FIFA 13 Wii U

[Ramar]

Well my mind is made up, if I bother with Fifa this year it's on the 360.

[Hero-of-Time]

From GoNintendo.

 

This was part of the press release we posted up yesterday, but I thought I'd draw attention to it in its own post. Madden NFL 13 Wii U is only going to see release in North America.

 

Madden NFL 13 will be available on Nintendo Wii U in North America only.

 

Looks like our friends in Europe have already lost out on a Wii U title. Let the localization woes begin!

 

EA Vs Nintendo Rumour

 

I've received a rather in-depth report of something that supposedly went down with Nintendo and EA. Remember at E3 last year where EA said they were going to support the Wii U in a big way? If this rumored info is to be believed, EA did have big plans, but their interest in Origin got in the way.

 

Long story very short, EA supposedly wanted to work with Nintendo to get Origin on Wii U. Nintendo weighed the options and decided against the move, which in turn, killed off the major support EA had planned for Wii U. That might make sense, considering how EA is now bringing their expected brands to Wii U, with a bonus of a Mass Effect 3 port handled outside of BioWare.

 

I don't know if I believe it or not, but if it's the real deal, I think Nintendo made the right decision! Thanks to anonymous for the heads up!

 

 

Edited August 4, 2012 by Hero-of-Time

[madeinbeats]

So people should just accept the lazy efforts that EA is putting into these games? Ok, will do.

 

Imagines EA's studios with people just sitting around doing nothing. It's happened before on the 360 and xbox at launch; it's just the way it is - it's business. Not to mention the Wii is apparently still getting EA Sport development. They've only got so many staff and hours in the day before launch. You can't just go all witch hunt and wave your finger shouting 'lazy bastards'.

 

Welcome to a console launch, basically. Unless it's a terrible game, the average punter will not even notice, and they're the majority here.

 

 

From GoNintendo.

 

Europe made up for 3.1% of Madden 12 sales... Sound business decision, no? http://www.vgchartz.com/game/50440/madden-nfl-12/

Edited August 4, 2012 by madeinbeats

[Hero-of-Time]

Of course I can wave my finger and call them lazy SOBs. In fact i'm doing it right now.

 

Europe made up for 3.1% of Madden 12 sales... Sound business decision, no? http://www.vgchartz.com/game/50440/madden-nfl-12/

 

So why release it on the HD twins over here then?

[madeinbeats]

Of course I can wave my finger and call them lazy SOBs. In fact i'm doing it right now.

 

 

 

So why release it on the HD twins over here then?

 

Makes a change from picking your nose with it, at least. No idea. Be sure there was a business reason for it though. They either still made some profit, or are hoping to grow the market, or maybe it came down to just having a presence there. We're just mostly never privy to what goes on in the boardroom, which, as you can see causes a bit of frustration.

[Ganepark32]

Imagines EA's studios with people just sitting around doing nothing. It's happened before on the 360 and xbox at launch; it's just the way it is - it's business. Not to mention the Wii is apparently still getting EA Sport development. They've only got so many staff and hours in the day before launch. You can't just go all witch hunt and wave your finger shouting 'lazy bastards'.

 

Welcome to a console launch, basically. Unless it's a terrible game, the average punter will not even notice, and they're the majority here.

 

 

 

 

Europe made up for 3.1% of Madden 12 sales... Sound business decision, no? http://www.vgchartz.com/game/50440/madden-nfl-12/

 

Given that EA were (probably) one of the first developers to get dev kits for the Wii U, it does sound more like sheer laziness than lack of time to get everything in the Wii U version of Fifa 13 given that some developers have said it's pretty straight forward to get code from 360 games to run on the console. Using last year's edition of Fifa and Madden for the launch games when they've probably had plenty of time to get the games ready is lazy. But then so is shipping Mass Effect 3 out to someone else to port over rather than doing it in house.

 

Despite all the hate that gets thrown at EA, I have stood by them and they have been putting out great games yearly but this a pretty poor showing from them and pretty immature if it all goes back to Nintendo saying no to Origin (which I think just about every developer/console manufacturer would do given the reception it's had).

