So, the modern FIFA release is here and you are already frustrated, tired of playing it. You look at the calendar and though it feels as if a long time has already passed since the game’s release, you won’t be seeing another modern iteration for many months. What do you do then? The Libero, as always, has your back. Not enjoying one game is not an excuse to go without some proper virtual footballing action; not just because there is also Pro Evo and its amazing collection of brilliant football games, but also because the FIFA series itself has written some beautiful chapters over the years, possessing nowadays a catalog that is definitely worth (re)visiting as often as one can. Plus, brilliant modders have dedicated thousands of hours of their time to improve upon the already competent platforms of football gaming provided by FIFA over the years and decades, and as a consequence of their valuable work, they have extended the lifespan of quite a few FIFA titles. Get your time machine ready for we are going back in time: here are ten ways to rekindle your passion for the FIFA series.
#1 – Not a game, but a simulation: Ciais’ FIFA16 gameplay mod
One of the most praised FIFAs in recent times is FIFA16; interestingly, its reputation only improved as time passed. Some, taking advantage of the very competent gameplay provided by this iteration, used it as a tool to try and bring to life the most realistic simulation of football ever experienced. In a time where football games focus almost exclusively on pleasing the online gamer type, where skill and speed rule and as a consequence, the game almost always becomes an arcade-ish end-to-end frenetic fest that looks little like actual football; Ciais’ work follows the contrarian route, opting for providing a simulation wholly dedicated to represent football as the spectacular but gruesome, often beautiful but sometimes ‘ugly’, brutally competitive yet complex and tactically rich sport it actually is in real life. Football gaming has never gotten more realistic than this – and will it ever get…?
Check out Ciais’ article for the Libero Magazine, where he not only details the concept and explains his work but also provides his mod’s download).
#2 – More FIFA16 please: Moddingway Mod
One of the household names of FIFA editing, the Moddingway Mod for FIFA16 is the undisputed leader of this particular iteration’s modding scene. Its surprising longevity has provided the football gamer a multitude of different versions of this project, to a point where one could almost classify the Moddingway Mod as its own football gaming series. Fortunately, as the Moddingway website always publishes its mods through not only direct download links but often containing download ‘mirrors’ too, one is able to choose any of this mod’s updates out of the plethora of available ones according to his preference.
Find out more (and download the mod) on the FIFA16 Moddingway Mod Official Thread on their website.
#3 – Gone Retro – literally: FIFA14 Classic Patch
If you still have any doubts about the modding communities’ artistic vision – given you’re reading the Libero right now, you most certainly don’t -, then I am pleased to announce not just a mod, but a work of art. FIFA14 Classic Patch is a playable footballing encyclopedia using FIFA14 as the base game containing the whole history of football in a single, huge, “book”. Only this footballing book is not to be read, it is to be enjoyed. The sheer amount of teams and players and competitions included in this mod is jaw-dropping. In about thirty minutes you can enjoy a 1930 World Cup match, then an an Euro 2004 game, or a 2002 Champions League match – all in the same mod! FIFA 14 Classic Patch is simultaneously a must-play and a must-have for any football fan, gamer or not. A love letter to the sport and its history.
Keep an eye on FIFA Classic Patch’s Facebook page; you can download the latest version of their mod here on their website.
#4 – FIFA’s own football platform: FIFA Infinity Patch 14
The most popular mod on the prolific FIFA Infinity website, the continuous success of FIFA 14 Infinity Patch is best explained by the fact that, just like the previous iteration in this article, this patch is also a mod of incredible proportions. Though this mod represents the 2013/14 season, even if you were not a fan of that specific footballing campaign, after playing this patch you will surely become one in no time. The attention to detail is mind-blowing; from accurate Ukrainian Premier League’s player contract lengths, real Turkish Super League’s club’s budgets to realistic referees for Japan’s J-League and even accurate player tattoos: Infinity is a benchmark for football game modding, and practically a brand new game in itself.
Check out the FIFA Infinity Patch 14 page to read more about it and download the mod.
#5 – Just Like a Wavin’ Flag: FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa
We go further back in time – and away from modding – to mention one of the greatest football games of all time, consequently one of the most stellar iterations in the history of the FIFA series: FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa is one of the last standalone World Cup/Euro games before Konami started a new (and despicable) tradition of releasing mere base game “expansions” via DLC, a method EA soon adopted too. The most important competition of the Beautiful Game deserves to be celebrated in grandiose apotheosis; the 2010 World Cup game elevated that specific art to levels never before seen and, so far, never to be repeated. Released in the height of FIFA’s excellence, the (stunning) graphics, the (impossibly addictive) gameplay, the (beautiful) menus and the (delicious) soundtrack; EA absolutely stole the show here. This was the first World Cup/Euro game I actually kept playing long after the end of the real competition it portrayed; hell, a few days before the 2014 World Cup started I was…playing a virtual World Cup save in this game! A football gaming masterpiece, a timeless lesson on how to create a wonderful sports game.
#6 – Rise like a phoenix: FIFA 08
To understand how and why FIFA rose to become the undisputed dominant football game in the market, one can’t go without experiencing where it all began: the glorious FIFA08. This game single-handedly changed the course of history. Pro Evolution completely controlled the scene during the PlayStation 2-era, while FIFA produced mediocre simulations one after another; but as FIFA08 is released, there is no question that a new king had just seized the land. I mean, the pitch. FIFA08 sets the gameplay base that all other subsequent titles would follow for more than a decade since its release, improves massively upon its visual aspect, changes the future of football gaming both with the introduction of the Arena (the greatest innovation since PES’ Master League) and the creation of the Be A Pro game mode – before Ultimate Team showed who’s boss just a season later – and, most importantly, blows PES out of the water for decades to come. One of the most important chapters in football gaming history, FIFA08 will forever be a relevant retro-exploit, both because of being a great game all-around and for its historical relevance.
