FIFA Infinity The Absolute FIFA Site
Playing football on the computer was a desire that arose very early among gamers. There was already something like a football simulation on the ancient Commodore 128, far from the perfection we know from the FIFA series. The sporting theme also came up regularly in the arcade halls of the 80s. From 1993 onwards, however, FIFA Soccer broke all records.
The first title of the FIFA games was called FIFA International Soccer. The manufacturer Electronic Arts developed it especially for the Sega Maga Drive console, which had numerous fans all over the world at the time. After a few months of waiting, the specialists had adapted the software to the MS-DOS PC. In 1994, Amiga friends and fans of Game Gear, Mega CD, Game Boy and Super Nintendo Entertainment System were finally allowed to play football without restraint.
At the very beginning, the graphics consisted of simple 2D sprites in isometric perspective, but by 1994 there was a 3DO version with SVGA resolution and three-dimensional presentation. PC gamers had to wait until 1996, when FIFA 96 was released and they were able to enjoy their digital 3D-football. But first FIFA Soccer 95 was launched, the exclusive Mega Drive version with high-quality teams from international leagues.
Into the new millennium with FIFA
With FIFA 2000, other leagues followed, for example the Major League of the USA as well as some European representatives. However, the ban on playing FIFA at LAN parties, i.e. at those meetings where real nerds connected their computers via cable to compete against each other, made the biggest waves. In today’s world, where everyone is connected to everyone else via the internet, this decision makes even less sense.
The betting enthusiasm of the sports fans stays the same then and now. The bookmakers’ odds have always reflected the chances of success of the individual teams quite well. But both in the FIFA game and in real life, there are always surprises that defy any premonition. The best football betting sites in India give an opportunity to bet on real football matches from the comfort of your home and thus transfer the joy of the game to reality.
In the 21st century, innovation followed in FIFA. We saw the arrival of successful editions such as FIFA 08 with Ronaldinho and Wayne Ronney as cover stars and the amazing spin-off version of FIFA 10, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa game that many hail as one of the best football simulators ever made. Last but not least, FIFA 14 with the introduction of the Ignite Engine and possibly one of the most underrated editions of the franchise.
To this day, game fans wait every year for the latest coup from Electronic Arts. By popular demand, FIFA 16 finally introduced women’s football, a discipline that is unfortunately always overshadowed by men’s football. The female athletes have a lot to offer, especially a refreshing change in tactics and innovation.
The 2020s brought even more innovations
The 2020s put further icing on the already appetizing cake. The developers once again reworked many gameplay elements, for example they extended the time finish to a new penalty control and improved the free kicks. FIFA 21 made the leap to the PS5 and the Xbox series: a big win for lovers of the latest console models.
Particularly prominent in the same year was the change in the career mode: the individual matches not played by the players themselves no longer took place in a simple quick simulation, but in a kind of radar mode with many interaction possibilities. In addition, the athletes could be trained for certain positions and even retrained, so that a striker could, if desired, gradually become a defender and vice versa. Modern game fans love maximum flexibility, which is why this innovation was so well received.
The FIFA series is now firmly established in e-sports and is one of the official disciplines of the World Cyber Games. But the football game has also won laurels at the ESL Championship. Almost 30 years of regular improvements have paid off: the game has not only been able to maintain its high status, but also to keep expanding it.
Nevertheless, not every innovation met with a positive response; in between, there was always trouble with the fans. What developers concoct in secret is not necessarily to everyone’s liking out there in the world. But that’s the risk everyone who produces games takes. In this job, you have to be able to take criticism.
