For more on FIFA 13, check out our full FIFA 13 review. Or, for more of the best Xbox 360 games for an 8 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
The latest instalment in the yearly football franchise, FIFA 13 is a game that looks to entice an entire generation all over again. With updated teams, and a few tweaks to the gameplay, this is much the same as FIFA 12, with leagues to conquer, teams to lead to victory, and rivalries to settle - which, if nothing else, should at least serve for a barometer of whether your child will be able to play it. If they've managed last year's game, there shouldn't be too much trouble here.
It's worth parents keeping in mind that a lot of the more "realistic" features, which make the game a lot harder to play, can be turned off in the menu here, which ends up making the game a lot easier to play. If your child's played last year's game, FIFA 13 will automatically default to a slightly harder difficulty setting, with many of the built in "assists" turned off, which, amongst others, ask you to manually decide the amount of power to put behind passes, and aim and power your shots manually - which may not sound like much, but it makes a world of difference to the game. With the assist turned on, the game's a lot easier to pick up and play, and a lot more friendly to novices.
If your child's not all that interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of football, though, they may find themselves getting a bit frustrated here. Although they can choose to play through a single season as their favourite club in the Tournament mode, if they want to go through the highs and lows, relegations and promotions, and general competition of a career mode, they'll find themselves bogged down with having to manage the every day aspects of a club, keep players happy, and negotiate transfers with prima-donna players, with a not-all-that-easy-to-follow menu helping obscure the action. For younger players, we'd look at the Wii version instead, specifically the series highlight so far, FIFA 11.
Thankfully, FIFA 13 is certainly less vulgar than the real thing. Players don't swear, hurl racial insults at each other, or get into fights - there's not even any spitting. Instead, there's nothing for parents to be too concerned about here.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
