Back in the mid-90s there was only one football game worth having, and that was Fifa. No other football simulation managed to supplant it. That is until those clever folks at Konami came up with Pro Evolution Soccer. Pro Evo became so popular that it evolved into a social convention in itself. Men would invite their mates over, break out the beers and spend the entire evening in front of the television as if it were a normal social event whilst the women folk incredulously huddled in a corner bemoaning their boyfriend's lack of attention to them. As Fifa regressed, Konami year after year gave us the most well-oiled gameplay for any football game ever created, until EA hit back with Fifa 09, forging the most realistic football simulation to that point. However, even though Pro Evo had become lazy and stagnated on its own success, the masses unwilling to change from its easily-accessible arcadiness. It took Fifa 10 to sway them. Brilliant would be an understatement. Fifa 10 was nigh on perfection, introducing 360-degree movement, meaning your players no longer ran in eight directions like Lego footballers. Passing became wonderfully fluid and scoring goals took on new levels of finesse. Ridiculous 10 - 0 score-lines became a thing of the past as Fifa 10 effectively replicated the real deal.
In that sense then, the naysayers may have something of a point. If last year's rendition was 'perfect', then how would it be possible to improve on it? Well, somehow the EA team based in Canada have managed to do so. Boasting a completely revamped passing system and the new 360 jostling for possession, Fifa 11 brings hoofing a piece of leather around a field even more into your living room. There have been some big changes based on fan's feedback of Fifa 10, as manager mode, questionable goalkeeping and laser passing have all been refined.
A lot of this comes in the form of the new addition to player stats. Now players are assigned specific skill sets based on their personalities, affecting how they perform and look on the pitch. For example, Steven Gerrard has a 'long shot' attribute which sees him more likely to score from distance than a player without this skill. The way the game is played is greatly affected by these attributes, and can also be seen in the way individual players pass the ball. Where in Fifa 10 passing was merely a case of movement and timing, Fifa 11 is far more intricate. Passing must now be weighted with the new power bar and you need to be aware that your passes are subject to going astray or being intercepted this time. Indeed, ball trajectory and pace are more random than before, turning passing into an art.
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The new 'Career Mode' amalgamates Fifa 10's 'Be-A-Pro' and 'Manager Mode' into a single entity, making for a more streamlined experience. While not commanding the depth of say, Football Manager, it doesn't pretend to either. It's Fantasy Football at its finest, with the same ridiculously improbable transfers. There are also a plethora of little tid-bits which add a welcome touch. The Fifa theatre allows you to save highlights from any match, including online, which means you can now indulge over and over your 30-yard rockets against that bloke in Singapore. The new creation centre is also a fantastic idea, allowing you to control your team's tactics and formation from the internet anywhere, any time. It also enables you to craft new kits, crests and teams and share them with your friends. Finally, the custom audio centre is a great idea that allows you to import your team's chants and anthems, as well as to have the stadium announcer echo your virtual pro's name at the Santiago Bernabeu or San Siro.
Where football games really excel however is the multiplayer as you compete for pride and bragging rights among your mates. If your mates aren't at hand however, you go online. While it's great to play randoms from around the globe, there have been some server problems since the game's release. All too often I have found myself unable to log on. Perhaps it is the sheer volume of traffic, but EA's servers have also been problematic in the small hours of the morning when it claims only to have twenty-thousand people actively online. What's even worse is trying to set up a custom game with another friend. About 80% of the time I try to connect with one of my friends it doesn't work, even after numerous attempts. This really is an issue that I did not expect from a company of EA's resources.
Fifa 11 is essentially a finely refined Fifa 10, adding a great big wallop of realism. Yet, nothing at its core has changed, which might be a sign of some stagnation. Whilst still leaps and bounds ahead of Konami's Pro Evo, it will be interesting to see how they respond to the bar set by Fifa.
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