http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/10/12/fifa-13-ea-sells-old-games-as-new

Really good article by IGN.  The screenshot comparisons show that they are literally the same games as their respective previous versions--characters are seen doing the exact same poses against the exact same backgrounds, with near-identical menu screens.

EA didn't even provide review copies of these versions of the games, and, when pressed, couldn't come up with a single solitary new feature.

Wow, EA--brings new meaning to the idea of rereleasing the same game over and over again, doesn't it?

Yep, I first saw someone talk about this in the EA sends ME3 to die thread. Type in fifa 12 - 13 Wii in Google and you come up with almost every major video game site having the story.

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/09/27/fifa-13-wii-vs-fifa-12-wii-the-shocking-truth/
http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=187089
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/EA-Sinks-Low-Recycles-FIFA-12-FIFA-13-Wii-47531.html
http://n4g.com/news/1095610/ea-dodges-accusations-of-fifa-12-13-wii-being-the-same-game
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/10/fifa-13-wii/
http://www.destructoid.com/ea-re-releases-fifa-12-as-fifa-13-on-wii-235795.phtml

naiisss

"What I find most interesting about this whole farrago is the way in which the Wii and Vita have been treated in the same way. The Wii has already reached its twilight hour but the Vita hasn’t. Despite wobbly initial sales figures and an inconstant supply of games, the Vita is still a new console and surely deserves better than this during its infancy? It deserves innovation, creativity – games that rudely press at the limits of what it’s capable of delivering. Vita means ‘life’ in Latin, but games like FIFA 13 are poison for the still vulnerable handheld. People who purchased the system deserve better than last year’s game in a new full-priced box."

What a revealing paragraph. So in his opinion repackaging is only scandalous if it happens to a new system.


"Vita means ‘life’ in Latin, but games like FIFA 13 are poison for the still vulnerable handheld."
This sentence does not only and finally reveal the meaning of vita to the unaware world, it is also brilliant writing, especially if you consider it comes from a young, still vulnerable person like http://people.ign.com/krupa-ign . Should be nominated as "most poetic gaming journalism phrase of the year" at VGA.



My take on the FIFA repackaging scandal:
Oh really? IMO they repackage the game every year on all systems and still get 90+ ratings and "it's so great, you have to buy it again" review headlines left and right, e.g. http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/20/fifa-13-review .

Two jokes in a single tiny image... good job

I was planning to buy FIFA13 on Vita, simply because FIFA is a great portable game. That's when I thought it'd be similar to the home console versions, of course.

Instead it's similar to the previous Vita version.  You might say it's the same, even :P

This is incredibly shameful. I'm thinking of boycotting EA for now on.

I held off buying the first Fifa game for Vita in anticipation of the new game. So I don't know what to do, I don't want to support EA but I want my handheld Fifa fix.

The good thing is that I boycott EA naturally, don't even need evil reasons.