FIFA 11 (PS3) Review

For years now, many console owning footy fans have hailed Pro Evolution Soccer as the king of the football games, with EA’s FIFA franchise proving to be solid, but unspectacular.  Then, when EA Canada took over the franchise for FIFA 09, everything changed, and FIFA headed back to the glory days, while PES has slowly gone downhill.  FIFA 10 continued the trend when we reviewed it last year, and now FIFA 11 is here, and clearly EA Canada have decided to take the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ route.
Graphically speaking, as you’d pretty much expect from annual sports titles, there aren’t any major changes.  The improvements are incremental, and the major players look very much like their real world counterparts.  Stadiums look vast and atmospheric, and the frame rate is solid for the most part, although there is the odd dip in frame rate and strange jerks on animations from time to time.  There are the usual goal celebrations, as well as the ability to press a button and activate any special celebrations a certain player might have.  Also, the more acrobatic celebrations are limited to the smaller, more athletic players.  So no chance of seeing a backflip from Wayne Rooney, then.

The commentary this time around is still very good, with very little repetition.  There is the odd time though, where the analysis of the game will flip at a moment’s notice.  For example, Andy Gray can talk about how much a team is dominating the match, then the opposition score out of nowhere and he’ll suddenly go on about how their dominance deserved the goal.  The crowd noise is excellent, and really adds to the atmosphere in the game, although sometimes the sound will completely cut out for a couple of seconds.  A nice extra is the ability to record your own chants for the game, although the editor is a tad fiddly and takes a while to get used to.  You can also create a custom soundtrack, so you can choose things like what song a particular team comes out to, which is a nice touch.
One of the things that’s been changed a bit  is the Career Mode, which brings together the ‘Be A Pro’ and ‘Manager Mode’ under one umbrella.  You can create your own pro, as before, and choose to play as a manager, player manager or just as a player.  As you go through the career, you will have certain conditions to fulfill in order to further yourself, such as not dropping to the reserves.  You can choose to control just your player or the entire team they are playing for.  Obviously, controlling the team gives you more control over the match as a whole, but it can mean your pro loses out as you’re not in total control of him.

The gameplay itself has undergone some minor tweaks, with player stats having a bigger effect on how the game plays this timeand the pace is slower and more methodical, which is not a bad thing at all.  The ability to manually choose which player you are controlling is still present and correct, although does have a tendency to switch to someone who isn’t ideally placed for the current situation.
Passing has become more of a fine art, and you’ll need to be more precise with your power, as it’s easier to under or overdo it.  Also, you need to be facing the direction you want to pass the ball, as having your back turned will almost always result in the pass going wrong and your player falling on his arse and looking a bit stupid.  Crosses are much more effective this time around, so getting a good shot on target from them is much easier.  That’s not to say scoring is any easier, however, as the goalkeeper AI has been improved as well, as they act with more pace and urgency.
This brings us to another new feature of FIFA 11, which is the ‘Be A Goalkeeper’ mode, which is an interesting new way to play.  Controls are pretty good, although you might find yourself being pretty lonely if you’re playing for a top class attacking team, as you won’t find a lot coming your way.  But you can move the camera to see where the action is and give orders to your team mates.
A major new feature is the web based Creation Centre, which allows you to create your own teams and players, then download to your console and share them with the world.  So, if you ever wanted to take to the field as Tooting Bec FC and take on the might of Barcelona, then by golly you can.  You can customise everything, from the kit, crest and players, as well as choosing what your team will be referred to in the commentary.

The online multiplayer returns, making full use of EA’s new Online Pass feature, meaning you have to pay extra if you buy the game used.  However, you do get a trial so you can try before you buy.  You can play as a whole team, or take the role of a single player in an 11 on 11 match.  The online experience is very smooth, with lag not being too much of an issue, although I did find it was more pronounced in the 11 on 11 mode than the head to head team mode, but with 22 players on instead of 2, that’s probably to be expected.
The whole game is wrapped up in the usual slick presentational style, with a slightly more intuitive menu system, allowing you to get to what you’re after quicker.  The arena mode is present and correct as well, allowing you to practice tactics or just have a kickabout as usual.
FINAL THOUGHTS
FIFA 11 tweaks and builds upon last year’s iteration without taking away from the core experience.  EA Canada have come up trumps again, and you won’t find a more complete or enjoyable proper football game out there.  Sure, there’s the odd glitch in commentary and graphics here and there, but it’s so rare it’s barely noticable.  Highly recommended.