FIFA 14 in Xbox One

A couple of weeks ago, thanks to a hands-on session at EA's UK office, Pocket-lint played a 65 per cent finished build of the Xbox 360 version of FIFA 14. And we loved it.There are plenty of new features which yet again raise the bar for the annual footy games series and current console owners will be getting a treat when the latest hits the streets. However, the next-generation versions of FIFA 14, for Xbox One and PS4, are in a different league once again.

Powered by what EA is calling EA Sports Ignite, the next-generation versions of FIFA offer even more new features on top of the current gen - graphical enhancements aside, from some time with the Xbox One version at E3 2013 in Los Angeles, the game itself is even better to play.

It is said that the Xbox One is 10 times more powerful and while many will instantly see and understand the benefits that brings to the graphics engine, it's actually the tiniest, previously unavailable details and nuances that make the most difference.The crowd is completely different. Thanks to the processing power of the next-gen machines, every member of the crowd is a 3D model. It adds depth and scope to the stadium, making it look populated by people rather than cardboard cutouts. The crowd also has its own artificial intelligence, allowing them to react to the action on the field in either positive or negative ways. You know that thing where fans start to leave before the final whistle when their team is performing badly? Yeah, that.

Also, while the graphical presentation on the pitch is similar - a little more crisp, perhaps, but not markedly different - the animations of the footballers are smoother and have many more tiny steps than their current-gen counterparts. It makes the action easier on the eye and the control of players decisively more intuitive for the gamer.

The players also have a keener AI, allowing them to make more human-like decisions. Sometimes it makes you want to watch the action off the ball, rather than on. Plus, there are additional shot types and on-pitch behaviours.

In short, this version of FIFA14 is the best we've ever played, even from the 20 minutes or so we spent with it. That doesn't mean that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are bad, far far from it, just that this proudly waves the flag of the next generation in a way that will attract a vast section of the games-playing audience.

The potential for ambiguity is vast, as Microsoft discovered last month when a handful of vague statements on Xbox One's game licensing policies triggered a landslide of speculation pieces and partial headlines. In what follows, we address some of the more excitable, lingering claims about the console's capabilities, Microsoft's licensing policies and Kinect. We can't answer all the questions, but we can put a few of the rumours to rest.


 

No, it doesn't, but you can only sell back your games to "participating retailers". Hopefully, these won't be limited to the bigger chains and supermarkets. Publishers have the ability to impose additional charges for and restrictions on the resale of Xbox One games via Xbox Live, however, so you might want to send your friendly neighbourhood corporate juggernaut a sternly worded letter on the benefits of free and unregulated transfer of property.

EA, Activision and co have yet to make clear their plans for this aspect of Xbox One, though there's possibly something to deduce from EA's decision to retire the unpopular Online Pass scheme.

You can only loan the disc itself to one Xbox Live friend, currently, and he or she'll need to have been your friend for 30 days. You'll also need the publisher's consent, which sounds ominous. You can, however, share your entire digital games library (which includes games you've bought on disc) with up to 10 other Xbox Live friends (they need to be "family members", technically, but Microsoft doesn't mind you bending the rules). The aforesaid friends can access the content from their own consoles, though it's not clear whether Microsoft will allow two people to play the same digital copy of a game simultaneously.

Additionally, Microsoft's Phil Spencer has suggested that Xbox One's lending schemes aren't set in stone. "We understand lending and the benefits of lending, so, funny videos aside, we get it," he told Kotaku in a recent interview. "We want to make sure we land on the right solution that fits a digital ecosystem moving forward." Later in the chat, Spencer put it a little more boldly: "we don't have a lending solution today." More to come, hopefully.

No, it isn't. For starters, you can set Kinect to be entirely unaware and unresponsive if you choose, though it'll still need to be plugged in for Xbox One to run. Some apps and games may require Kinect functionality to operate, of course, so you'll need to turn the sensor back on for these. You can also set it to remain active even when the console is switched off, but it won't gather data about you while in this state - the machine listens out for a single activation phrase, "Xbox On". Finally, Kinect features can be "paused" during gameplay or movie playback.