OVNY's preliminary FIFA 360 review

[OrgulloVikingo]

First, I'll point out that I have only played 4 games. As I haven't played it enough I cannot give a concise review. EG: Haven't tried Manager Mode, Online Mode. Being a PES/WE fan for the last 2 years, I had to get accustomed to another way of playing football, which to me, I found very gratifying for the little time I've played. Everything about the game is totally new to me.
:Y:

Gameplay: 8.0 (This does not in any way resemble previous fifa's. Everything is so much smoother and free. The ball physics are superb. It no longer looks like a hockey puck disguised as a ball. I found myself taking 30 yard blasts just to see it fly. Passing is pretty responsive for the most part. Dominating the ball is very hard, which is a great thing cause I reckon you'll be able to do lots of things once you've mastered it. I haven't learned the different types of passes, etc. since I just wanted to get the overall feel of the game so I cannot comment further.

Graphics: 9.0 Excellent lighting, shading. Some player models are unreal while some others look like transvestites, cavemen. Animations are stunning. I couldn't believe how Robinho, Ruud, Raul & Co. were moving. If you look at it from the corner of your eye it looks like a real game in every sense. Stadiums are nice but I feel they could have had a bit more detail.

Audio: 9.0 Crowd chants are excellent. Hearing the PA guy announcing the starting lineup is so wicked! The Real madrid PA guy is legit. I reconized his voice right away. Nice touch. Real Chants, awesome sound effects, music Crowd going totally quiet during substitutions, people oooing when a goalie "saves" a "shot" nowhere near the goal

Presentation: 8.0 I love the fact that during loading screens, you can pick any player and go 1 on 1 against the goalie to practice moves, shots, dribbling, etc. And once it loads you can still remain on the practice field till you hit start. Very original touch! Don't know why some people complain about the menus! I love it. It looks very next gen and is easy to navigate. Intro to games = . They are way too short and do not show the stadium enough.

Options: 7.0 For fans of lower division clubs, or any league that's not the 6 leagues, this is bad! Being that my team is there and with manager mode, and even better, online mode, I could care less. I would never play with NAC Breda so....Anyway, no create tournament mode, lack of teams = . On the other hand, online mode I hear is phenomenal. Downloading curent rosters and bonus things to come from XboxLive is very promising, espn ticker, Playing 4 vs. 4 online!!! In a sports title?? Truly original. Fan shop has tons of balls, boots, a few celebrations, etc. =

Overall: 8.2


All in all, I was very impressed with this new engine. The engine is superb in every sense. It's what EA do with the engine taht's gonna make the difference. They can easily, easily turn this FIFA series into perfection by 2010 if they really tried. Once they get all the leagues back, tourny mode, and improve on the already good gameplay, there's no doubt it'll be the footy game to beat.

 

[LuvPES]

"I had to get accustomed to another way of playing football, which to me, I found very gratifying for the little time I've played. Everything about the game is totally new to me."

I respect alot what you just said there, you are open minded enough to play two different types of style and still appreciate both.

LOL.....Welcome to the dark side!, told you it was a fine game, very addictive to me and to think it isn't even finished yet from more gameplay tweaking to placing realistic faces in the game such as Kaka.

 

[valioso]

see ya online! I think I went 2-4 online last night.. not very good for a first day dammit.. everyone was using either chelsea or barcelona

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

What's up guys! I only played 4-5 games against computer. But only 1-0, 2-0 scorelines. Lost them all but I didn't feel cheated. I need to get the hang of the button configuration, etc. I'm still in PES mode, which I have to shake off.

LuvPES, this does feel like ahalf assed game, but a good one at that, which is weird. If they add all the leagues they took out, tuned gameplay even more, included tournaments, both on and offline, bettered the intros, audio, this would definitely be a PES killer. Maybe next year?

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

small review: After playing 10 games in manager mode, 2 online, checking out extras, etc.

Gameplay: 7.5 (wonderful ground passing, aerial passing needs work, AI = hit or miss)
Graphics: 8.5 (nice lighting, shading. Guti looks terrible, goals too far away from the crowd in the North and South end of the Bernabeu. No Marca ads in the Bernabeu)
Audio: 7.5 (What's up with the pause between subs? Not enough Real madrid chants. Real Madrid chant still includes: "Campeones, campeones, ole ole oleee...." Clearly the chants are years old.)
Online: 9.5 (So far, superb. No lag. None! unlike another footy game...from what I hear)
Features: 7.5 (actually not too bad. Love the arena, unlockables, although hard are interesting)
Replay Value: 9.0 (due to online mostly)