‘FIFA 11’ Review

The leaves are beginning to change, there is a chill in the air, and baseball’s post season is beginning. It must be time for football. No, not that football. Futbol. As with most sports, EA Sports dominates the landscape, and FIFA 11 does not disappoint.

FIFA 11 continues EA Sports’ tradition of being the best soccer game around, and this year it is definitely the best sport simulation available. From the lush green pitch to the size of Carles Puyol’s ears, everything about this game is top notch. The only thing missing is riots in the stands.

The main element an avid FIFA player will notice is the new Pro Passing system. This really separates the men from the boys. No longer can gamers get away with passing the ball recklessly and assuming it will just get sucked to the player’s boot, like in years past. This year, accuracy and kick power play a much larger roll.

For experienced players this just adds to the realism, which is FIFA 11’s strongest suit. For new or less-skilled players it can be much harder to mount a solid, quick offensive attack, as it is now much easier for an errant pass to be picked up by the opposing team and driven back the other way.

Moving into the goal box, EA Sports has developed the new Be A Goalkeeper mode. This is an expansion of the Virtual Pro mode that allows gamers to create a player and play as him through his entire career. Players take control of the goalie and handle not only his on the field playing, but also act as a field general for the rest of the team.

Playing as the goalkeeper is fun, but can become tedious after time.

This is a mode everyone should try out. It is very fun, but for players who are not seriously committed to being a goalie, it can become very tedious and boring. Standing in the goal and barking orders is fun for a bit, but playing for a team with a very strong offense can result in a long day of just wandering around the penalty box.

Be A Goalkeeper brings to mind memories of playing MLB The Show’s Road To The Show mode as a catcher. It also is a very interesting mode, though it requires a lot of effort for little pay off.

Most players will spend the majority of their time in Career Mode, where they may choose to be a Player, Manager or Player/Manager.

In the Player Career Mode, gamers take control of a Virtual Pro. Similar to Madden’s Superstar Mode and NHL’s Be A Pro, gamers only have control of their own player as he progresses through his career.

Taking a player from lowly bench warmer to international superstar can be an exceedingly fun journey. There is no feeling greater in a sports game then getting the ball on a break-away and driving home the goal that wins the game.

One of the nice parts of this mode is that the player is always evolving. There are a vast amount of achievements that will help build the character’s skills and style with unlockable cleats, socks, and other accessories.

Manager Career Mode is the traditional “franchise” mode found in all other sports games. Gamers have full control of not only the play on the field, but also the front office. They’ll have to prove that they have what it takes on the field as well as behind a desk by working to bring other players to their team and making a powerhouse team on the field.

Continue to page two of Game Rant’s FIFA 11 review.

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