1.Be The Ref Mode
Something that FIFA fans have been calling for almost as long as they have for the return of the now infamous Indoor Arena (more of which later), the Be The Ref Mode has been rumoured for inclusion in FIFA for some years now, and no doubt FIFA 14 will see a fresh round of speculation. But why is the Man In Black Mode so sought after? The idea of playing 6 minute matches without the ability to touch the ball legally or actually get into the action might not appeal to most die-hard fans of football gaming, but there are definitely those who want to flex their carding arm muscles and decide on the key instances in the game. And both interpreting the rules and keeping up with, and out of the way of play would definitely represent a challenge - whether you would consider that as a more entertaining challenge than actually scoring goals probably says a lot about how dedicated you are to the football sim side of FIFA. It's a difficult prospect of course, given how easy it might be for players to exploit the situation - especially if it was introduced into player-on-player matches with a third player taking control of the refereeing. The opportunity for bias would have to be all but eradicated, unless EA Sports choose to believe that no-one will repeat the tendency of certain referees to make a name for themselves with over-zealous officiating (Uriah Renee for instance). But it would be great fun to spend a few games seeing how well you can interpret the rules of the game, with some sort of rating system ensuring that repeat offenders are relegated to the very bottom rungs of the league system, and only those who ref fairly and appropriately likely to get to the big tournaments. That might sound like celebrating jobsworthism to some, and tantamount to suggesting someone releases a Traffic Warden Manager sim to others, but there is certainly enough appeal among the FIFA communities that EA Sports should seriously consider it.