FIFA 13 Review

There is one element it’s difficult to get beyond with the FIFA games ported onto iOS devices, and that’s the controls. They need to be slick and responsive, able to react accurately and quickly to the player’s inputs. What they don’t need to be is lethargic and vague. Touchscreens often err on the side of the latter, and FIFA 13 is no exception to the rule.

Another element that harms this, the latest in EA’s yearly footballing franchise, is a collection of technical hitches. This is a game that demands a lot from its iOS device and as such is often riddled with fun-busting slowdown, sometimes to the genuine detriment of the experience, like when it causes you to mess up your timing and the AI bags a goal out of it.

But that’s a lot of negativity out of the way: FIFA 13 is still a lot of fun – though admittedly not all the time. You will still punch the air in joy when you spank in a 35-yard screamer; mazy dribbles and fine skills are possible even on the clunky controls and – thanks to the good amount of content on show – you can keep on playing for… well, probably for another year, until the time FIFA 14 comes out.

If you want something that’s a little bit more hands-on and serious than your Flick Kicks and New Stars, this is a decent enough football option; just expect it to have some faults that need to be gotten past.