FIFA World Beta: First impression

TITLE: FIFA World
Language: Multi
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Format: PC (Origin)
Type: Game
Genre: Fantasy Sports Sim

Yesterday I started my FIFA World campaign on Origin. I initially thought yesterday was the release date of this free to play version of FIFA but was corrected when I logged in and saw some of my Origin friends from FIFA 14 had already filled out proper looking teams with players like Ribery, Messi and Robben. I know I should feel bad about the fact that I have not been on top of this story sooner but hey I was not sent a notification Email, or at least I don’t think so, maybe it’s in my junk folder? All I know is that after I did my restart there it was on Origin as it booted up. I installed the game and immediately started playing out of pure curiosity. I wanted to know if this was just going to be a micro-transaction cash in, I mean this is EA we’re talking about here, but I was pleased to discover that that was not the case. In fact I rather like FIFA World, a bit.

A simple description of FIFA world is FIFA 13 ultimate team junior, junior. It’s basically FUT 13 without all the glamour and stability. The Graphics on ultra at 1080p look like an uprezzed PS2 game during cut scenes with basic character skins and textures, but from afar in the overhead view that we know FIFA for I can safely say it looks like a lower res Xbox 360 FIFA title and that’s a good thing. Why is it good? Well the game manages to be small and compatible with most rigs out there unless you have an old dell with a single core and 1 GB of DDR1 memory. “Sorry this is not for you, PC gaming is not for you”. So as this is not going to stress the common rig and is free and accessible to all it makes for a perfect entry level to FUT. It has all the FUT 13 modes and features. Like buying player packs, the transfer market with updated current players, stadiums, balls, kits, and managers. So it’s like FUT 13 with a 14 skin over it.

The controls and mechanics are the same as FIFA 13 and supports all the forms of controller inputs that you’d expect, from the standard keyboard to xbox 360 inputs. From the one hour of game time I put it, according to Raptr. I was able to play quite a few matches against the computer and one online match which I lost to a bloke that was so not better than me (gamer logic). Lol but he did win and to that I congratulate him, for he used a Real Madrid player to do the damage so I felt at ease with the 2-0 whooping. The game is not as stable as the annual release though with a lot of random assurances like my players being right in front the ball and missing a cross or the dumb way they almost always seem to want to take a headers by diving like a dolphin. These can be over looked however because it is a Beta and problems and bugs like these are to be expected. The game crashed on me a few times during my play though and the menus are only accessible via mouse click so when you hit pause to do a sub makes sure you are back at your desk to make that switch. The Transfer market loads slower than the ones in FUT 13/14 and was the place where my copy crashed the most, however I returned after a swift relaunch of the game each time and soon got me a capable team, enough to get into division 9.  I’m not sure the AI is all there though. Sometimes I see plays that the regular FIFA AI would take advantage of and that’s the amateur AI I’m talking about. When I first started playing they would reach right outside my box and pass it back to one of my players and then I’d reach their goal only to have my players do some unimaginable crap (dolphin dive).

All in all FIFA World is better than I expected. I did not have to empty my wallet to start having some fun as I thought, to be honest I have not been met with any strange form of micro transaction that is not in the regular game and it does have a few features that I’d like in the annual releases. Like the ability to see the players that you play against in a list so you can either friend them or challenge them again or the ability to see your friends starting eleven squads from from the new neat side bar friend menu.

FIFA World is a great idea for getting new skeptical blood interested in the FUT. It’s not the full package but it’s good enough for an appetizer and when you are ready for the main course you get the annual copy with all the refinements that come with it.