After having a decent amount of time to play FIFA '11 it became clear to me that I need more time to write a full objective review on this massive football game. So here are my impressions of FIFA '11 so far...
The Good
The entire presentation is unbelievable. The pitches, the players, the stadiums, it all looks phenomenal. Not that I was ever worried they wouldn't, FIFA games are famous for their graphics and presentation. There were subtle changes made to the in-game nuances, such as the inclusion of in-game stat lines. Before FIFA '11 I have never been more interested in the passing percentages of my midfielders, but seeing them compared to my opposition drives me to be more precise. There is no denying that this game looks better than any sports simulation game on the market.
Another positive aspect of this game is the apparent return of the "FIFA 07 Super-keepers." I'm talking about keepers who are fools to nobody and will not be beaten by simple strikes or lazy placement. Not to say they are impossible to score on, just that guaranteed goals in FIFA '10 have turned into moments where you must discipline yourself and time your strike perfectly. More often than not, the opposing keeper will save a one on one.
The boost in overall keeper skill doesn't neccesarily mean the game is more difficult, it just makes it more realistic. You can still architecht glorious movements and passes on way to goal, there is just more emphasis on finishing.
As I stated in my demo review, the gameplay is something to drool at. Real-time physics, balance, that promotes excitement in the gameplay, and inevitably will have true footy fans immersed in the video game.
Basic fundamentals aside, the newest features and additions in the game have also proved to be positive. The Creation Centre (yes it is spelled that way) is a roaring success. Being able to create entire clubs from my laptop, or even in the school library is undeniable fun. Did I mention that you can create as many players as you would like, make them as talented as you'd like, and then share them with the world?
The career modes have been vastly improved to give a more real world feel. If I am managing Manchester United in the premier league, I can check the league table over in Italy. There are newspaper headlines in the main hub, while these don't really matter or usually have anything exciting to say, they certainly add to the atmosphere and, again, make it feel real.
The Bad
Just when you thought I was going to get on my knees for the FIFA developers, It is now time to raise early and possibly premature, criticism.
Easily, the most bothersome negative about this game is the complete irreliabilty of the EA servers and their neverending struggle for competence. A quick-ranked match should take no less than fifteen minutes, however if you add on the time it takes to actually find an opponent the entire excercise can flirt with a half hour.
Then once the game is actually connected, the slightest lag will ruin any possibility of a fair contest. However, to be fair, this is true with ANY online video game.
My biggest issue I have encountered so far is that the Creation Centre still seems to be working out some kinks. Sometimes my players will not load, I remember one instance where I actually was playing with four players on the field, even though my squad had all eleven listed.
The online experience has bizzare anomolies that should be addressed as quickly as possible. For example, after I decided to play a re-match with a peer, the game took at least three minutes to return us to the select a club screen, an action that usually takes seconds. We proceeded to choose new teams, and when the new match began to load, the players from the previous teams were in our new teams, all wearing the same number. Then the game froze. Whaaaa-?
Needless to say the servers will need some improvement for the online gameplay to reach its full potential.
Stay tuned to VGH for the FULL FIFA '11 review!
fifa is amazing! great review VGH
FIRST!
I'm still into fifa10, so I'm not picking this one up. from articles and videos, and now this review, 11 doesn't feel worth it to me. maybe next year ea.
Soccer...ha!
americans dont know football
Why they put those 3 whack ass Players on the front cover???
Diego Forlan, alone should be enough for the fifa cover lol
@Omnipotenton
It's the North American cover, search for other region's covers, but I agree, Forlan, David Villa or Sneijder should be enough
@ KaiseXIV
Oh so it is true, my friend was telling me that the fifa games have different covers in different regions but he was not sure... thanks.
Just a friendly correction for all of you. It's called football, not soccer. Because it's a colloquial language does not mean it's correct. Also what you people call football it's called Gridiron. Look it up and learn, before you make yourself look like a jackass. Good review.
@TechnoKaisa
Says the walking scrotum
I don't like the misleading commercials for this game. On the commercials, they're scoring goals. That doesn't happen that much in soccer.
@TechnoKaisa-
It's called soccer. We call it soccer because we have a football we actually watch where as that stupid kicky game we call soccer because we as a country for the most part couldn't care less about that boring stand around over hyped played by everyone because most countries are poor game.
@Cloud182x-
Learn how to write a sentence before you start a debate. Your comment makes no sense. This thing you call a "stupid kicky" game is the most watched sport in the world. Your ignorance and stupidity is laughable. If you understood anything about sport and had a brain you would appreciate why other countries love FOOTBALL (or in your case soccer) so much
i thot it was futbol with an accent over the "u" or the "o"
@ Cloud182x-
Are you sure you are American? Your English is way worst than mine and I'm from a Spanish speaking country. Oh wait, never mind, I forgot that some Americans are ignorant rednecks and proud of it.
@ RenReni
In English the sport is called Football (except in the united states where they know their watered-down version of Rugby Football as "Football". Never mind that other people coined the word first). It's in Spanish that it's called Fútbol.
@Cloud182x "over hyped played by everyone because most countries are poor game" are you saying that only poor countries play football? You know just about any country in western (and to some degree central) Europe got a much richer population than America? UN goes as far as categorize USA as a third world country because of all the poverty found (and the lack of help they get) there.
@Raciend
It's not hard to believe your last statement, the US makes it really hard sometimes for Americans to live in America
im gonna get this game whether its suck ass or kickass.
i dont care... fifa is the greatest and realest soccer game on the planet.
Nice review
After being a PES fan for years, I reverted to Fifa with Fifa 09, and while I've been a fan of 09 and 10, the career mode isn't a patch on Pro Evo's master league. I recently played the demo of PES 11, and I've got to say, PES is once again the king of football.
Just bought this today, loads of fun. I'm still trying to get the celebrations worked out, it never comes up as the one I'm trying to get lol. Visuals are great though, and gameplay is addicting.
I am an extremely avid FIFA player and love '10. In my opinion, they screwed up this year. Manager mode / be a pro has half of the complexity this year, which may be OK for the casual FIFA player, but those of us who really want an in-depth experience are left out in the rain. Anyway, I'm too lazy to keep complaining, but that's just my two cents.
I appreciate the comments, everybody. Just two things to say.
1) This is not a full review, this is just my impression of the game, my full review will be available shortly.
2) The game is called whatever you choose to call it. Soccer, Football, Futbol, Footy, I use all of these terms.