For week two of our Fall Video Game preview, we’ll be taking a look at the follow-up of last year’s best sports game: EA’s premiere futbol simulator “FIFA 13.” 2012 has seen the release of some truly great sports simulation games: “NHL 13,” “Madden 13,” “Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour 13,” “SSX,” “MLB: The Show 13.” But year in and year out, one sports game seems to consistently be the most fun – that game is EA Sports’ FIFA franchise.

As always, in “FIFA 13” there is something for die-hard soccer fans and casual sports game players. There is no easier sports simulation game to recommend yearly than the FIFA franchise, and from the looks of “FIFA 13,” that streak won’t end anytime soon.

As the world’s biggest sport, it should come as no surprise that FIFA strives to consistently maintain its position as the world’s premiere sports simulation.  “FIFA 06” debuted a revolutionary new physics engine that revamped how players move and interact on the pitch, “FIFA 08” featured an original “Be a Pro” mode where players could control a single character throughout their career, “FIFA 09” saw a far more advanced collision system that could more accurately detect any roughness on the pitch and “FIFA 12” debuted the most realistic physics engine ever seen in a sports simulation game.

Now, in “FIFA 13,” players can expect an unprecedented level of realism. The physics engine in “FIFA 12” has been made even more advanced thanks to a smarter AI: non-player controlled characters can now better understand how to react to ball movement on offense and adjust positioning to make for more scoring chances.

 In addition, goalkeeper AI has been upgraded, meaning that goalkeepers are now aware of attackers without the ball, adjusting to stop scoring chances from better strikers. Players now have better control over dribbling as well. Creative ball-handlers can now create more scoring chances and are now far more dangerous to defense. To counteract this attacker advantage, passing has been made more realistic. Players will no longer be able to rely on perfect passes, and the defense can take advantage of missed passes and loose balls.

Beyond gameplay adjustments, new social gameplay modes make playing online with friends and rival even more addictive. Build online leagues with others online and earn points for your favorite team. Playing online can net players special in-game rewards and other incentives that keep online gameplay interesting for quite a while.

Players looking for a good time with friends either online or sitting on the couch simply cannot go wrong with this simple yet deep soccer simulation.