It's Thursday : Welcome to our App Review 01, FIFA 14

PhonAsia blog is changing its usual Thursday formula. Instead of an app selection, we will offer an in-depth app review (often a game) instead.
Like Jerry Maguire would say : "Fewer clients, more attention" (he did get fired for saying that).

With this new format, we feel like we can provide much more quality and we notice more often that it should be, those in-depth review are lacking when it comes to Mobile Apps especially regarding Android. All we can find, it is lists of apps with 2 lines of description.
Maybe it is time for something different. Anyway, if there is an app that you would like me to review, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me through social media.


Our very first In Depth Game Review : FIFA 14 (Freenium)

Basics :

I am a true gamer and I don't recall such a buzz over a sport game ever. Sports media are doing reviews for the console version, it is just crazy and while FIFA 14 is still going forward, it seems its fearless rival,  PES 2014 is really struggling.

So I downloaded the game on my Tablet and tried if for a two days now.

Like every year, FIFA 14 got the whole package :
- 33 national leagues, 600 teams and 16 000 players
- EA Sports Football Club mode : it allows you play at the same rhythm of your favorite team. Same opponents, same injuries or suspension

There is no other game with more official data than FIFA.

Controls :

I was never sold out about console games coming to touch screen mobile devices, controls are always off and you are wasting so much of your game experience because controls are not suited to touch screen devices.
But this time, EA Sports addresses this issue implementing new touch controls.

I have played a few games to get a rational feedback. Those controls are definitively for casual gaming. I know that I have only been playing for two days while I used to go for a full month training with every new PES when I was younger but I never feel during my whole game experience that I could achieve complex actions with those new touch controls.

The main reason behind the lack of deep gameplay is the nature of the controls : touch. As you can see in the last image above, in order to perform "precise" dribble, you need to hold and drag your player, therefore, you will not be able to see your player because your are holding him with your finger.

Same goes for defense. In order to put pressure on the opponent, you need to hold him, and if you level up the difficulty, the opponent will get by you while you cannot perform a precise defense because you won't see anything holding the other player and covering the whole action.

The main upside : it is more comfortable to play casual games.

Full Game Unlock : 4.49 €

The main event of the free experience is the "Build your ultimate team" mode which is quite the same as what consoles offer.
You choose a team's captain and then you are able to build a team with players mainly from his league without any consideration for salaries, etc..
You will earn coins by playing (and winning) games to place bid on players on the global market. You can also buy players' pack to add players and value to your team.

When you pay for the full experience, you get 3 more modes :
- Kick Off, it should have been a free mode, but it is the most basic one. You are able to choose a team a to face another one in an exhibition
- Tournament mode
- Manager mode

The heart of the game, especially on Android, is the Manager mode. For some reasons, all the big games are coming out on Android without the online multiplayer feature (Might and Magic : Clash of Heroes, Magic 2014), maybe the lack of game center of too many versions of Android.

In Manager mode, you are able to, well, manage entirely your team with transfers, keep your roster happy, negotiating contracts and responding to board objectives.

At the end of the day, FIFA 14 is the best football game on Android but the lack of online multiplayer really cripples one the most enjoying features in a game which is adversary by nature. As consumers, we feel a bit let down.
But I would definitively recommend to download the app if you want a football game. Try it for days and see if you can get used to the new touch controls. If you can, then, at some point, you might want to buy the full game and you will reach this decision all by yourself.
I feel like the business model of FIFA 14 is one the greatest, the free content is really enough for casual gamers and you can try it all you want before buying the full game, so there is no way to be disappointed.