FIFA 14 Career Upgrade Header

Between all of the season tickets, replica shirts, and ESPN subscriptions, the cost of modern soccer fandom can really add up, especially if you're a gamer. With the latest iteration of EA's FIFA franchise debuting just under 2 months ago — at least where current-gen consoles are concerned — the series' die-hard fans were placed in quite a bind: whether to wait out the next-gen editions of the game or buy in early.

With Sony and Microsoft each vying for pioneers in their new world of next-gen hardware, it didn’t take long for both sides to start offering upgrade incentives at retail. With the likes of Best Buy and Future Shop offering $60 trade-ins towards the switch, frugally minded gamers could now upgrade FIFA 14 at no additional cost, that is, apart from one small exception.

While Ultimate Teams, online stats and EAS FC unlockables will carry over unaffected, career mode progress will not. In a bid to soften this blow, EA has today announced a suite of quick-start stat boosts for those intent on starting over. The benefits, listed below, are split into 3 tiers, with rewards being dished out according to how much progress the player achieved prior to making the transfer.

Group A — Players who have completed at least 15 full games

- Starting Career Pro attributes boosted by 1

- Players receive one top-level talent scout during their first season of play

- Starting transfer budget boosted by 15%

Group B — Players who have completed at least 1 full season

- Starting Career Pro attributes boosted by 3

- Players receive one top-level talent scout during their first season of play

- Starting transfer budget boosted by 30%

- Rematch Ability

Group C — Players who have completed at least 2 full seasons

- Starting Career Pro attributes boosted by 5

- Players receive one top-level talent scout during their first season of play

- Starting transfer budget boosted by 60%

- Rematch Ability

- Edit Player functionality

For all of its potential uses, the sudden availability of a rematch mechanic within career mode is not without its issues. Detractors might claim that the option to replay hard-fought, last minute losses would invalidate an entire season's worth of more realistic results, perhaps even allowing for impatient gamers to reset the game after every goal conceded. Given that the FIFA franchise has always attempted to replicate the spirit, as well as the structure of modern soccer - essentially inviting last-gasp goals galore — then permitting this 'please try again' option could rob gamers of more than just their validity, but their sense of triumph too.

Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that EA are offering this option as part of a wider 'rewards' scheme — a "thankyou for upgrading" type deal that locks away career mode rematches behind a velvet rope. If the option is going to be implemented, then it ought to be extended to every single player, regardless of his or her route to purchasing FIFA 14. The same goes for Group C's player-editing functionality, though how far this ability will actually extend, to aesthetics, skills or both is unknown.

Is the lure of next-gen hardware enough to convince you to sacrifice your current-gen career mode? Are these incentives enough to sway someone into making the switch? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest FIFA news, including our current-gen review, right here on Game Rant.

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FIFA 14 is now available for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Wii, PS2, PS Vita, 3DS and PlayStation 4 formats. The Xbox One edition of the games launches alongside the console itself on November 22, 2013.

Follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.

Sources: VideogamerEA