#7 – A trip down memory lane: PS2-era FIFA
PS2 FIFA? Oh, the horror! Please, don’t! Well, calm down, won’t ya? The PS2-era of FIFA installments suffered from having to rival with contemporary Pro Evo and its footballing simulations that were, frankly, light-years ahead; competing against those titles is a fate no one deserves. The inevitable comparisons made between both series’ games at the time tainted our perception of the actual, independent value of these FIFAs; though admittedly none of them are indisputable classics of the genre, they are still adequately competent representations of the sport, less appealing to the realism-minded football fan but quite attractive for the casual player looking for some arcade-ish fun. Shall you accept this challenge, welcoming you will be the usual impossibly-stocky footballers, legendary soundtracks and the typical plethora of licenses. This was also an era of experimentation, as EA desperately gave their all to overcome the impossible obstacle that was Pro Evo; from on-the-pitch innovations such as FIFA04’s “Off-the-ball” controls to a literal built-in FIFA International Soccer in FIFA06 – yes, that actually happened -, one can’t say PS2 FIFA doesn’t keep things interesting.
#8 – FIFA Street is for the plebs: The patrician’s choice is FIFA97
Long before EA thought of taking football out of the pitches and bring it to the streets with their FIFA Street franchise – which could perfectly feature on this article too -, FIFA97 had already become a legendary football game due to its innovative Indoor Match mode, one that cemented the game’s importance on this particular gaming scene as a consequence of how innovative it was – and also because we would have to wait almost a decade before something similar to FIFA97’s Indoor Mode appeared, in this case the first iteration of the FIFA Street spin-off franchise. Yet while the latter is focused exclusively on painting a representation of street football heavily dependent on winning skill points through performing fancy tricks whilst wearing some ghastly, what they call “streetwear” – whatever that may be -, FIFA97’s Indoor Mode soberly cuts to the chase: it is just good-ol’-football adapted to this Futsal-like environment. Truly a superb palate-cleanser.
#9 – I would like to see the menu: Play the whole FIFA catalog
The FIFA series is almost three decades old. Now that you’ve set your eyes on multiple retro-FIFA titles, and providing you are brave enough to do so, you literally have almost thirty years and dozens of FIFA titles to experiment – whether you’re revisiting them or playing them for the first time in your life, there is enough entertainment here to keep you hooked for a lifetime! Where to start…? Well, maybe from the actual beginning: FIFA International Soccer was the inaugural release of a football series that would rise to stardom and establish itself on the cutthroat gaming market, enjoying an admirable longevity whilst pulverizing the plethora of competition that was around until the late-PS2/early-PS3-era, when the football gaming scene was definitely won by PES and FIFA exclusively. Playing all these retro-FIFAs is like reading a book on both the rich history of this great gaming genre as well as the history of this series itself; it is surely fascinating to witness how (and how much!) the game evolved over the years and decades, what each iteration improved upon the previous one, where things went right or wrong each time…do open this book and do jump in, you will not regret it.
#10 – Sit back, relax and enjoy: revisit the (many…and brilliant!) FIFA soundtracks
Sometimes, we just get tired of gaming and need a break. It is fine. Yet not actually playing the games doesn’t mean one can’t still experience them, only in a different manner. The FIFA series earned a reputation for providing the audience with wonderful soundtracks for each iteration; to this day, this aspect remains one of the most applauded even on games belonging to less successful periods of the series’ history, such as the PS2-era of FIFA titles. These – and the Euro and World Cup games as well – were a phenomenal stage for the likes of Blur, Keane, Tribalistas, MGMT, Black Keys, Stone Roses, just to name a few; as well as a platform for lesser known artists and bands, many of them owing various FIFA games for their successful careers. For many football gamers, myself included, just listening to these soundtracks is not just a delicious musical experience, but a nostalgic time-capsule bringing us back in time. For the others, it undeniably is also a blessing for one’s ears yet, once again, it is simultaneously a window to a completely different era – not just of gaming, but of music. Again these games prove to be not just entertainment but art and, therefore, culture and history: one can experience the ‘explosion’ of the Indie music scene back in the FIFA games of the first decade of the new millennium, letting the legendary likes of Timo Maas’ “To Get Down“, Caesars’ “Jerk It Out” or the theme music of the beautiful FIFA06 “Retro Memorable Moments” video, Doves’ “Black and White Town” showcase their inspiring art.
Bonus: Stop playing FIFA.
I promised you ten ways to rekindle your passion for the FIFA series, but what is life without breaking some rules once in a while? We will do so for a good reason: the eleventh way to rekindle your passion for the FIFA series is…to stop playing it. That’s it. Sometimes, for some reason, we lose that gaming “itch”; spend your time doing something else and a while later get back on the horse and you will feel completely revitalized, motivated for some more FIFA action. Hopefully, by then, and after reading this article, you will be also aware of FIFA not just as a game but, as we like to call these games here on the Libero, also as art, culture and history. Then, I guarantee you that your passion for FIFA won’t need any rekindling.
Libero Magazine 