It’s always nice to see more eye candy, especially FIFA graphical goodness. Today we have two new screenshots of FIFA 14 current-gen to share with you!

The first image shows a certain AC Milan striker, Mr El-Sharaawy, jostling against a BVB defender.

The second image shows a few familiar faces from the star-studded Barcelona side, in a contest against new coverboy Gareth Bale’s Tottenham Hotspur.

ON JULY 22, 2013 0 12

The news regarding FIFA 14 for PC gamers came in the late hours of last night as we reported via our Twitter account. FIFA 14 on PC will not utilize the next-gen EA Sports IGNITE Engine announced yesterday at the Xbox One reveal event.

ON MAY 22, 2013 0 10

For years Liverpool FC fans have wondered why their beloved club has not undergone the special FIFA treatment, with facial scans and custom club covers. That all changed this morning as LFC agreed a 3-year partnership with EA SPORTS and the FIFA franchise.

On Jun 27 0 20

Looking Back: What FIFA 14 Meant for the Series

FIFA 14 was released in autumn 2013, so these screenshots are now a piece of football gaming history rather than a preview. Looking back, the game sits at an interesting crossroads. It was the last FIFA built mainly for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation, and it was also the first to appear on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The current-gen and PC versions kept the older engine. The new consoles got EA Sports IGNITE, with improved animations, crowd detail and player movement.

Gameplay changes players remember

Whichever version you played, FIFA 14 brought several notable changes on the pitch:

  • Pure Shot changed how players set themselves before striking the ball, so finishing felt more dependent on body position and balance.
  • Real Ball Physics aimed to make shots dip, swerve and bounce more convincingly, especially from distance.
  • Protect the ball controls let attackers shield possession and hold off defenders. That is exactly the kind of jostling shown in the El Shaarawy screenshot.
  • Slower build-up play rewarded patient passing over constant sprinting. Some fans loved it and others found it frustrating.

Why the cover and licences mattered

Putting Gareth Bale on the cover while he was at Tottenham captured a moment just before his big-money move to Real Madrid. It is a reminder that football games are snapshots of a single season. Licensing deals, like the Liverpool partnership with EA Sports in the same period, shaped which clubs got accurate player faces and stadiums. For many supporters those details made the difference between a generic game and one that felt like their club.

Real football versus the virtual version

Games like FIFA 14 influenced how a generation of fans talks about tactics, player ratings and transfers. If you enjoy breaking down real matches rather than virtual ones, our match analysis covers formations and key moments. Supporters in South Florida can also find places to watch games with other fans in the Fan Zone. Older FIFA-era stories like this one are collected in the Archive.