Wow, Christmas has come around fast! And that usually means it's round 2 of FIFA topping the UK sales charts.
EA SPORTS' marketing elves have been on the case again tempting gamers (and their parents) to splash out on the number one football game in the form of the FIFA 13 Christmas TV Advert.
Forget the gameplay, the graphics or the AI, new boots are where it's at. And this week there's been some new boots added to FIFA 13!
Second only to hairstyles in the "Most talked about" subject in FIFA, football boots in FIFA 13 get an unusually high amount of attention.
Maybe it's because if you look good you'll play with more confidence on the pitch, maybe it's because you don't want them to clash with your handbag.
Whatever the reason, for all you football fashionistas out there, here's the new boots added to FIFA 13 this week. (Oh, and there's a ball too...)
As Christmas looms, EA SPORTS reveal the launch of an exclusive FIFA 13 Bonus Edition.
The FIFA 13 Bonus edition will come with 2200 FIFA Points that you’ll instantly be able to redeem to purchase FIFA Ultimate Team packs (up to 22 gold packs) although wise FIFA gamers will save them for Happy Hour!
The Wii U makes it's way to our shop shelves in plenty of time for Christmas and along with it comes EA SPORTS FIFA 13.
FIFA 13 on the Wii U boasts "new ways to play" taking advantage of the Nintendo handheld's motion controls including:
Lift and Look - lift the Wii U up and get a view from a different perspective during set pieces for example.
Point and Pass - point to where you want to play the ball.
Tap and Tackle - time your moment and tap the screen to make the tackle.
Shake and Shoot - shake the Wii U to take a shot. (We're not quite sure how the aiming works with this one...)
Does your controller have bite marks in it? Is your bedroom wall full of head-shaped holes?
Do you run down the street naked throwing things at your neighbours screaming, “It’s &%$#ing scripted!”? (…just me?)
If so then this piece of advice is going to improve your enjoyment of FIFA 13 around a million percent.
Have you managed to get to grips with the new range of free kicks available to us in FIFA 13? Don't worry, you're not alone.
I've played against a lot of people on FIFA 13 so far and only a tiny percentage have tried anything "original" or "different" when taking a set piece.
In this FIFA 13 custom free kicks tutorial learn how to take 3 custom free kicks in different areas around the penalty area with a 99% success rate!
In his latest tutorial, MattHDGamer shows us why there's no deadlier move than the FIFA 13 counter attack.
With the right mix of players and tactics, counter attacking football can be one of the most effective online FIFA 13 strategies.
In this tutorial Matt shows us how to pull off different types of counter attacks and also which players and teams are the most effective when using the strategy.
Matt And Darren are back in their second episode of The Boot Room and this week their focusing on FIFA 13 formations and the Fake Shot skill move.
In this episode Darren takes an objective look at Matt's FIFA 13 skills and recommends choosing a formation that you know well and are comfortable with. He share's tips on how to make your defence less vunerable and emphasises the importance of keeping your team's shape and staying goal side to slow down your opponent's attack.
Ever bought a player that you thought was going to be great based on their overall (OVR) FUT rating but turned out to be a flop on the pitch? We all know that FUT's overall rating can be a bit misleading at times so who are really the best players in FIFA 13 Ultimate Team?
Use the Z Rating to find out!
I found the overall rating system FIFA used was a little misleading sometimes, and that players were "praised" for having a high attribute rating for things that weren't important for their position. This made it difficult to find the true best players in FIFA 13 Ultimate Team.
Reiterating their promises in their recent letter to BBC's Watchdog, EA SPORTS have released another FIFA 13 major update all the details of which can be found below.
The FIFA 13 patch is live and availabe to download for PC players but PS3 and Xbox 360 console players will have to wait a little longer due to EA SPORTS needed to role out console updates via Sony and Microsoft respectively.
EA SPORTS have made an official response to the recent report on FIFA 13 on Watchdog.
The BBC consumer affairs program, Watchdog, followed up on a number of complaints of bugs in EA SPORTS' flagship game including grievances from 14 year old Semir from Suffolk regarding occurrences of an invisible ball and invisible players making the game "rather frustrating".
There's a new FIFA tutorial series on the block folks and it's one we're pretty excited about.
The Boot Room, a new series on EAVision hosted by Matt Cuttle and Match Magazine's Darren Cross promises a breakdown of FIFA tips and tutorials to help us improve our game each week.
In Matt's own words The Boot Room is:
"A weekly football show that takes an in depth look at the tricks and tactics available to make you a better FIFA 13 player."
Are you struggling to win games in FIFA 13 or maybe you’re stuck and need help to move up the divisions? Or just struggling to make the transition between FIFA 12 to FIFA 13?
In this FIFA 13 Guide review we take a look at the guide that “shows you what the pros do to win nearly every game they play”!
So, will you say goodbye to rage quitting and hello to Division 1?
According to their website, this FIFA 13 guide will teach you (among other things):
How to win! How to score more goals A complete overview of how to set-up your team When to jockey vs contain How to master the new first touch control Techniques for creating more space How to improve your skills All of this and more…
Bold claims indeed! So does the Premier FIFA 13 Guide live up to these auspicious statements?
According to a survey of over a thousand newly single people, around 12% of people said FIFA 13 was the reason their relationship ended.
That's over 1 in 10 people that blamed FIFA 13 for their recent break up!
Digital Spy went on to reveal that:
"Of those 12%, 43% said that one person in the relationship was guilty of spending more time with FIFA 13 than their partner."
It's not just the lads that are guilty. 13% reported it was the girlfriends that were playing the game too much!
Doesn't your partner understand that your only 3 points from Division 2? Don't they understand that your only 50XP from unlocking a blue afro!? Use our top tips to get back "in the game" if FIFA 13's taking over.
I've been heavily involved with FIFA Clubs since this beloved mode was first created with plenty of highs & lows during my tenure as a co owner of the biggest FIFA Club website and EA FIFA UK Game Changer.
Since stepping down recently I solely playing clubs most evenings as a social Club player with friends.
I recently started writing a blog about FIFA Clubs, nothing too serious more of a relaxed view with a dollop of adult humour for good measure.
Now for the serious stuff. I've always felt Clubs had massive potential right from the off, but with the emergence of Ultimate Team, which has certainly changed the landscape regarding Clubs & Virtual Pro’s, it hasn't progressed as much as I had first thought and only time will tell if FIFA 13 Clubs can close the gap with Ultimate Team in terms of resources and development.
It's no secret that FIFA 13 has had it's fair share of bugs since release. The community has been very vocal about it and EA have assured us all that they're listening, communicating and reacting and have thanked everyone for their support.
Since FIFA 13 launched it's seen the largest amount of daily online play for any game in EA history.
Based on community feedback they've prioritised the fixes needed and have revealed their first round of FIFA 13 updates to address the problems we've all been having.
Take a look below to find out exactly what's going on.