FIFA 11 Review
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada
Genre: Sports
Release Date: October 1st, 2010
Cheapest price we found: £24.41, Amazon
PEGI Rating: 3
Available on: NDS, PC, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, iPhone, PS2,PS3
Another year, another tussle between Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) and FIFA. PES always providing higher action and less realism. FIFA giving us a realistic experience but often frustrating gameplay. I would love to be here to tell you that all that had changed and that FIFA and PES have had a lovechild, creating an all round wonderful football game that is both action packed and realistic. Well I cant, and in all likeliness there will never be such as game. Sorry. What I can do is assure you that FIFA has taken steps in the right direction...
Almost through necessity FIFA has become the king of new features and this year is no different. The series has been running since 1993 and every year developer EA sports include a few crowning features that promise to redefine your football gaming. It rarely does, and some year's progression is depressingly mild. This year the new features include: a new career mode, player personality, pro passing and be a goalkeeper mode. These features are good on the whole but as you can probably tell from my unenthusiasm, they do not rock my football simulation world.
There has been a major overhaul of FIFA's 'be a pro' and 'manager' modes. Now they spoon together comfortably to make the all new 'career mode'. In this mode you can choose to either play as a player, player manager or manager. The player option acting the same way as 'be a pro' did, the manager option acting the same as 'management mode' did, and the player manager option being a neat little combination of the two.
What is most impressive however is the way in which you have the ability to morph through the three forms as you progress. You can start off as a player and after either gaining legendary status with a team or by playing 7 seasons; you are offered a player manager role. You then have another four seasons before you must hang up your books completely and become a manager.
The new 'Player personality' feature is not as successful. The premise is simple; some players are given attribute enhancing tags such as 'tactician' or 'aerial threat' which increase a players proficiency in a specific area or give them abilities most players don't have. Although the idea has good intentions, the effect is all but useless. It may give players a better idea about what a team member might be good at but technically it does nothing that a tweak of the attribute system could have done.
Another disappointment, albeit a blameless one, is the 'be a goalkeeper' mode. I love the idea of being in between the sticks and in your head you will be conjuring up all sorts of fantasies about pulling off spectacular acrobatic saves to win your team a tight penalty shoot out in the champions league final. The reality though is you spend most of your time watching the game pass you by. If you play as a good team, its even worse because you can often spend a whole ten minute game with only a couple of flicks of the analogue stick to entertain you.
The analogy of Manchester United and Manchester City comes to mind. Much like Manchester City FIFA have fancy new players (new modes), lots of money (official league and team rights) and more individual skill and finesse then anybody else (the fancy features). Where they really grind out a win though, much like Manchester United, is with the basics.
The passing system is great. Previous years have failed here, giving every team the ability to weave passes together whether they are Arsenal or Bray Wanderers. This year though the weighting on your passes is crucial, as is the players body position. If you're trying to play a through ball to a player you have your back to then most of the time you're going to end up on your backside and without possession.
Another simple improvement is in the crossing department. PES enthusiasts have always mocked FIFA because of EA sports inability to create a crossing system that is simple and effective. This year though as you move to a wing position your players long passing automatically aims into the box, meaning unlike before you do not need to be running at the box to get a cross to go in that direction.
These small changes all add up to make FIFA a more fast paced and enjoyable experience. The build up play no longer feels strained and frustrating. Instead it feels rewarding because that well weighted through ball or long floated cross is easier to perform, but still not always easy to cash in on it.
The overall graphic quality on this game has also received a boost with everything from the stadiums to the players looking more attractive. Even Wayne Rooney looks good. In fact the only aesthetic aspect that EA Sports has neglected (again) is the lack of uniqueness in most player models.
Take any premiership team outside the top five and you will soon notice that most players are poorly designed and look hardly anything like their real world counterparts. The likes of Rooney, Fabregas, Ronaldo and Kaka may have been faithfully reproduced but apart from the top few players, everyone looks like flat faced clones.
EA Sports have a lot to improve on this year but on the same hand they have improved significantly from last year. They have managed to take a step towards PES in terms of action and entertainment and still maintained the realism that year on year sets them apart. FIFA has again been marketed strongly and EA has lauded its new features , but after eight years on the job can you blame them for trying to highlight changes? The bottom line is this is the best football game out there and even has room to improve for next year. Be excited football fans.