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I'm a huge FIFA fan, and owner of 08, 09 and 10. I thought it couldn't get any better after FIFA 10, or at least didn't thought about possible add-ons, when I first played the demo my first impressions weren't exactly the best, yes the gameplay has improved a lot and become more real, but the actual fact is that the best thing about FIFA was it's feeling of an unreal/real football, the game speed, players movement, players passing and crossing were all really fast (becoming actually faster than real life) so it felt very competitive. This game has become more realistic reducing it's speed as a con, at least those were my impressions from the demo.
Even though I turned on the fast game speed on, the game still feels a bit slow against FIFA 10, but that's not an issue because it is the right speed (at least for me) not being too fast, nor too slow. In the earlier FIFAs you didn't have to be a gamer to be good, you just had to know about football, and that had it's pros and cons, being its pros that anyone could play it and it became more competitive, and was a blast with your friends (even though none of them were video game geeks), this new FIFA version is more difficult to play and requires more skills to be able to master it, for instance I hated when someone who never played video games before beat me up on FIFA, this won't happen now. It is a completely new gameplay and you will feel like everything you knew about FIFA is gone.
The free kicks are brilliant and very effective and easy to learn (if you played FIFA 10), the 11 vs 11 matches promise a lot and you will almost feel like you are playing a real match, the career mode didn't get any new features worth mentioning, except for the be a pro goalkeeper which is fun the first matches but gets quite boring after several matches, and the squads are all updated (in the demo Madrid didn't have Ozil for example), the crowd chants and new celebrations are fantastic and very impressive can be a huge plus for fun overall. In addition to, the dribbling feels improved and more realistic and there are even new teams to the roster, plus the new Personality+ which is great but it should cover more players and not the mainstream ones.
I only have two problems for now, first of all I hate the penalty kicks new system, it is true that in the past they were very easy and the penalty shootouts lasted hours, but now they seem to be quite difficult (at least for new players), I haven't gotten the kick out of it yet, fairly said I only have a day with the game so they might become better in the future. My second issue is that they could do a bit more with the career mode, I don't know you guys but I'm quite bored of the same manager mode from FIFA 08... Maybe they could have put something new like a story mode where your be a pro player comes from a small club to end up in Manchester or Madrid.
Overall the experience is very good and fresh, it will feel like an entirely different game though, but it can be good to change the formula a little bit sometimes. The new add-ons like the crowd chantings and be a goalkeeper are solid, and the creation centre promises a lot (I haven't mess out with it yet).
Hence FIFA 12 would have to do A LOT to improve this new version, and if you are a casual soccer fan, EA SPORTS fan or just a gamer who doesn't have any FIFA at all this could be a GREAT option. If you have FIFA 10 and don't want to spend $60 in a new improved version you could still stick with it, or trade it in for the 11.
PROs:
Great new gameplay will make gamers feel a new experience
Veteran gamers won't have issues adapting to the new gameplay
The crowd chantings and celebrations are a fantastic feature
Players look better than ever, and the field looks awesome!
The creation centre is better than ever and promises a lot for new leagues and tournaments online
The 11 vs 11 can be quite fun, specially if you have a lot of friends who have the game
The dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting feels more realistic than ever
Personality+ is a great feature and amazes a lot
CONs:
It can be quite frustrating to adapt to the new gameplay (haven't met any case yet, though)
The penalty shootouts aren't solid and needs more improvement
The online connection to the servers needs to be improved (this has been a common issue with EA servers for a long time)
Needs a new and fresh career mode
It can be quite frustrating to increase your be a pro stats
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Let me first and foremost state that I'm a newcomer to the international football, having only gotten interested for the past year. My first Fifa game happen to be last year's edition, Fifa 10. Football is definitely a game for those of us with patience and attention to detail, so it's not for everyone. I would not recommend any Fifa game to anybody unless they knew the rules and would prefer the game for what it is, an authentic take on football, rather than look for some type of instant gratification.
Fifa 11, is definitely a MASSIVE improvement from its predecessors. I'll essentially list out the major changes from Fifa 10 to 11.