 

Oh, and using VGChartz to back up a point... You should know better than that It's probably a bit higher than 3.1% but obviously it's not going to compare to North American sales but keeping it for that market only is a bit of a disgrace.

[Dcubed]

That Reddit rumour is months old. I remember those rumblings floating around last year.

 

And for the record I believe them, if not in the exact form as is presented here. Hell I predicted as much that this was happening just after E3 2011 (you could probably dig up my GAF posts to corrobate this if you're so inclined!)

 

The old rumour basically goes along the lines of EA trying to prevent Valve from incorporating Steam into their Wii U titles, culminating in EA attempting to force Origin unto Nintendo as the sole exclusive store on the Wii U.

 

I was actually worried that Nintendo would cave into EA's demands, so I'm glad that they told them to stuff it!

 

Does also explain Ubisoft's strong support for the console (really, these are the guys who we should be supporting here, not EA's shoddy efforts. AC3 selling well would be irrefutable evidence of a market for dudebro AAA titles anyway)

 

Oh BTW, VGChartz numbers are made up bullshit. Completely fake and unreliable.

Edited August 4, 2012 by Dcubed

[madeinbeats]

Nice little preview of FifaU 13... never say never

 

Madden 13 isn’t the only EA sports title launching alongside Nintendo’s incoming Wii U, as FIFA 13 will be too. Much like how the Vita’s FIFA Soccer was built on the framework of FIFA 11, FIFA 13 on the Wii U is something like a FIFA 12.5. This might not be too bad of a deal, given that the PS3 and 360 versions are seeing more subtle iterative changes, compared to 12’s more dramatic upgrade from 11.

 

It will be without some of the core gameplay changes that are coming to FIFA 13 on PS3 and 360 though, like AI that take curved runs or the new first touch system meant to properly simulate reception (and avoid unrealistic perfect trapping on long passes by less skilled players), but there are a lot of Wii U specific additions that are rather cool.

 

The team at EA Canada emphasized a focus on making the game more accessible, largely for the expected Wii U audience, which might very well consist of more “casual” players. This consideration has led the team to realize that the series features some staggering complexity and seemingly labyrinthine menus, and some streamlining was in order. For whatever reason, people seem to recoil at the mention of the word streamlining, but everything I was shown was a more sensible way of accessing the game’s hidden depth. It keeps the action flowing, and you might never have to go into the pause menu and fish through menus again.

 

The Wii U controller’s touch screen has several different tabs while you play FIFA 13, the basic of which is the gameplay tab. What you see on your TV screen is displayed in the Gameplay tab when it’s selected (theoretically, you could cede the TV and play a match all on this screen without too much of a hitch).

 

 

The touch screen can be used both for passing and sending players on runs. The tap to pass mechanic worked incredibly well in the Vita version of FIFA, so I’m glad to see it back. While you can tap a teammate to pass to them specifically, you can also tap an area on the field to pass the ball too. Combined with the ability to touch a teammate and send them on a run in any given direction, no longer is your passing game shackled by the AI not sending players where you want them to be or reacting too slowly for whatever attacking strategy you’re trying to employ.

 

The gameplay tab also features the new shake and shoot mechanic. When you feel you’re ready to take a shot on the goal, a gentle shake of the controller turns the touch screen into a one to one representation of the goal, allowing you to place shots with pinpoint accuracy and power dependent on how long you hold your finger down. I loved this feature in FIFA Soccer Vita, though it was relegated to the back touch, allowing you to always keep your thumbs on the sticks. Despite the initial trepidation of taking my thumb off the left stick (the one you move with) to shoot with the Wii U’s touch mechanic, I quickly found myself placing balls on the left side of the net as easily as the right side.

 

There were a few other new footballing features on display. Before matches, you can use the Wii U gyroscope to look around stadiums through the controller in a first-person view, which is sort of neat, given how painstakingly recreated these venues are. The gyroscope also allows for a new penalty kick option, in which you aim your shot with a similar first-person reticle by moving the controller. Then, you can apply curve with the left stick in the desired direction and shoot per usual with the face buttons, holding for power.

