Summary

I was expecting a variety of big changes in this years game, since I had had issues with things such as the way defenders approached tackles,unfair referees decisions, the irratating cardboard cutout fakeness of the fans and stadium staff, lack of the lower tiers of leagues in most countries, the lack of licenced tournaments, the lack of authentic youth academies, the extremely limited choice of boots, the fact that players always wore the same haircut and length of sleeves (except for snowy games), the disapointing level of graphics, and the fact that for yet another year we had to listen to Andy Gray and Martin Tyler (which scars me everytime I start a new match), along with an endless list of complaints which should already be a thing of the past but live on to this day.

I was extremely disapointed in most of the above areas and more, because a large majority were not addressed this year. I still get red cards for barely touching players; any new players created in the later stages of manager mode don't get their faces shown in the squad and transfer windows/ only wear generic boots/ and never have their names announced; the menus are not even in the slightest bit customisable -it would be nice to pick different colours etc. These along with a mountain of issues still bug me every time I play.

...I'll stop my rant now. I'm sure you get my point and understand my pain by now.

FIFA 11 let me down greatly, but I have spent almost a 100 hours of time playing it because it got a lot of things right and made many good additions like the player manager mode (which let me down in terms of authenticity and the depth of the manager "story" [if you can call it that]).

It's one damn good game that pulls me in every time I play, but really lets me down to.

All I ask is that the guys at EA Sports start listening to fans like me.

Summary

The FIFA franchise is typical of the sporting computer game genre. Every year EA release a newer, slightly more polished version of last year's game and pass it off as new. In essence, this works, as there are usually just enough new features on offer to keep the hardcore crowd coming back for more.

This year's installment seemed largely the same; there were a few rumblings from the developer about "revamps" to the manager/be a pro modes, but EA's definition of the term was always loose.In truth, the modifications to these modes aren't ground-breaking, but they do improve them in small ways.

Far more importantly, however, are the changes wrought on the match engine. Again, they're small, but they make for a much more enjoyable overall experience. Indeed, it's thanks to these that the "Be a Pro" mode is playable for the first time in its history; your teammates still make baffling decisions at times, but overall they're smarter, and the controls of your own player are that tiny bit more intuitive.

There are still multiple problems, of course. Your goalie is still worthless the majority of the time, and the tackling system has been ramped up to such an extent that "standing tackle" has become far and away the most important stat in the game. Purists may enjoy the more responsive defensive mechanics, but too often the ability to tackle feels overpowered, and it can render games on harder modes frustrating, as you're almost reduced to waiting for a screw-up from the opposition to exploit.

Likewise, the foul system is still flawed. Sometimes you'll make what appears to be a great tackle, only for play to be halted for a foul. Sometimes this can really disrupt the flow of a game, and leave you grinding your teeth and shouting a volley of abuse at the referee (which, to be fair, may enhance the realism of the footballing experience).

Despite these caveats, however, the simple fact remains that FIFA 11 is noticeably more fun to play than almost any other FIFA game I can remember. This year, it would seem, EA have outdone themselves.

Summary

this game is horrible!!! playing 1 vs 1 is ok for a couple of games but career mode is so stupid!
EA try to think outside the box?! in BE A PRO mode the AI is so bad its ridicules! this is not soccer this is a new sport invented by EA sports and its a very bad one. Playing with players like MESSI is so not close to reality its funny. Bad menu, Bad everything! no substitution i mean WTF?? is this soccer or what?? the couch wont let you rest, the player development is slow and idiotic even the music is annoying people should buy this game just to see how dumb it is. the best Fifa was Fifa 2000 after that its one bad game after another i strongly recommend EA sport to replace the developer of the game ASAP before PES will steal the last remaining costumer for conclusion WASTE OF TIME!!! buy the pro evolution soccer even though its bad too but i know i will.

Summary

Before FIFA 11 I wasn't really a soccer (game) fan. Sure, I support Ajax and The Netherlands national team, but that was it. Until my friend introduced me to FIFA 11. I was hooked immediately and shortly after my brother got the game. The only problem: I'm the only one playing it! I'm currently a player/manager for Ajax, have 4 stars and finished first in the Eredivisie every year :). But now the actual review of the game. Immediately when I first started playing the game, I had difficulty navigating the menu's. I'm still having a hard time setting up a good multiplayer match (with friends) but it's getting easier, and this is not really a problem but it takes some getting used to. You can start with a kick-off game, which is basically a friendly match where you can choose and control a/your favorite team and choose your opponent. It's good for training and getting to know other teams and their players, but I usually just do it with friends and we each control one team. But the game mode that I like the best is career mode. You choose a team, and then you can choose whether you want to be a player, the team's manager or a player/manager (where you play and manage the team at the same time). You can control the whole team or play as your virtual pro or a self-made player. I like to be the player/manager, so I can control the selection (as these are usually very bad) and buy good players to make your team even stronger. I don't really play multiplayer because i'm not great at controlling an entire team, but it's fun to play a match once in a while with friends over the internet.
There are some flaws in the game, however. As I mentioned, I myself don't really like the 'virtual' managers in career mode. The selection isn't great, and a funny thing that I noticed is that they always change the same players at the same moment every game. The menu's are not exactly a flaw, as a mentioned earlier, but they can be a bit hard to navigate through.
All in all: FIFA 11 is a great game that provides endless hours of fun!

Summary

This game is primitive. As far as gameplay goes, it's your typical "shoot everything in sight, collect power ups for improved weapons" formula. That's no bad thing, but imagine doing this over and over again with no variation in level graphics and no feeling of progress, and that's where it really falls short.

Games such as R-Type perfected this formula over 20 years ago, and were taken to the next level by games such as Project X, Agony and X2 some years later. These games boasted beautiful scrolling graphics and backdrops, variation between levels, with different themes, weather, underwater sections, super fast scrolling levels and more. Zeit Squared on the other hand, has none of this. Literally. Not even scrolling graphics and or varied backdrops. It's like they took the original formula and reduced it to its basics.

The one redeeming feature of this game, however, is it's music. It has an oldschool synthy vibe which is really soothing to listen to. Personally, I would much rather buy the soundtrack than the game and stick with my Amiga and 32 bit console emulators.