How to play FIFA Soccer 11

FIFA Soccer 11 is a new sports game for Xbox 360 released by Electronic Arts on September 28, 2010.

Product Description

Building on the FIFA Soccer 10 gameplay that won 50 sports game of the year awards, FIFA Soccer 11 reinvents player authenticity – on and off the ball – for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player. New customization features will also give players the ability to bring their own style to the highest rated sports game ever on PlayStation3 and XBOX360.

- Manager Mode and Be A Pro Seasons Mode from FIFA 10 have been combined into a new mode called Career Mode. Now you can choose to be the manager, to be a player, or to be a player/manager. This mode is simpler than last year's Manager Mode. Some of the features such as players scouting and stadium upgrades have been removed. In my opinion this takes away from the game's depth. I used to enjoy just playing as the manager and simming matches, but I don't think it will be as satisfying in FIFA 10.

- Be a goalkeeper. Goalkeepers are now playable characters both offline and online. This adds a little more variety to the game, although playing against the computer can be fairly dull because the AI rarely threatens your net. In offline games, FIFA 11's solution to the boredom problem is to give you a little bit of control over the computer players on your team. You can follow them with an overhead ball camera and tell them where and when to pass. As for the online play, goalkeepers are both a blessing and a curse. A good goalie can help your team win, but a bad one can easily ruin your game by intentionally allowing the other team to score.

- Personality +. Players now look and move more realistically, although this only really applies to big stars on major teams. All of the players on a team like Chelsea or Real Madrid look pretty authentic, but if you drop down to a lower league like MLS, you will find that there isn't nearly as much attention to detail. Players who would never attempt difficult skill moves in real life will be doing fancy tricks and step-overs.

The controls are very good and responsive. The players move around fluidly. Shooting is fairly precise, although the chip shot is practically worthless now due to complaints about the ease of chipping the keeper in FIFA 10. Goalie control is simple and intuitve. Passing is pretty easy once you get a feel for the system. The defensive AI is much tougher than in FIFA 10. They are better at tackling and much better at reading passing lines and intercepting the ball. On the other hand, the offensive AI is still completely terrible. The computer is awful at making runs, which results in lots of low-scoring games. Even on the high difficulties, it is easy to prevent the computer from scoring because they hold to the ball too long and they always try to do the same thing on offense: run along the wings and try to cross it in for a header. If you can stop that, they probably won't score. This makes defense too easy and it also makes offense too hard because your bone-headed AI teammates will rarely make smart runs or passes that help you score. Instead you pretty much have to do it all yourself. On a positive note, there are hundreds of teams to choose from. Some people have complained about the national teams, but all of the big ones are in there and even some small ones like Slovenia.

Like FIFA 10, FIFA 11 lets you create your own virtual pro for use in offline and online matches. This was one of my favorite features in last year's game and the virtual pro system has been streamlined a little bit for 2011. You can improve your player by achieving certain goals such as scoring 10 goals in your career. This year there are more accomplishments than in FIFA 10 and the system used to track your progress towards the accomplishments is a little more organized. Also, there is more customizability with your pro's attributes and position. For example, if you choose to make him a forward, you can make him a "finisher," "target man," or "creator." All three options will have a different effect on his attributes. This allows for greater flexibility and strategy. However, you can switch positions at any time between matches, so nothing you choose is permanent.