 

As much as I love the control afforded by the tap to shoot mechanic, I was equally impressed by the streamlining done by the other available tabs. The Manager Central tab, for example, gives you a full view of the pitch and little representative player icons, which you can tap for a player’s general stats, as well as their current game performance. This of course makes the manager mode much easier to navigate, but also lets less nimble fingered folks take part in the action, controlling the more strategic side while up to four other players do the actual footballing (you can have the full five players in direct control, too).

 

Still, these nifty tabs aren’t merely a way to allow dad or a little brother to get in on the action as unobtrusively as possible. Being able to handle your substitutions without pausing the game, for example, is a great way to keep things flowing smoothly, particularly when you’re playing online and your opponent pauses the game, leading to that moment when you don’t know if they’re about to quit on you, going to disappear for a while, or just handle some strategy. Similarly, you can change your formations with simple taps, allowing you to easily adapt your style of play relative to what’s going on. There’s also a marked man option that tells your AI to paint themselves over a particular opposing player who’s giving you trouble, as opposed to playing the default shifting zone.

 

For those who are playing in manager mode, there is a full tactics tab that handles some of the most minute details. You can change mentality and use standard tactics, but you can also be specific, like setting your team not only to counterattack, but to specifically set themselves up for long, medium, or short passes.

 

You can have a bit more direct control over your AI subordinates in this mode too. For example, you can strongly suggest a player pass in any given instant, which they will do if it’s viable, just like you’re a manager screaming on the sidelines. You can even sit a player if they don’t do what you say (though they generally will). There’s a morale system for under performing and unhappy players at half and you can choose to motivate, criticize, or praise them. If they react well to your pep talk, they get a small boost in the second half. If they don’t take to it, they may do worse yet.

 

It may be missing out on some of the subtle additions that the PS3 and 360 editions of FIFA 13 are receiving, but FIFA 13 on the Wii U has its own little bag of tricks to draw from. Good tricks, no less; not gimmicks as all of the touch mechanics are great. The tap to shoot ability gives you rewarding control over where you’re trying to put your shots, while being able to handle some of the tactical minutia without stopping play keeps things moving at a steady clip. There’s even a friends tab that allows you to see your Wii U friends and send them messages or game invites with ease right from the FIFA 13 interface, with a full onscreen keyboard. That’s pretty big on a Nintendo console.

 

http://www.destructoid.com/preview-fifa-13-wii-u-has-some-fly-new-features-232507.phtml

[dazzybee]

I wish there wasn't a trade off at all though. There doesn't need to be. But hopefully next year we'll get the proper FIFA 14 with wii u additions and not be a year behind every time. Curved runs sound good, but the first touch thing sounds like it'd be irritating so I'm not too fussed to be honest, I'm more than happy with FIFA 12 gameplay. As long as it has the wealth of modes and online features as FIFA 12 and the system works great on the wii u, I'm definitely going to pick it up as my only football game. (unless the 3ds version is awesome or pro evo can tempt me otherwise)

[Fierce_LiNk]

I wish there wasn't a trade-off either.

 

Thinking about the curved runs. I'm not sure how much of a big deal it would have made on the WiiU version. I'm sure on this version you'll only be able to allow players to make runs in straight lines (like with the Pro Evo games). What would solve this problem and make this the ultimate game is if you could "trace" the run on the touchscreen.

 

It would then allow a player to either make a straight run, or a curved one (imagine a winger going beyond the left/right back and then curving the run so that they're directly behind them). You could even be creative, where the run appears to be going straight, but then curves or moves to the inside/outside. It would give you complete independence over each player.

[dazzybee]

Yeah that'd be good, but the curved runs will also be good in normal play, the strikers just being more intelligent.

 

Really looking forward to this game. A bit of me wants the new features on ps3 to be a it crap (like defending on last years), I don't want to be tempted away.

