5. A Little More Unpredictability
One of the only ways that Pro Evo 2013 outstripped FIFA 13 in terms of the gameplay was the issue of ball physics and unpredictability. EA Sports' attempts to create the ultimate football sim seem to have missed the point that you can't actually predict what a football will do 100% of the time - which is precisely why a beach ball scored a Premier League goal not so long ago. The Beautiful Game is occasionally unpredictable, and realistic ball physics actually require a loosening of the definition of realistic physics. Yes some might complain about a game in which the ball frustratingly does what it wants, despite the controlled intentions of the player, but that would be more realistic than what FIFA currently does. And while the new control system does mean that players are no longer all capable of superhuman acts of ball control, regardless of whether they play for Real Madrid or Tow Law, it isn't quite enough. The longer you play, the more you realise that the miscontrols aren't always as fatal as they should be - admittedly if you do it close to a touch- or by-line, chances are the other team are going to be awarded with a set-piece, but miscontrolling on the edge of the box is by no means fatal thanks to an improbable recovery rate for most players. Too many times now I've miscontrolled with a good player - not a Messi-level one - and then recovered with a shot that has arrowed into the goal past the usually impenetrable goalkeeper, and that just isn't as realistic as the control system initially intended. It's not really a problem with the system, but more with its integration into the game, and it seems EA Sports have reserved the punishment factor for miscontrols a little more than they should have.