FIFA 11 review

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were gushing the praises of FIFA World Cup 2010 from EA, with its reworked penalty system and easy access controls. Now it’s time for the yearly installment of EA’s FIFA franchise and as usual it brings with it a whole host of improvements off the park and more importantly, on it. Impressive is probably the best word to describe the sheer amount of improvement within the game this year. Whether it’s crossing, passing or shooting, from an attacking perspective and a defensive one, EA has really pulled out all the stops to create the most perfect version of the beautiful game, and in FIFA 11 it seems to have done a mighty fine job.

This year EA is touting a big feature, namely Personality +. Adding to the advancements of last year, such as 360 dribbling, Personality + gives the players a real to life feel, therefore the more well known players now possess the traits of their real life counterparts, which certainly sets them apart from the games lesser players. It works extremely well, as you will find out when you control the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and other players of similar World class talent. All of the traits of these players seem to be captured and it really adds to the overall realism of the football taking place in front of your eyes. On the pitch it’s always difficult to notice the little tweaks between each version at first, however it won’t take long before you discover the new pro passing system, which puts an emphasis on how you weigh you passes, and the position of your team mates when you are about to pass. No longer will you be able to hit to space and hope, likewise you will need to get used to perfecting the power of your passes, otherwise you will be spraying the ball to everyone but your team mates. It has to be said the speed of the matches doesn’t feel quite as frantic, midfield tussles seem to be the norm now, which makes it even more satisfying when you do score, especially if it’s in the last minute. The same can be said of the build up, its no longer a case of bombing it down the pitch, instead you will take your time, slowly building up play and passing, before hitting the enemy with all you have. It’s hard not to be impressed with the changes, but the real test for this will be when you try them out for yourself. EA has upped its game visually this year; therefore the action on the pitch looks even better than before, with player likenesses, stadiums and even the pitches getting a slight upgrade. You’d think it would be hard to notice the difference given how good FIFA has always looked, however, you do notice.  The sound has also been improved, the crowd chants and atmosphere for each country are varied, the on-field action sounds as realistic as it possibly could and the commentary is fantastic as always. You couldn’t ask for more from a game really in terms of overall value. Heading to the wonderfully presented main menu, you are greeted with a whole raft of options, which includes the return of Virtual Pro, Lounge Mode, Live Season, the ability to Create Tournaments and the newly created Career Mode. The Career Mode incorporates most of the single player options and allows you to take part as a player, manager or player manager. If you choose to play, then Career Mode basically sees you playing through an entire career as a player of your choice or as a virtual one you have created. Another new addition to FIFA this year is the ability to be a goalkeeper. It can be a lonely existence playing as the Rangers goalkeeper in the SPL, but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, being a goalkeeper is a fantastic addition to FIFA, obviously you don’t move from the box much, but when the action does come to you, there is nothing quite as satisfying as diving in the direction of the ball and becoming a hero as you stop it from going into the net. To aid you in your task, EA has included arrows which give you a hint as to what way the ball is going to go, it’s a welcome hint too, because otherwise things may just have got a little confusing. Taking things online is as fun as ever, though you will need an online pass in order to play. This does come with new versions of FIFA 11, however should you pick a copy up second hand then you will need to fork out to access the online modes once your free seven day trial is up. Options online include the standard head to head match, team play and also friends leagues. As usual you can choose the option to play with friends, play in a ranked match and you can also customise your matches, enabling you to choose the match length and other options from within the menu. As usual the menus and all of the options of FIFA amaze. The music which greets you when the game begins always has the ability to get you up for a game, while everything also seems much easier to navigate this year. The sheer amount of options, teams and tournaments are included as usual, therefore if, like me, you want to play a season in the SPL, then you can. In fact practically any league you wish to play in is included, which has always been my favourite part of the game. I have played every FIFA ever since the series was launched and therefore I have been party to the unbelievable changes that have taken place over the years. I don’t think I would even recognise the very first FIFA now, given the realistic feel to the latest game and as EA edges ever close to perfection, you have to wonder just how much better FIFA can get. FIFA does have a serious contender this year in PES 2011, which has improved immensely compared to PES 2010, however Team EA seems to be getting stronger and stronger and its difficult to see anyone taking the title of best football game from them.

Rating: 9.5/10

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