[madeinbeats]

NWR

 

Even non-soccer fans might get a kick out of how the Wii U GamePad gives FIFA 13 precise controls and more accessibility.

 

There was something subtle and wonderful about playing FIFA 13 with the Wii U GamePad. It was my first time holding and using the GamePad, but thinking about it now, that mattered very little. It was a controller. This was a video game. But... two screens? I had a couple moments of confusion over which to look at since the GamePad's touchscreen could show the exact same image as the TV. After a few minutes, my confusion passed and I learned to use the touchscreen as I needed it, like for the game's deeper management and strategy features, for making free kicks in a first-person view, pinpointing specific portions of the goal to shoot for, or for sending my fellow teammates on "runs" toward ideal passing and scoring positions.

 

Actually, put like that, the Wii U GamePad does a heck of a lot in FIFA 13. But the great thing is that I didn't feel overwhelmed: I could play at exactly my comfort level, just like I would on any other console, with my attention just on the TV if I so desired and my thoughts revolving only around buttons and analog sticks.

 

But then I wouldn't know the joys of using the GamePad's touchscreen to send team mates who aren't controlling the ball on runs toward better scoring or passing positions. All I need to do is touch a player on the GamePad's screen and drag as far as I want him to go, all in real-time. This means I no longer need to pray that the A.I. is reading my mind and moving my fellow players where they can help me—I can now make it happen when and how I want it.

 

 

I suspect this single, simple mechanic has the potential to revolutionize the game's audience. We're not a soccer household, but I can easily see my father playing the game's manager mode, where the TV screen shows the game action and the GamePad shows a top-down strategic map view of the field, letting him touch and drag players to his heart’s content. (This is the first time I looked at a soccer game and thought "real-time strategy!") The simulation aspects of the game I got to experience were also enhanced by the GamePad's second screen, such as managing substitutions for exhausted players, reviewing comprehensive player performance stats with a mini-map showing where things had happened on the field, and even delivering halftime talks to individuals or the entire team, choosing whether to praise or criticize, and whether to focus on any particular aspect of the game.

 

The Wii U GamePad has other uses, as well. When the action slows down for things like corner kicks or goal kicks, I could lift it up and use the sub screen to view the game world as if I was looking through the player's eyes. I could spin 360 degrees and take in the entire stadium (I was informed by the game demo's handler that they were excited for players to get a chance to appreciate the work the team put into recreating the game's venues), and could easily aim my shot with an exceptional degree of precision, using the analog stick to apply spin.

 

One final GamePad feature I think I can no longer live without is touchscreen shooting, where simply shaking the GamePad or hitting a button momentarily turns the touchscreen into a visual representation of the goal. I could execute my shot on the goal simply by quickly tapping the region I wanted to target. The precision this allows made me seriously doubt I’d ever want to press a button to shoot again.

 

As for multiplayer, I have to confess that I played this FIFA 13 demo twice: once by myself and then a second time when I picked up a Wii U Pro Controller to join a woman playing exclusively via manager mode. Joining her game was as easy as pausing, syncing my controller, and sliding my icon over to her team. Soon we were excitedly scheming together while in the middle of playing, and I was on the lookout for a small icon to appear above players’ heads on the TV screen to let me know my partner was sending that player out on a run.

 

A lot has been said of how the Wii U could revolutionize cooperative multiplayer with its asymmetrical aspects, but it's never been more vividly real to me than that moment when I wished I could give the GamePad to my dad or my younger brother so they could strategically control the rest of the team while I played with a Classic Controller Pro. I discovered I'm already all set up for five-person local multiplayer at home since FIFA 13 supports not just the Wii U controllers, but also Wii Remotes, Wii Remotes and Nunchuks, and Wii Classic Controllers. However, the Wii controllers only have access to a subset of controls.

 

One final thing to mention is the game’s online, which wasn't on show at the event. However, the GamePad's touchscreen had a "friends" tab, which I was informed allows you to send messages seamlessly to people from your Wii U's friend list—no more game-specific friend rosters here!

