FIfa 11 - First info

NTMK

From IGN

"Listening to criticism is something they do very well," EA Sports chief and life-long Liverpool fan Peter Moore says of the team behind FIFA, the football game that has gone on to become one of this generation's most highly acclaimed sports game. "I love the fact they have two good things and five bad things. That's always the way that this team, under Kaz [Makita], Gary [Paterson] and [David] Rutter, has done things."

It's to the series' credit that, last October, finding faults with FIFA was a much harder task than ever before; a culmination of the well-documented journey that EA Sports has taken the series from its wilderness years to its position as a critical and commercial phenomenon, FIFA 10 was a superb slice of simulation – and easily the game that's consumed more lunch hours than any other in the IGN UK office.

"I think it went well," sums up Rutter of the FIFA 10 experience. "We set out on a mission with FIFA 09 and FIFA 10 to refine the game in response to feedback and innovate. We did it with FIFA 09 and we did an excellent job with FIFA 10, but there are still some areas that I was less happy with."

And naturally, after an immense amount of time spent pounding the pitch FIFA 10's players also had their gripes, uncovering exploits that went unnoticed in the game's development and were never addressed in its subsequent patches. FIFA 11 is, in part, a response to those criticisms, as EA Sports takes its fans and their feedback more seriously than most. "That community is a very small fraction of the amount of people that are playing the game," admits Rutter, "but for me they're the distillation of hardcore FIFA fandom and we'd be completely mad to ignore them."

So FIFA 11 has been shaped by you, the player, as much as it has by the development team at EA Sport's Vancouver headquarters. That time you went fuming from an online defeat, cursing at losing to another cheap chip shot as the keeper made a suicidal run from his line and the defensive four seemed to fleetingly think they were playing in midfield and you ranted and raged with all the ferocity of Ferguson at his most feral? Well, it seems the gods were listening.

Rutter presents the FIFA team's development tracker, a daunting list of forum feedback that's being implemented in the game. It's utterly exhaustive and seemingly endless, and if you've ever had a problem with FIFA or cursed at any of its imperfections it's highly likely you're covered in this list, and the repercussions of the feedback to FIFA 10 range from the subtle – retiming tackle animations or adding different sock lengths – to the positively game changing. First the big stuff. Last year's FIFA won out over PES in nearly every regard, but there's one aspect in which Konami's series' still trumps EA's. Player likenesses have always come out second best in FIFA, with previous games managing to over-egg the ogrish nature of the football elite. Faces are now more detailed, more authentic and crucially more animated, their eyes darting about the pitch and their expressions reflecting the match's action. "They won't completely be crawling out of the uncanny valley," admits art director Michael Day, "but they're certainly getting there."

It's much more than just a pretty face. The likenesses extend to player's physiques – which have now been remodelled from the ground-up, meaning much more believable player models - and animations that in turn translate into how each player performs on the pitch. It's in this respect in which FIFA 11 has made the biggest leap from its predecessor - dubbed Personality +, it's a feature set that could prove as progressive as the 360 degree dribbling that was introduced last year.

"Personality is a holistic feature," game director Gary Paterson tells us, and in FIFA 11 it manifests itself in a number of ways. Firstly there are those physiques – FIFA 10 had a mere three different body types, while FIFA 11 has a whole nine of them. Take a glance at a team like Tottenham and you'll see the rainbow of forms in full effect; at one extreme you've got human beanpole Peter Crouch while at the other you've got the man-mouse Jermaine Defoe, but FIFA 11 manages to accommodate everything in between as well, with the lanky playmaker Tom Huddlestone looking true to his real-life counterpart.

What really impresses is how the personalities manifest themselves in a match. Again, it's best illustrated in extremes; take Arsenal as an example and you've got a player like the elderly Sol Campbell - get him on the ball and he'll lumber up the pitch. Pass it to a more youthful counterpart like Arshavin and the difference isn't only felt – thanks to a host of new animations it's explicitly visible, the Russian midfielders' toes positively twinkling as he fleet foots towards the goal.

Individual's behaviour also plays out on the pitch, as brilliantly exemplified by the less-than-dynamic pairing of Rooney and Berbatov at Manchester United. Rooney's the perfect picture of industry, chasing down every ball and hounding every play like an over-enthusiastic pup caught in the middle of a park kick-about, while Berbatov is – to put it politely – a more laid back presence, holding back and barely bothering to move.

There are real ramifications for the player as well, as it's now more important than ever before to know your team and play to individual's strengths and weaknesses. Pick Premier League strugglers West Ham and it's likely you'll have to rely on Scott Parker's skills, placing every play through the industrious midfielder if you want to make them stick. One new feature underlines this, placing a paramount on skill levels.

Successful passing is now more dependent on player's skill, and a new Pro Passing system means it's now possible to over or under-hit balls. It's born from the criticism of the ping-pong passing and it makes a big difference; the pace of games is noticeably slowed, and now every move must be more considered. There's still room for flair and pace though, with the player's individual personalities again coming to the fore – the likes of Messi and Ronaldo will be able to turn on a sixpence, and will be full of the flicks and deft touches, while swerve passes, driven lobs and lofted through balls with back spin will all be possible.

