Clint 
Dempsey led the men’s U.S. soccer team further than many people expected it would go in the 2014 World Cup. Now Electronic Arts is hoping he’ll lead people to the latest installment of FIFA.
EA has named Dempsey as the cover athlete for FIFA 15 in America (which will also feature Lionel Messi of Argentina).
Attention 
Las Vegas oddsmakers: be very afraid of Electronic Arts.
Back on June 3, the company told us all that Germany was going to win the World Cup – and with Deutschland’s victory yesterday, its FIFA franchise secured a spot as one of the best seers of World Cup victory since the dearly departed Paul the Octopus.
As 
World Cup fever grips the nation, interest in EA’s FIFA soccer games is on the rise as well — and that’s bringing out the scam artists.
A popular Instagram account offering new and exclusive characters for FIFA 14 and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil turned out to be a fake, designed to steal users’ Xbox Live and/or Origin game service log-in details.
A 
little over a year ago, Electronic Arts found itself in hot water after it admitted selling Wii owners a recycled version of FIFA 12 in FIFA 13.
Apparently, the company didn’t learn from that misstep.
The 
saga of the U.S. women’s soccer team during this year’s Olympics may have been as captivating as the “Fab Five” or Michael Phelps’ quest to set an Olympic medal record, but when it comes to the world of video games, soccer is strictly a sport for men.
It’s a frustrating reality — and one that excludes a wide swath of potential players. And now the executive producer of EA’s immensely popular FIFA franchise is acknowledging the problem.In a conversation with Kotaku, EA’s David Rutter noted that while women’s soccer won’t be a feature in this year’s installment of the game (it’s too late to add it), it’s something the team is considering.
Previous FIFA soccer 
games in the App Store have been good, but not great. FIFA Soccer 12, though, is absolutely fantastic — and may be one of the best sports games available in the App Store. The entire game, from the controls to the graphics, has been overhauled — and the improvements are vast. The game makes excellent use of the touchscreen without slowing down the pace of the game. The graphics are quite smooth, and there’s even a manager mode, letting you experience soccer from the other side of the sidelines.
The addition of a changing daily challenge will keep core players hooked, but this is a title that even non-soccer fans will embrace. It’s a huge game, taking up over 1 GB of space, but its quality and depth indicate that’s not an unreasonable size.
Competition is clearly 
lacking among NFL games, and with the once-mighty NBA Live on hold this year, you won’t find dueling basketball titles on store shelves until 2012.
Soccer fans, however, have a tricky choice when it comes to video game simulations.
Fans of EA Sports games 
tend to be a dedicated lot, but now the publisher is launching a program that will help it find the most dedicated.
The company’s just-unveiled Season Ticket program will give die-hard fans the chance to get a three-day head start on new versions of Madden, FIFA, Tiger Woods, NHL and NCAA Football games as well as discounts on any downloadable content.
But that access comes with a price – and a catch.
FIFA 11 is about as authentic a soccer 
experience as you’re going to find, short of stepping onto the pitch yourself. It’s a loving tribute to the game of soccer (or “football” as it’s called outside of America) and the enthusiasm can carry through to the player. The game is visually gorgeous, but its controls are average at best and can cause a fair bit of frustration.
If all goes according to plan, the video game industry 
could see its first positive sales growth since March in September—but in a year that has been filled with disappointing results, game publishers and developers know any plan is tentative at best.
Analysts expect software sales to be up slightly in September, largely on the strength of Microsoft’s “Halo: Reach,” which took in $200 million in its first 24 hours. No one is expecting a blowout month, though. Wedbush Securities is forecasting a rise of just 2.4 percent compared to last year’s $649 million.
Chris Morris: Journalist 