Game Reviews

FIFA 11

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FIFA 11
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| FIFA 11

Though FIFA 11 on consoles is likely to push the genre forward once again, some might wonder how the franchise's run on mobile could possibly hope to compete.

Graphics, naturally, don't tend to shift from one update to next on feature phones, so surely FIFA 11 - player transfers aside - is much the same game as the one Distinctive Developments churned out last year.

Unfortunately, it isn't.

The smooth and fast pass and move that FIFA 10 made its signature has been tampered with. Simply trying to pass your way around the pitch is, in fact, the most frustrating part of play full stop.

Pass and lose

That's mainly because the game's targeting system, which automatically chooses the best team mate to pass to depending on your direction, has a habit of picking for the worst possible players.

Whole moves can be brought to a standstill simply because FIFA 11 ignores the most obvious pass and picks an entirely awkward one.

Dribbling is no easier, with any twists and turns you make automatically and instantly replicated by your marker. Aside from the fact that this is entirely unrealistic, it also means it's sometimes impossible – even when played on Easy mode – to slip past your foe and make any space for yourself. You're blocked at every turn.

League low point

Throw in some awkward controls – running at pace requiring a tap of the '*' key, which, because of the button's position, is far from logical or easy to do in the midst of a match – and you've got a game that, for one reason or other, systematically picks apart half of its predecessor's strengths.

FIFA 11 can't really be faulted in terms of the sheer number of modes on offer – EA's now-trademark Virtual Pro mode, which charges you with raising the profile of one player, is backed up by a slightly temperamental free kick challenge setup.

Nonetheless, the shift from free flowing football to perilous passing means FIFA has managed to slip from Champions League qualifier to mid-table mediocrity in just one season.

FIFA 11

Throwing a spanner in the works of FIFA's previously exemplary take on the beautiful game, FIFA 11's awkward setup means this is a season worth skipping
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.