 

I later found out the game would at least include the popular "Online Seasons" mode the other console versions had, though some of the other online features wouldn't make it to the launch title. I suppose EA has yet to draw back the curtain on those aspects of the game; it is still in active development, after all. But I still came away excited for the game, its Wii U features, and the potential for getting my family playing together.

 

Right now, none of my family are soccer fans. But ask us again a month after the Wii U launches.

 

Still getting the PS360 version?

Edited August 6, 2012 by madeinbeats

[Fierce_LiNk]

Yeah that'd be good, but the curved runs will also be good in normal play, the strikers just being more intelligent.

 

Really looking forward to this game. A bit of me wants the new features on ps3 to be a it crap (like defending on last years), I don't want to be tempted away.

 

To be honest, I've always found the AI to be shit in football. As great as it is, every player wants to play in a different way. The AI doesn't always do (sometimes it never does) what you want it to do. It can be a case of you working around the game, rather than manipulating it for your own benefit. I found this out with the last Fifa I played on the 360. Just so poor to control after the Wii Pro Evo games.

 

@madeinbeats, I admit, I'm just torn now. I'm never going to get a "normal" version of a footie game. So, it's really going to be either sticking with what I've got on the Wii, getting this for the WiiU or seeing what else turns up in the future.

[nekunando]

I admit, I'm just torn now. I'm never going to get a "normal" version of a footie game. So, it's really going to be either sticking with what I've got on the Wii, getting this for the WiiU or seeing what else turns up in the future.

 

I can't even pretend to be excited about FIFA 13 as I have found recent versions to be horribly overrated

 

I'd be delighted if it was great but I'm curious to see if Konami have anything up their sleeve for Pro Evo on Wii U considering how excellent their Wii versions of the franchise were! The build up to PES 2008 on Wii was the most excited I had been for a football game for ages and I'm hoping Wii U will help reignite my passion..

[dazzybee]

To be honest, I've always found the AI to be shit in football. As great as it is, every player wants to play in a different way. The AI doesn't always do (sometimes it never does) what you want it to do. It can be a case of you working around the game, rather than manipulating it for your own benefit. I found this out with the last Fifa I played on the 360. Just so poor to control after the Wii Pro Evo games.

 

@madeinbeats, I admit, I'm just torn now. I'm never going to get a "normal" version of a footie game. So, it's really going to be either sticking with what I've got on the Wii, getting this for the WiiU or seeing what else turns up in the future.

 

That's why we should want the most advanced AI they have, it's not there yet but it's getting better and better and better. If they nail the curved runs and the first touch that can only be a great thing. It can't be right for every player, that why, for me the more they make the players like the actually players, at least then you know what you're going to get more, or at least you can't argue they're not doing what you want.

[Hero-of-Time]

Bah! No Ultimate Team mode. Plenty of positive stuff though.

 

The following information comes from FIFA 13 Wii U Line Producer Matt Prior...

 

Speaking about graphics...

 

"...they are on par (with 360/PS3) and there are a couple of features that we have been able to graphically enhance. It's not going to be miles ahead, but two things we have improved just in terms of the fidelity and quality are the pitch. If you have a look at the pitch texture there's a lot more detail in it and we're working on that as we speak to hopefully improve it even further.

 

One of the common complaints is the crowd, and if you look at the crowd on the Wii U it's double the resolution. We had limited resources in which to improve, so we wanted to make sure we got the biggest bang for the buck, if you will. Obviously the pitch is something you're staring at like 90 percent of the time when you're playing, so crowd and pitch were two areas we focused on.

 

With new hardware, one of the challenges is—unlike PS3 and 360, where you've got a game, it's finished, it's done, and you build on top of it next year—we don't have a game. So we have to build that foundation, and just like building anything, you need a solid foundation that's stable on which to build."

 

On why some features in the 360/PS3 version are not coming to Wii U...

