FIFA 15 had a busy booth at E3 2014, with lots of media, exhibitors, retailers and others packing the tiny "EA Sports Room" to see what was new for this year's iteration of EA footy. Personally, I enjoyed FIFA 14 on Xbox One (and PS4) so much that I think it's the franchise with the least distance to cover in terms of gameplay and features, but it's always exciting to see what's new.

The big talking points for FIFA 15 include a degenerating pitch, enhanced player detail, truer ball animations, improved one-on-one battling and a story on the pitch between the players. There are a whole host of small improvements to gameplay as well, some of which are going to be quite useful on both sides of the ball. In terms of additional modes or other changes, the developers weren't talking much about that at this stage.

Probably the biggest concept that was detailed was the "story" aspect of the game. The idea is that players will have a unique outlook towards every player on the pitch during every game. EA showed an image with green, yellow and red lines connecting players during an actual game, and it reminded me instantly of the chemistry system seen in FUT (or NHL's HUT mode). It's not going to be explicitly shown like this during gameplay, but this was to give a sense of the strength of the various relationships that could develop during a match.

Maybe a goalkeeper makes a questionable decision or allows a poor goal. His defenders are going to have a deteriorating relationship with him. The main conceit is that the emotion of the game will be told through each player's body language. The implication was that player's on the pitch would develop small rivalries during play and get competitive as the match wears on. There were some amusing animations of players up in each other's grill, and this helped deliver some extra emotion during key sequences. The idea was also that EA would use this "game story" to help summarize the match after completion. Ultimately, some of this might just come down to a chemistry rating between two players, but other times it results in animations of frustration, joy or nervousness. I never got the impression this would affect attributes or gameplay.

Some of this dynamism was present in a would-be goal scenario. In this sequence, Messi scored on a play that was eventually ruled offside. The first neat aspect of this was that Messi was actually celebrating the goal on the way up from the ground, which is a new feature this year. Goalkeeper Joe Hart (they were playing Man City) was unaware that the play was offside, so he was looking down in disgust at the apparent goal. Neymar, on the other hand, knew the play was offside and was protesting it along with other players from both teams. Eventually, Messi realized the play was offside and went to the official to speak his piece. It was a neat moment, and it showed how each player was reacting to this beat as it played out, and it made things seem a bit more alive and reactive. It was hard to get a sense of how deep this feature really goes, but does seem like the building blocks for something more.
 

Man-to-man battles are improved this year with the inclusion of shoulder barges, possession slide tackles and improved jockeying and hand-fighting. It was particularly cool to see possession tackles, as a player could slide in and get up much quicker than before, with the ball stopped dead where contact was made. Not that slide tackles don't result in the ball being knocked away in real life, but some might argue that FIFA 14 had a few too many moments where you'd dispossess an opponent and be unable to actually gain possession.

In another one of EA's sequences where they dump on the previous game, the developers pointed out how they had somewhat fudged the animations of the ball when it was being dribbled in FIFA 14. The ball animation would sort of reset after each touch. Now the ball is rendered after every tiny bump or side-foot touch, and as usual, it looks great in replay. The dribbling fidelity is also upgraded because of this, and it's now possible to see some great subtle touches as a skilled player handles the ball in traffic.

In terms of visual upgrades, player models and kits are notably better, with slightly sharper faces, improved lighting and dynamic hair. It was funny seeing David Luiz's hair bouncing and flowing as he ran across the pitch, and I'm sure this will result in some even more ridiculous hairstyles for folks to use for pro clubs.

The biggest new piece, visually, was the degenerating pitch, and I have to say that it looked real cool. There was a time-lapsed sequence that EA showed to demonstrate that the pitch would get chewed up over the course of a game. The engine is actually tracking each boot print and slide mark, and by the end of the match the field will resemble a properly used soccer field. Even the volume of the grass looked better, with a more realistic look than before. Overall, this change to the pitch is a purely visual detail, but I feel it's an absolutely essential element to representing the sport in a true way.

On the field, the game still feels great. With the improved ball-handling and man-to-man play, there is slightly more explosiveness on each play. This is also aided by the fact that EA has made turning with your player a bit quicker, as there's now a smaller turn radius required when pivoting or changing direction. This is a subtle change, but it helps with some of the left-stick deking and midfield play. My play time was limited, but I would say that the AI seems to be keeping up a little more on through plays, and they definitely go after loose balls a bit more often now. I didn’t get to see many foul sequences, so I can't be sure whether any of the logic for bookings has been revised or rethought.
 

I'm certain there will be more to share when it comes to new modes and top-level features, but I certainly saw nothing that made me doubt the direction for this year's FIFA. The visual details are welcome additions, and the added options for dribbling, turning and battling opponents are great tweaks. The story of the match, as it were, is a really cool idea, but I get the feeling this is the spawn of something much larger for the franchise that won't be realized for a few years. Oh yeah: the game is coming to PC. Finally, right?