Pros:
Authentic passing: Definitely something only the purists of the sport will truly appreciate. This feature is probably the reason why people cannot simply pick up this game and enjoy. I'll admit it takes a lot of time to master. Keep in mind, for the sake of making the game as realistic as possible, EA took out the "pinball" passing from Fifa 10 that let everybody blast precision passes from all parts of the field to one another. Yes, it made things easy, but international football is definitely not an easy sport in any sense. You have to pass ahead of your teammates to catch them in stride, as players do in real life. Not only that, but you must take control of the person you're passing to right after you kick the ball, this is not automatic and you have to really pay attention. Passing is definitely the most frustrating part of trying to play this game, I'll admit it had me flustered for the first week I had this. But with practice, you'll truly appreciate what EA has done this year.
Graphics:
They get better every year, admittedly.
AI:
The computer got smarter, thank goodness. I thought I could play this game on Professional, having played Fifa 10 extensively, but it was a no go. So I've been playing on Semi-Pro to build my skills up. Even on this difficulty, defenders and opposing players will AGGRESSIVELY come after you for the ball. You can't sneak passes past them because they're smart enough to stick their feet out to deflect it. They're also smart enough to do moves to shake you off, rather than running in a straight line or whatever, they definitely got brains this time around. Their passing is refined as well, they consciously survey the field looking for open teammates to pass to.
Career Mode:
EA revamped up their career mode by allowing you to either play solely as your own created player, solely as a manager, or to do both. Options are neatly organized in my opinion.
Troublesome features/parts of the game:
PK shooting: Yes, it's a lot harder this time around. But realistically is it easy? Of course not, so why should it be any different in a game trying to EMULATE the game. Like anything, it takes practice. I myself think this was something EA needed to make more difficult.
Transfers: I read somewhere EA would make transfers more "realistic" by allowing you to negotiate with the club before the player, but either way, it's still ridiculous. I was using FC Barcelona trying to pry Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal. His list value is upwards of $68 million, so I offered $70 million. Arsenal said they would consider a slightly better offer. So I exit out and reenter the transfer screen to offer him a new deal. Then they're asking for something like $80 million? Yes, he's a superstar player, but the transfer system in here is still basically based on how much you're willing to offer. EA needs to redo this completely, allowing for MANY new variables when trying to sign players. I think personal feelings (where they grew up), playing time, club prestige, club success, success of the manager, and finally money should all account for how much players will consider your team. Haggling and offering players should definitely be included. Barcelona recently offered only roughly $35 million Euros for Cesc in real life and I think it's because Arsenal knew he wanted to go back and everything. Such should be included in the game by allowing factors to alter prices for players.
Be a Goalkeeper: Was EA serious with this? Who in the hell would want to be the goalkeeper? This is basically the EA trademark of having a yearly BS feature they hype up that's completely worthless.
Player Celebrations: This was another hyped up feature EA was touting this year. But honestly, since playing the demo.. I've thought the player celebrations were incredibly unrealistic and saw your teammates celebrate like complete idiots. If you watch the elite teams play, after they score a goal.. they don't do this crazy crap. Only teams from the nobody leagues go out of their way to think up a celebration. This was probably the one thing I hated the most this year.
CONCLUSION:
FIFA 11 is definitely the epitome of sports simulation. It's second only to NBA 2K11. Fifa 10 was great, but everything it did right, EA returned it this year and made the game play as realistic as possible. This is not a game for casual gamers, but meant for seriously players. Only consider it if football is one of your top 2-3 sports because you cannot pick it up and dominate as you would want.
EDIT 11/1/10
I recently bought PES 11, just to thoroughly compare between the two. I came to the conclusion that if both games were some how combined, then THAT would be the greatest football sim ever. Both games offer something entirely different. If you're looking for a fun factor for you and your friends here and there, FIFA 11 is for you. The controls and game play are a lot easier to grasp. If you want to play a season mode, but not really care about all the international tournaments, then FIFA and its generic "cup" games would suffice. And lastly, if you're into yearly EA gimmicks, then this is for you, with its player celebrations and "be the goal keeper" junk. Visually FIFA is superior as is its ease of finding what you want in terms of their menu set up. I think the players in FIFA have more appropriate stats, while PES's preloaded roster has a lot of questionable stats assigned. Balls still hit the goal post WAY too often in Fifa.
If you're looking for a more difficult to play/master football simulation that has the most minute details put into the game of football, PES may be for you. I love the fact that it has all major international tournaments: Copa Liberatores, Euro Cup, Copa del Ray, Champions League and even the World Cup built into it. Getting a patch can get you all non-licensed leagues (Bundesliga/EPL), as well as several more UEFA/FIFA sponsored tournaments. Presentation-wise, PES looks amazing but it is difficult to find what you want, especially in their version of a manager mode. Graphically it does look more cartoony. Performing moves and using the thru-ball are more effective here. Extras such as different balls, shoes, etc. do NOT cost money, rather are earned with in game points. There's also SO much room for customization. You can basically download on line countless teams, players, jerseys, chants, shoes, balls, whatever you want; Fifa definitely doesn't allow you to do that.