 

"We have to take a point in time when [the game's] stable and then bring it over and then all the work we're building on top of it, so in terms of where this is at, it's not [FIFA] 12, 'cause there's a lot of enhancements from 12, it's not 13—it's kind of somewhere in between at a core level. ...obviously, on top of that we've got all the new Wii U functionality, so there's a lot in our game that's not in 360 and PS3.

 

We wanted to make sure we got the most popular feature in [versions for] 360 and PS3. Either online or offline, the most popular feature in it is an online mode called Online Seasons, so that's in the Wii U [version]. Some of the more advanced [modes] that took many years to kind of come onto 360 and PS3, things like Ultimate Team, they aren't on it at launch, but the biggest one in terms of popularity is."

 

On online play and a friend list...

 

"A friends tab that's always there in the front end on the [Wii U GamePad] so you can tap it, you've got a list of friends, (which pulls from) the friends list from the Wii U console. You can tap an invite to them, or you can tap a message to them. Obviously, touch screen messaging is much better than the 360 Live virtual keyboard where you're moving it up and down. ...we really want to connect friends and allow people to game with friends as easily as possible."

[dazzybee]

But why ISN'T it there? I don't get it. If they're working from Fifa 12 whey isn't EVERYTHING from that game in this? Can anyone explain because my main is struggling to understand. Not that I care as I never play those extra modes, but a lot of people do. Why would anyone move over and buy a new console to buy an inferior version of one of the most popular games in the world?!

[madeinbeats]

Bah! No Ultimate Team mode. Plenty of positive stuff though.

 

You noticed?

 

But why ISN'T it there? I don't get it. If they're working from Fifa 12 whey isn't EVERYTHING from that game in this? Can anyone explain because my main is struggling to understand. Not that I care as I never play those extra modes, but a lot of people do. Why would anyone move over and buy a new console to buy an inferior version of one of the most popular games in the world?!

 

Time. He explains it in the interview. You probably shouldn't underestimate how much time went into a new console with a whole new concept control method. Would you rather a straight port with cheesy uPad implementation, or what you will be getting?

 

The tinfoil hat explanation might be they need something to make the PS30 versions stand out so fanboys don't winge.

[dazzybee]

But if they've just taken Fifa 12, why not all its modes? What time does it take to move them all over?! Me no understandy! They said it took years for them to go on the other consoles, but that's because they had to create the modes in the first place, if they're just moving the whole engine over then why not the modes? Their explanation is bollocks... Dreading to see what else they're screwing us over on.

[dazzybee]

I remember reading this DOES have off tv play, but can anyone confirm or deny it. Will be criminal if it doesn't.

[canand]

Wii U Preview - FIFA Soccer 13 Interview

 

 

Cool I can't wait for this game

[nekunando]

I played the FIFA 13 demo on PS3 yesterday and didn't enjoy what I was playing very much so my interest in this is pretty much non-existent

 

I'm more encouraged by what I've played of the PES 2013 demo but that isn't coming to Wii U, unfortunately

[dazzybee]

I hated the FIFA ps3 demo at first too, but actually the more I play it the more I quite like it. Also, this game isn't fully based n FIFA 13, it's an improved take on FIFA 12. I'll probably end up getting ps3 and wii u FIFA... Sucker...

[Cube]

If anyone is interested in the Wii version:

 

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/09/27/fifa-13-wii-vs-fifa-12-wii-the-shocking-truth/2/

[Wii]

What a con job. There should be laws against fraud like that.

 

EA. They're on a roll. Here's some encouraging quotes from Matt Prior, Producer, FIFA 13, Wii U:

 

"In terms of where this is at, it's not FIFA 12 point two," Prior said, "because there's a lot of enhancements from 12, but it's not FIFA 13 either. It's kind of somewhere in between at a core level".

 

There are several features missing from the Wii U version including "Ultimate Team".

 

Ultimate Team is an online service that allows customers to create football teams from a group of randomly selected football stars. Progress allows users to earn in-game currency, as well as improve the value of their players, who can then be traded in an online auction site.

 

Edit: Just to add Madden Wii U is having the same fate and several similar features have been cut also.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Wii