A One-on-One Thrashing Reveals the Helpful Teammates of FIFA 13
David Rutter, the executive producer of the highly acclaimed
FIFA series for EA Sports, sought me out after a closed-doors
briefing and without giving me a chance to explain how terrible
I am at his game, picked up a DualShock, handed me the other,
and started the game. And he took Barçelona, too, the club of
the world's No. 1 player.  I tried to draw his mercy by
announcing, on the spot, that I'd decided soccer would be called
football on all references in my posts, and the sport in Madden
would get "American football," on first reference. No dice. He
thrashed me 4-nil, but at least I prevented Lionel Messi, this
year's global cover star, from getting the hat trick.  "I'm the
executive producer, it'd be terrible if I lost, right?" he said,
chuckling at the justification.  I make no excuses for my soccer
ignorance. It's why Luke Plunkett, much more familiar with the
game, handles our review of FIFA every year. But there were some
features of the