It all comes together on the pitch, and playing FIFA 11 reveals that the game has taken a step back in order to move forward. AI in set-pieces has been dimmed, adding spice to the once sterile corners as players now react believably to the incoming ball rather than automatically snapping to it. The partial lobotomy has also been extended to the keepers, who can prove more fallible in some regard while thankfully are smarter in others – there's now no straying 20 yards off the line and getting caught short.

More importantly, it now feels more authentic – and having already proclaimed FIFA 10 as the most realistic take on the sport last year, we're going to have to redefine our expectations of what's possible. The dip in pace helps make it more thoughtful, and helps make a successful move all the more satisfying. Going back to FIFA 10 feels more regressive than we expected, proving that EA Sports is on the right path with FIFA 11's gameplay.

There are changes off the pitch too, though most of those are being kept under wraps for the drip-feed of information leading up to the game's release later this year. One has broken cover though; the ability to have custom soundtracks and chants. It's something that's been an undersung part of PES for a while, but it's no less welcome for it and it's being integrated with typical panache by EA Sports.

The potential for custom chants is, of course, immense, and the ability to include some of the bluer chants that haven't made the cut in the past is a neat touch. Chants can be assigned to teams, as can uploaded tracks – so, true to life, it's possible to have Manchester United come out to The Stone Roses' 'This is the One', or Chelsea to come out to Harry J. Allstars' 'The Liquidator'.

Other more substantial features are yet to be announced, but expect Manager Mode to be given the once over, and it's impossible not to glean from the game's official 'We're 11' tag-line that controllable keepers may finally become a part of Be a Pro, enabling true 11 vs. 11 online play. What really matter is what happens on the pitch, and in that regard FIFA 11's looking in fantastic shape.

Devil08

So FIFA 11 has been shaped by you, the player, as much as it has by the development team at EA Sport's Vancouver headquarters. That time you went fuming from an online defeat, cursing at losing to another cheap chip shot as the keeper made a suicidal run from his line and the defensive four seemed to fleetingly think they were playing in midfield and you ranted and raged with all the ferocity of Ferguson at his most feral? Well, it seems the gods were listening.

Im so glad they have sorted this out! I must have scored about 80% of my goals by chipping the keeper and likewise conceded just as many :P

Legwinski

I get the impression that you will be allowed to upload whatever music you want as the menu music?

This cant be true surely? This would be the most epicest thing evar!

Devil08

Devil08 wrote: »

Im so glad they have sorted this out! I must have scored about 80% of my goals by chipping the keeper and likewise conceded just as many :P

In fairness they sorted that in the WC game, so it's not surprising really.

Also for anyone who hasn't picked up the WC game, bringing the goalie out is no longer a successful tactic.

tbh i don't think many have copped onto it as most players still do it to me, but if you see the goalie coming out and finesse(R1 + shoot) when he's in close enough proximity, the shot will more often then not hit the target with the goalie dropping to the ground trying to save it i.e ball floats over him(angle makes a diff though, most success coming from a straight line).

This IMO is the best addition to WC, i always hated players who leg it out with the goalie, in real life it would be a goal every time, but for years it was a successful exploit in all footie games. You only had a choice to try round him, shoot normally or chip it but with the finesse in WC you'll punish them more often then not.

FutureGuy

EA have alot of work to do with FIFA 11. 10 was an absolute disaster after the excellence that was 09.

Fifa 10 online almost drove me insane. I have 2 smashed controllers to prove it.

FutureGuy

FutureGuy wrote: »

Fifa 10 online almost drove me insane. I have 2 smashed controllers to prove it.

In what sense?... as in just the set up, connection quality etc.... or the whole momentum crap?

Propane Nightmare

FutureGuy wrote: »

EA have alot of work to do with FIFA 11. 10 was an absolute disaster after the excellence that was 09.

Fifa 10 online almost drove me insane. I have 2 smashed controllers to prove it.

What?????

Fifa 10 was immense. Its the best football video game to date. Period.

360 dribbling, the realism of the unpredictabilty of the ball at times, the graphics, sound, great online features etc.

I loved fifa 10.

Sure the online was buggy at times and like always there was sad fools using the exploits to win games, like every year, but what game doesnt have people like that, but still it was a superb game and is some laugh with mates!

I cant wait for 2011 though!

FutureGuy

gilberto_eire wrote: »

In what sense?... as in just the set up, connection quality etc.... or the whole momentum crap?

As the person that set up the XBox FIFA leagues here on Boards.ie, we had a superb time of it during the FIFA 09 seasons. Moon and Axwell have done a super job with the leagues over the last few seasons but Fifa 10 was a relatively poor game. Momentum in online games, lobs accounting for many goals, constant last man tackling, people quitting when losing (last 2 were inherent in 09, but I felt it got worse in 10), custom tactics ruining games...it's a long list. It became a pale imitation of a football game to be honest.

