Just like with FIFA 14, one of the biggest selling points of 2014 FIFA World Cup is the ability to play with the real rosters of teams from all around the world. This game specifically gives us the chance to take control of 203 different teams, all of which participated in the qualifying rounds of the actual World Cup for this year. On top of that, we have gotten 21 new stadiums in the game, which include the 12 stadiums we will see used in Brazil during the World Cup. This is one of the coolest aspects of the game, as we get the opportunity to play in the authentic stadiums before the real teams even get the chance.
Now, the coloured accuracy bar returns from previous FIFA instalments, but stopping it in the green area means, essentially, that you can't miss. So if you then hold the right stick towards the top corner for the entire run up, that's exactly where the ball will go. Previously, the same endless pushing on the stick would have Waddled the synthetically revived pigsbladder into orbit.
The mechanic is more fun for keepers now, too. You can attempt to put the taker off by tapping the face buttons (e.g. on PS3, press x to mimic Bruce Grobbelaar's infamous jelly legs), and stoppers adjust their hands in the air in an attempt to get something on the ball, rather than simply keeping them limply outstretched like an old Subbuteo figure.
Take World Cup and Road To World Cup modes, which enable you to play through either the finals or entire qualifying campaign - mirroring the real thing, or with your own custom tweaks to the competing groups. So far, so four years ago - but both are given a new lease of life via EA Sports Talk Radio, and the ability to train your players between games.
Also back is Story Of Qualifying, in which you get to relive more than 60 events that occurred en route to South Africa - like taking control of Frank Lampard and equalising for the Three Lions against Ukraine in September 2012. Aside from the fresh scenarios, this mode appears to have changed the least in the four years between World Cup games, although it's still an intriguing side-project to dip in and out of.
