FIFA 13 Bonus Edition Xbox 360

Released on 30-Nov-2012

• FIFA 14 should have female players, says petition

  Fernanda Schabarum, a gamer and footy fan from Florida, has launched a petition at Change.org asking EA Sports to include female players in the upcoming FIFA 14.

  She quotes statistics showing that 40% of US soccer players and 47% of gamers are female, and notes that soccer is now the most popular sport for women at US colleges. The gold medal winning success of the US women's team at the 2012 Olympic Games is also noted.

  The petition reads: “By offering just men's teams as playable options on FIFA we're not only denying these girls a chance to relate to the characters they play on a videogame, but we're also wasting a great opportunity to encourage those same girls to be who they are, develop their passion, motivation and promote a healthy image and relation between women and sports.”

  It remains to be seen how EA Sports will react. Similar requests were made last year but weren't reflected in FIFA 13. VG247 points out that EA Canada, which develops both the FIFA and NHL franchises, has already included female players in its hockey series.

  Published: 15/04/2013

• FIFA 13 wins accessibility award from disabled gamers charity

  The end of one year and the start of the next is always a good time to hand out the gongs and statues for the best games of the previous twelve months, but FIFA 13 can holds its head especially high having been voted the 2012 AbleGamers Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year.

  The award is handed out by AbleGamers, a non-profit organisation that helps people with disabilities enjoy mainstream games. FIFA 13 earned the award for introducing multiple "world first" features designed to make the game accessible to all players.

  "FIFA 13 is the first high-end mainstream sports game to allow users to control the entire game with only a mouse," explained the AbleGamers announcement. "For disabled gamers with Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and even one-handed gamers, the ability to play such a sophisticated sports game with simple controls that can be handled by a trackball or mouse mean gamers who may not have been able to enjoy iconic sporting activities like baseball, football, hockey or soccer can now take part in the fun."

  FIFA 13 was also praised for offering "remappable keys, customisable colour options, high contrast and intuitive menus and visual cues for all audio input". The option to change the pace of the game, as well as the efficiency of the AI, was also singled out for celebration. "For those with cognitive disorders and motor impairments, the ability to set the game to an acceptable rate of speed enables those with even the most severe of disabilities," said AbleGamers.

  The turn-based strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown was also lauded for its "perfect" implementation of features that will allow disabled players to fully enjoy the game.
  

  Published: 04/01/2013

• The Best of 2012: Xbox 360

  
  

  And so another year gallops to a close, thundering through the ribbon into January on a wave of good cheer and over-eating. And what a cracker of a year it's been for gaming, with all the major platforms delivering some absolutely stonking exclusives along with some truly spectacular blockbusters spread across all formats, like warm butter on the crumpet you're hopefully eating right now to ward off the December chills.

  

  For Xbox 360 owners, it's been the year in which Master Chief finally returned to the gaming stage. Absent for five years - an eternity in games terms - his triumphant return in Halo 4 not only kickstarted the new Reclaimer Trilogy, but also introduced new developer 343 Studios to the series. 343 immediately put its stamp on Bungie's universe, crafting a game with sumptuous visuals and a distinctly personal spin on storytelling, as Chief battles not just to save the galaxy, but his AI companion Cortana, whose code is deteriorating. Add in an exhaustive suite of multiplayer modes, a full co-op campaign, and the ongoing Spartan Ops bonus missions and you've got one of the best games of the series, and of this year.

  

  Halo wasn't the only Microsoft legend getting a makeover in 2012. Forza Horizon took the imposing racing simulation and gave it a funky mainstream twist, combining developer Turn 10's impeccable vehicle physics with an open world underground racing vibe. Everything from drift racing to hardcore rallying is covered as you roar around a virtual Colorado racing festival, looking for events and opportunities to show off your talent behind the wheel.

  

  The wonderful land of Albion also showed off a new perspective in Fable: The Journey. This Kinect-fuelled spin-off from the superb RPG series puts you right into the action as a young boy, separated from his tribe and forced to travel across this magical land alone as dark forces gather against him. Using precision motion control, you steer your wagon, fire off spells and even look after your loyal horse. It's an unusual game, offering an experience far removed from the other Fable titles, yet it's also one of the best Kinect games. Immersive and packed with genuine challenge, it's a good sign that motion gaming doesn't have to just mean simple mini-games for little kids.

  

  Definitely not suitable for little kids was The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Previously a well-deserved smash hit on the PC, the game crossed over to consoles exclusively for Xbox 360. This was no mere half-hearted port either. Czech developer CD Projekt went out of its way to recreate the game specifically for a console audience, adding four hours of fresh questing content, as well as new cinematics. The result was one of the best role-playing games, not just of 2012, but of all time. A thorny, challenging adventure set in a bawdy, complex world torn apart by racism, political strife and class war.

  

  On the digital frontline, the Xbox continued to thrill. World conquering epic Minecraft came to consoles just for the 360, allowing a whole new audience to experience the genius of Mojang's communal block bashing and building. No surprise that it quickly became one of the most popular online games, challenging even the heavyweight shooters. Indie hit Fez got critics hot under the collar too with its mind-bending puzzle platforming action, and knockabout motocross romp Trials Evolution offered gamers the chance to punish their ragdoll rider in the year's biggest highs and most hilarious fails.

  

  Xbox owners weren't left out when it came to multi-format releases either. The brilliant Borderlands 2, with its lunatic mix of co-op action and loot-swapping mayhem, is what your Xbox LIVE Friends List was invented for, while the online action of hits such as FIFA 13 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted made the most of Microsoft's ever-evolving digital community. Even the biggest game of the year had something extra special for Xbox players, as Activision announced that all the DLC maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be exclusive to Xbox 360 for a limited time.

  And that's just this year. Where will Xbox be in another twelve months? Will there be a new console to save up for? How long will we have to wait for Halo 5? And what will developers do next with the controller-free Kinect? One thing's for sure, it's going to be an amazing ride finding out.

  Published: 13/12/2012

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