I look forward to FIFA 11 but will be giving the new PES a chance to win me over too. I can actually see myself going back to PES this year

FutureGuy

Propane Nightmare wrote: »

Sure the online was buggy at times and like always there was sad fools using the exploits to win games, like every year, but what game doesnt have people like that, but still it was a superb game and is some laugh with mates!

I cant wait for 2011 though!

I agree that when you play with a few mates that won't act like twits, its a great game. However, very few of my mates play FIFA so I play primarily online.

Sabre0001

Hmmm. In the battle of the press releases, PES wins for me. Then again, it's probably a lot of false promises and more than likely, I'll be going for FIFA 11. Not sure I'm a fan of the constant use of the word "realism" - some is great but I don't want to be playing a 12 minute match where the AI or I constantly passes around the back four.

And I REALLY don't care about player likeness or the length of socks. Give me back my indoor football thanks! Using player realism (in their attitudes) is a nice touch but one that will backfire horribly - it will be even worse to play as the underdog because as the release says, you might have to play everything through one player (who then gets marked out / injured). Meanwhile, the likes of Real Madrid can run amuck!

I really enjoyed FIFA 10 against friends but it did require certain tweaks - such as the goalies and some inconsistent ref decisions (regarding the last man quite frequently). Then just make sure the -€2bn debt glitch doesn't happen in manager mode and I'm quite happy!

v3ttel

Have a look: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=402939047154

Interesting stuff. Also, any eagle eyed United fan will noticed on the model of Rooneys head, you can also see the top of the jersey. Looks absolutely identical indentical to this, with the white collar, white stripe down either side and angled red lines down the white stripe:

mufcboy1999

FutureGuy wrote: »

As the person that set up the XBox FIFA leagues here on Boards.ie, we had a superb time of it during the FIFA 09 seasons. Moon and Axwell have done a super job with the leagues over the last few seasons but Fifa 10 was a relatively poor game. Momentum in online games, lobs accounting for many goals, constant last man tackling, people quitting when losing (last 2 were inherent in 09, but I felt it got worse in 10), custom tactics ruining games...it's a long list. It became a pale imitation of a football game to be honest.

I look forward to FIFA 11 but will be giving the new PES a chance to win me over too. I can actually see myself going back to PES this year

i find myself saying that every year for pes as i once was a pes fanatic who never gave fifa a chance until 08.

bottom line bud i think fifa has come way to far and pes will never catch it again quite simply because they never addapted to the next gen consoles.

id love to see indoor football back in fifa 11 that would be absoultly crazy!

Le King

mufcboy1999 wrote: »

i find myself saying that every year for pes as i once was a pes fanatic who never gave fifa a chance until 08.

bottom line bud i think fifa has come way to far and pes will never catch it again quite simply because they never addapted to the next gen consoles.

id love to see indoor football back in fifa 11 that would be absoultly crazy!

Key point here.

I started of on football games with FIFA. FIFA 98, 99, 00, 01, 02. Then switched to PES buying the odd FIFA title only to switch back this year. I've been sick of PES since the 2006 PES title.

They have simply failed to improve the game since the next-gen consoles came out. My final straw with PES was PES 2010. What a poor game to put out. Konami had the football experience well captured before, but now they lag behind in simulation factors too.

Töpher

That's it in a nutshell, Konami have let it slip.

Before FIFA 08 the last EA offering I owned was RTWC 98. I swore I'd never go back, but it's hard to justify shelling out on an unenjoyable game, which is what PES has become.

Indoor football in FIFA 95 has to have been one of the best game modes ever. Ever! Would love to see that back, though God knows it'd be sold as an alternative game for €50 if it ever happened.

Propane Nightmare

100% agree on pes simply not being next gen. Online is horrible, players are robotic, doesn't have that "shine" that FIFA has, and is just not a well rounded game to me.
I used to be a big pes fan but I don't think ill ever go back to pes, as they say the same things every year a don't live up to the promises.

Patsy fyre

Was it not fifa 97 that had indoor football!

Töpher

Damn my aging brain! :pac: Google says you are indeed correct sir!

Patsy fyre

Yep thats what happens when i wasted my childhood addicted to fifa!

Philly_C

98 RTWC had indoor football aswell I think.

NTMK

Yeah 97 and 98 both had it

mufcboy1999

if anyone is on the fifa boards or in touch with EA over fifa etc? i hear they interact a lot with there fans and listen to what improvements they would like etc so they can improve the next fifa and so on.

indoor for fifa 12 would be a great thread over on the fifa site!!

Doyler92

When is this coming out does anybody know?

Propane Nightmare

Doyler92 wrote: »

When is this coming out does anybody know?

Around the start of october.

Doyler92

Propane Nightmare wrote: »

Around the start of october.

That's great thanks.