FIFA 11 - Demo Review (I'm QPR_Dan by the way)
So, it's that time of year again. The new FIFA is upon us. I was once a BIG fan of the PES series but last years FIFA 10 made me excited about what EA were doing with the game and the football gaming category as a whole. PES, in my opinion, is the inferior game. It's arcade-style engine seems dated - especially when put alongside what FIFA has to offer. FIFA has become the football purists choice. Yes, there will still be those loyal to the old PES way, but they have a LOT to catch up on in my humble opinion. Much praise needs to be given to Dave Rutter and his team at EA - they've changed the face of football gaming and have my £35 heading in their direction come October 1st.
So, on to the game. I've been following the vibrant and well-maintained EA social channels for some time now - watching all of the latest video updates, tutorials and demo's of the new features found in FIFA 11. I'll be honest, it's making me quite excited.
The demo for FIFA 11 was released on Thursday. I played the game for some time over the weekend and the game has definitely moved on. You really will get your £35 worth. They've put a lot of effort in making those little tweaks to the game - namely eradicating ping pong passing, improving defender AI, improving heading and introducing the new 'Personality+' system.
The way the personality of each player is reflected in how they play is the most impressive thing about this game. On the squad selection screen players have symbols by their names signifying their special attributes; Torres, for example, is both a Speedster and an Acrobat, meaning he's more likely to perform the spectacular in the box and can sprint with gusto. Gerrard, meanwhile, is a Crosser, Playmaker and Engine among other things, a complete midfielder who can perform at his best for almost the entire 90 minutes. It's all the more gratifying when you know the team from what's just happened on Saturday afternoon.
There's more though. The game is a bit slower than normal and your passing needs to spot on to get where you want to be. Ping pong passing is a thing of the past - now you have to build moves, edging forward and injecting pace when required. Defenders seem stronger and the new 360 degree tussle feature means defenders always have a chance of clawing you back - especially the stronger ones. Slide tackling is more intuitive. I used it more over the weekend than I have all year in FIFA 10 and I seemed to get away with more tackles that would have been fouls in FIFA 10. Stamina also plays a more prevalent role. Long sprints (a regular feature of FIFA 10) leave your player nackered - well, depending on their stamina rating. I went on a little burst with Alonso from Real and in the next phase I found myself tracking the opposition winger in defence with Alonso visibly rocking from the previous lung busting exertion. Very cool.
Finishing and heading have also been re-worked. The variety is obvious to see and I like the new animations that have been added to game. You really notice these early on and it brings more fun to the game - as players perform more life-like actions and execute a wide variety of ways to stick the ball in the net. For example, last night I hit the post with a great stooping header - an opportunity that may have resulted in an awkward looking half-volley in FIFA 10. Great fun.
Other nice touches? Well, I really like the new addition to the 'loading' environment. If you're playing in multiplayer mode one of you takes the role of the outfield player and the other takes on the role of goalkeeper! Yeah, that's right, you can be a keeper in FIFA 11.
I can't wait for October 1st now. As you can see, I love football games. If you're as passionate as me about football games and own a PS3 then add me:
QPR_Dan
Here's the latest UK TV spot to get your juices flowing
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