment the push – pull element of the FIFA 13 Impact Engine.

Read more details about the FIFA 13 Impact Engine.

FIFA 13 Tactical Free Kicks

The FIFA 13 free kick system has been updated to allow a much more diverse range of free kicks.

A 3rd kick taker has been added to the line up allowing up to 2 fake shots and enabling a lot more creativity in set pieces. You’ll even be able to pass it in to the run over players.

Because of this, defending free kicks has become more of a mind game.

You can add another player to the wall and jump the wall a number of times (it will regroup if there’s time).

You can even edge the wall forward (so long as the ref doesn’t see…)

Read more about FIFA 13 Tactical Free Kicks.

FIFA 13 Attacking Intelligence

FIFA 13 Attacking Intelligence allows the space opened up by tactical defending to be used more intelligently.

The AI now evaluates the whole of their run leading to much more decisive and aggressive runs.

Attacking AI will now recognise when they are about to run offside and they’ll hold their run and even curve it to stay onside and keep the play alive.

Around the box, AI players will now be able to curve their runs in behind defenders to make themselves available in the more valuable space creating a wealth of new attacking options.

The AI will now think 2 moves ahead supporting play off the ball creating much more fluidity in build up play.

Read more details about FIFA 13 Attacking Intelligence.

FIFA 13 First Touch Control

In FIFA 13 contextual errors whilst controlling the ball will now separate the ball from the player creating a battle for possession.

It makes you evaluate the risk versus reward of situations right across the pitch and makes you think like a real footballer.

For example, as a defender you could have to make the decision whether to take the difficult ball down and risk losing possession or do you hit it into row Z?

The changes are subtle but make a huge difference to how real the game looks.

Read more about FIFA 13 First Touch Control.

FIFA 13 Complete Dribbling

Complete Dribbling is being billed as a huge gamechanger in dribbling contols.

The direction the player is dribbling has been completely removed from the direction the player is facing and both can now be performed independently.

“360 Degree Mobility” lets you dribble in different directions whilst keeping your body facing the danger area.

It lets you face up to defenders whilst dribbling and move laterally using changes of direction and pace to skip passed them.

EA have made all dribbling controls contextual making FIFA 13 Complete Dribbling accessible to all levels of players.

It allows more protection of the ball whilst shielding (which is also now contextual).

Read more details about FIFA 13 Complete Dribbling.

Gameplay Fundamentals

A host of other gameplay innovations include:

Contain: In FIFA 13 you’ll be able to more laterally as well as forward and back whilst containing.

This will enable you to force the attacker one way or the other. (away from danger or cutting off options)

New Celebrations.

Increased variety of goal line clearances (including diving headers).

The game will realise when you’re trying to shield the ball out of play.

Loads more shot animations (including off balance shots).

 

FIFA 13 Screenshots

FIFA 13 Details Screenshot

FIFA 13 Details Screenshot

FIFA 13 Details Screenshot

FIFA 13 Details Screenshot

FIFA 13 Details Screenshot

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14 Comments
  1. Ricardo May 15, 2012 at 11:22 am

    Can’t wait for the release…. Any word on a demo…?

    • Craig Cole May 15, 2012 at 12:06 pm

      Not yet Ricardo but the FIFA 13 marketing ball’s started rolling now so expect the news to keep coming in.

  2. mark May 15, 2012 at 10:40 pm

    Looking forward to it, will there be a repeat of ultimate team again with the web app being available before the release of the game to strengthen up the squad before its released

    • Craig Cole May 16, 2012 at 10:53 pm

      I’d imagine so – UT has bagged over $80million so far so I’d hope they’ll freshen it up.

      Hopefully find out more at E3.

  3. Clark HD May 16, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    All sounds great, I know people argue back and forth about the games incarnations every year, but for me since FIFA 10 the series has really started to improve significantly, unlike the 10 years 1999 – 2009 where the series just felt bland, repetitive and nothing more than a roster update cash in.
    High hope for FIFA 13, Gametrailers.com hinted at Playstation MOVE and Xbox Kinect support in some form, i’m not sure if this is just part of the copyrighting though.

    http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/2012/05/16/fifa-soccer-13-promises-new-features-more-advanced-ai-aka-attacking-intelligence/

  4. Matty May 16, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    Get rid of holding A and RB to defend. Last year EA said that Ai controlled defending where just holding a button would be removed but instead this was just replaced by holding different buttons

    • Craig Cole May 16, 2012 at 10:57 pm

      Abusing contain defending is frustrating online. They’ve added the ability to move laterally this year so get it wrong and you could leave space.

      Complete dribbling looks like it could be the answer though – it looks like you’ll be able to skip past and leave defenders flat footed if all they do is contain…

  5. TaylorD May 17, 2012 at 5:50 am

    To take ultimate team to the next level:

    Ultimate team means the ultimate club not just the players- introduce ultimate stadiums where everyone gets the base format, and there will be hundreds of upgrade cards and color changes. Other options such as sizing of the field, how close the crowd is to the field, TV screens, posters, amount of security guards.

    All of these could be translated into cards, and maybe changing the colors just come with every card free

    These cards will be expensive, so EA should increase how many coins you earn for matches so you can have enough money for players and stadium stuff

  6. Gledi May 17, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Can you please make Ultimate Teamgameplay like Head2Head Seasons please because everybody just pace abuses and its not fun. Hope you take this into consideration.

  7. Gianflavio May 19, 2012 at 6:14 am

    shtt changes, but whatever im still gonna buy it bc PES is also shit.

  8. mak May 23, 2012 at 12:42 pm
  9. GraveKlo May 31, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    I just hope that they make so that players playing together for a long time improves chemistry, it would stop people with a few reliable players being destroyed by people with injury prone, unreliable players.

  10. Mark June 16, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    fifa does my ******* head in log out off console 50 mins ago and still cnt get onto my fut account on my pc.?????????? still saying im loged in on my pc about time you got it fixed pay all that for a game and customer care is crap they dont want to now.

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