[Competition] Read our review & win FIFA 14 courtesy of GAME

THE latest installment of the award winning FIFA series is upon us as FIFA 14 is now in a GAME store near you and is looking to retain the title for publishers EA Sports.

Building on the success of FIFA 13, the newest iteration of the game brings a number of small adjustments and tweaks but does not stray far from the formula which has seen the series race ahead of the competition in recent years.

The menu system has undergone huge alterations and the swish new tab style switching between game modes will immediately impress and it does genuinely give off the impression that this game means business.

Our superstar players have become somewhat more human in the last twelve months, with flowing moves seemingly being replaced by midfield battles that require acumen to safely negotiate. Even the likes of Lionel Messi will badly mis-control simple passes, overrun balls and find life on the attack more difficult than in previous years. All players seem that little bit heavier and slower but the matches adapt to this slowdown of pace.

Defending has also had a work over. New animations mean that defenders will now recover from poorly timed tackles much quicker and give you a chance to get straight back in for the ball. There is also a more noticeable emphasis on the physical aspect of the game with jostling becoming more important. Fail to deal with stronger players and they will inevitably punish you with a thumping header from a corner.

Gameplay is exactly as expected. There are a multitude of modes both offline and online that will keep any football aficionado busy for the foreseeable future, with small changes made to the ever popular Career and Be A Pro modes. The new Global Scouting Network is a particularly impressive addition to the game as you send your team on a mission to improve your first team squad and build for your chosen club’s future.

It isn’t all Championship winning glory – the slowing down of the players won’t be for everyone, but you are of course able to adjust these settings in game and can find something to suit your needs.

The erratic way players occasionally lose the ball for no reason is irritating but is pretty realistic as that frequently happens to even the best players in real life.

Overall, FIFA14 is a strong, well made and in depth game that is evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. However, with the competition once more snapping at their heels and a new generation of consoles for the series to conquer to be released in November, EA Sports will be required to bring in a few more superstars next time round if they wish to stay ahead of the game.

Fancy bagging yourself a copy of FIFA 14 on Xbox 360 or PS3? Those lovely people at GAME have provided you the opportunity to win 1 copy by simply entering our Twitter competition.

To enter, simply Follow @live4liverpool and Tweet the message below. A lucky winner will then be chosen at random on Monday and contacted to choose which platform they would like their prize on:

I @live4liverpool and want to #win #FIFA14 with GAME. Follow http://t.co/TtjMPEScS1 & RT for a chance to score the prize! #LFC

— live4Liverpool (@live4Liverpool) November 8, 2013

Good luck, and see you online!

Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com

Follow us on Twitter here: @live4Liverpool and ‘Like’ us on Facebook