FIFA 11 hit stores earlier this week, so if you own a video game console and you love soccer go out and buy the new game.
I did myself last night and have played around with the new game design a bit in the past day. And let me tell you this. These video games are becoming so real that I wouldn’t be surprised if pretty soon they replaced actual football. Think about it. There would be no more strikes, missed calls by the officials, or prostitution scandals for your favorite club to deal with.
But of course I’m just joking because of this hilarious picture the marketing people went ahead and put on the easports.com website which is the company that creates the brilliant football action. I suppose the one mistake the game company made was employing Wayne Rooney as their biggest spokesman and then creating a picture of a bunch of other footballers pointing and laughing at the troubled star. Of course the same game company also currently has Tiger Woods under contract as well for his own series of golf games, but that game has seen terrible losses this year in numbers sold. Perhaps Rooney’s likeness will hurt the sales of FIFA as well or perhaps the two athletes will be given their own video games that features their documented affairs off of the pitch? Kind of a Leisure Suit Larry type of idea.
But anyways I digress about the actual game that this blog is about which (unlike Rooney’s personal life) is completely flawless. The movement, graphics, and smartness of the game’s design is all ground breaking technology and after playing a few matches I do not have too many critical things to say. Passing appears to be pretty difficult (as is scoring), but the keepers no longer play as reckless and the graphics are even more impressive then ever before. They also added a Virtual Pro Keeper section in which you can play as a keeper over multiple seasons with any club you want to in the world. Of course they offer the same type of thing for any other position as well, but this is the first time that the keeper has gotten any consideration for a career mode.
The best part about the game is always the impressive number of teams the game includes. This year’s game has everything from the MLS to the EPL to Serie A to the Bundesliga to even the Turkish league. The game looks very impressive in limited time playing it and it appears to really capture the life of a professional footballer on the pitch. And thankfully, it doesn’t offer any of the problematic scenarios that arise off of it.