Very preliminary thoughts on FIFA 11

I picked up the new FIFA yesterday, my first upgrade in two years. I realize some features might be continued from 2010, but I never played it because there weren’t enough new features to really convince me to part with my money, and I thought the game’s insistence that Newcastle could regularly compete for silverware was just kind of funny.

Anyway, the big sellers on this game are the “Personality+” and the Creation Centre, which uses an online application to make custom teams and players to download into the game. That sounded way easier than pushing sliders around on the system itself.

Personality+ has shown through almost immediately. I played games on both the professional and world class settings, and the different inclinations of players was readily apparent. For one thing, AI players never used to try skill moves; now they do it all the time, often with devastating effect, as I learned when the KC Wizards’ Ryan Smith made my defense look clumsy and porous.

I’m disappointed with the Creation Centre. The options for the players go a long way toward establishing their personalities, which is cool, but the team creator leaves much to be desired. It’s mostly just a system of coloring in simple logo templates. I was hoping the online system would open the door to uploading your own artwork for uniforms.

There’s also a new mode where you can play Be A Pro as a goalkeeper. It sounded fun on paper, but in reality it’s a lot of watching the computer kick the ball around while waiting for something to happen. Perhaps playing as a goalkeeper for a terrible team would make the mode more interesting.

Of course, there’s the usual wealth of FIFA options. I was amazed at how many teams now have a third kit available to users, and for dorky reasons I was in awe of the ability to manipulate the mowing pattern and grass wear on the field, as well as the option to change the shape and tension of the nets.

I’ll have more complete thoughts as I get into the career mode, which this year allows you to build a career as a player before moving into management. I generally lose interest in manager mode around year six, so I’m hoping the elimination of separate Be A Pro and Manager Modes will add some long-term intrigue for me, especially seeing as how I tend to only upgrade every other year.

If you’ve played the game, feel free to add your thoughts below.