I just want to say, that I'm not retracting my review for before, I'm merely telling you that my hindsight is 20/20 now after trying both offerings of football this year. Neither one is thoroughly superior to the other, but they both offer a lot of pluses in their own way. Depending on what you would prefer, that would be your "perfect" football sim. I myself will keep both as they offer something the other doesn't. If you are a football die-hard and have been your entire life, PES would probably suit you. If you are just picking up football now, and would like a good introduction into the sport and you want something that would make you go crazy trying to play it, FIFA would be for you.
Buy FIFA Soccer 11 Now
Let me start by saying, I own Fifa 08, 09, 10, Fifa World cup and now Fifa 11. Fifa 11 is a fantastic game for purists of the sport. It is without doubt the closest simulation of football in Video games today.
EAsports have gone out the way to give you a very realistic game, which if you are a true fan you will enjoy.
But in the process something was taken out. The Fun factor.
The game has been slowed to simulate real Football, the quick exciting breakaways, pinpoint passing and crisper control of your players are no longer there. They have been replaced by creating parity between the players. Drogba, Messi and Ronaldo no longer blow by inferior competition that produced spectacular goals. Defending is much easier in Fifa 11, so expect much more realistic scoring in games.
The bottom line for me is I believe that for the Fun Factor you cannot beat EA's Fifa World Cup 2010. The Mini Tournaments are great, the controls and the game are faster and more accurate and overall a much better game to play. I may occasionally play Fifa 11, but I will still play a lot of World Cup.
Read Best Reviews of FIFA Soccer 11 Here
So my local GameStop was selling FIFA 11 at midnight and I decided I just couldn't wait so I picked it up.
I'm a hardcore soccer fan, and I look forward to the release of both FIFA and PES every year. FIFA has been great and the improvements in the last 3 years have made it better than PES (IMHO). This year, the A.I's Field Player intelligence has improved (as well as the keepers), the passing has been modified and players behave more like themselves. The "Personality" feature has really improved this game. I was a tad bit skeptical when I read about the changes and looked at some of the initial videos. Then I played the demo and I still had concerns. I'm glad I brushed those concerns aside and picked up a copy because even though I've only played about 5 matches so far and have ZERO feedback as far as online play or the new "Be a GK" system, I already love this game. This 2011 version is not just an upgrade to 2010 or a simple "Kit" Add on. The game feels entirely different and it takes a while to get used to. I play legendary on both FIFA 10 & WC10 and I'm currently playing World Class on this one. I gave it 5 stars on the "fun" factor and 5 Overall because even though there's always room for improvement, this is the best FIFA yet in my opinion. We'll see what PES brings to the table this year.....It's going to be tough to dethrone FIFA though.
Want FIFA Soccer 11 Discount?
If you are not a football fan or if you are a football fanatic (as I am) you will have some issues.
Issues for those not into football: The game play is more difficult than old FIFA games and the programmers have seemed to really handicap player's ability to dribble around defenders and take long shots (even the really good players like Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo, etc.). Also, having some understanding of positioning your players and various football tactics will help you really get into the game, and most people don't want to learn football strategy to play a video game. FIFA has made it more realistic; which is great for some, but could be a train wreck for others. As another reviewer so adequately put it "they have made it more like real life, but real life sucks"
Issues for football fanatics: The passing is hard and doesn't always come off as planned; which can be really frustrating. The players rating and abilities are a joke. i.e. With full energy, I have had defenders catch Chicharito (J. Hernandez from Man United) in a perfectly timed break for goal; which if you have ever seen the little green pea break on a through pass you will know that there are no defenders that are going to catch him. Also, contrary to Chicharito's situation, Wayne Rooney (also of Man. United) is a speed demon on the game. In the real world Rooney is not slow, but Messi he is not... What sucks about all this is that you are not going to get to really enjoy the true skills of the players you love to watch on TV; while some may be pretty accurate, most are not even close.
The one shining aspect of this game is the ability of good/great defenders to tackle without penalty. Actually, that is the key that unlocked the fun in this game for me. Once I learned to defend really well, I found a lot more possession which leads to attacking opportunities.
