Two days ahead of the big launch on PC and games consoles, EA Sports has launched FIFA 13 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The mobile version of the highly anticipated football title is now available to download from the App Store, priced at £4.99. Provided you’ve got iOS 4, it’ll work on any iPad, the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, 4S and 5, and the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation iPod Touch models.
EA has finely tweaked the FIFA engine to make it even more realistic this year, and it’s not forgotten about its mobile games. Whilst some of the key features of the new title for consoles haven’t made the jump to iOS – such as the dynamic first touch control – EA has overhauled the game with better touchscreen controls and new modes.
Graphics have been tweaked to look very impressive indeed on the Retina Display of the iPad 3, iPhone 4, 4S and 5, and from what we’ve seen already it’s looking like the best football game on iOS by a country mile.
Game modes include Exhibition, Tournament, Manager Mode and Online. Provided you’ve got a Wi-Fi or decent 3G connection, the online play is pretty smooth and problem-free from our first try, although if your opponent has a poor connection then be prepared for frustration.
The Manager mode gives a pretty thorough set of options, allowing you to sign to a team and choose a sponsor before making transfers and playing games. EA’s Origin platform for online gaming integrates neatly too, showing you game invites, friends and a feed showing what your friends are playing in real time.
Finally, in true ‘saving the best for last’ fashion, FIFA 13 includes the ability to use a second iOS device as a wireless controller. You’ll need to install the app again on another device, and when paired up, the onscreen controls will move over to your second device, freeing up that precious screen space for viewing the action. We’ve given this a go, running the game on an iPad with an iPhone as the controller, and we have to say it’s excellent.
We’ll be doing a full review of the app as our app of the week, so stay tuned for a full rundown.
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