What's Wrong with the FIFA Series: A Soccer Coach's Perspective

Community writer Stojan Jovic: It's the same story every time when it comes to FIFA. I grew up playing soccer, from when I started walking until, well, what time is it right now? I coach a high school varsity team, I play in a men's amateur division, and I also ref as well. You could say I'm pretty into it. So why does the FIFA franchise always disappoint me?

[showtimefolks]

always was always will be fifa just doesn't feel right you could score the same goals over and over in fifa going through middle but do that on pes on a higher difficulty and you will get ur *** handed to you

[Steve_0]

I know exactly what you mean. I used to be a die-hard PES fan, but you gotta admit the next-gen pes havnt cut it. FIFA's been improving and since 2008 I feel Fifa was the better game. Looking forward to PES 2011, lets hope Konami bring back the magic of PES 5/6!
My favourite football (not soccer) games:
FIFA 98 Road to the World Cup,
FIFA 2002
PES 4
PES 5
PES 6
FIFA 2009
FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa

[Baka-akaB]

pes 2011 is so far pretty good .

Fifa 11 too , but i agree that's is way too easy for my taste to be my favorite .

I'm getting both anyway , but pes first

[badz149]

but not to the degree of buying the game every year. 2003 was the best for me and 2004-07 were dissapointments but never really got myself into PES! FIFA08 was a huge improvement from 07 and since then, 09(borrow from a friend) and 10 were great!

from the demo, 11 looks better and the controls feel a bit spot-on this time around but the penalty shoot-out was a total mess! WTF were they thinking? and WTH is with the 2-buttons control scheme? for total noob? I don't want to comment on being a goalkeeper because I think it's downright silly but I was left disappointed by the DEMO and lucky me I was never gonna buy it this year anyway!

[Sadie2100]

I wonder if real football coaches feel the same way toward games like Madden!

[Matthew94]

what do you mean by real? (glares suspiciously)

[rod_furlong]

I'm also a Winning Eleven fan traditionally. Has FIFA actually caught up?

[Gungnir]

I played hockey, and there are some things about the NHL series that drive me crazy too. I'm not sure any sports game is ever going to be 100% accurate. The more important question is, are the newer installments getting better?

[HOSe]

this article is crap. the author has no idea what he is talking about and clearly doesnt know how to play fifa

[Harry190]

if games were like real life, where would the immediate gratification come from? Sometimes, you have to understand that authenticity and realism are 2 different things.

A football match is played over 90 minutes, a Fifa match maybe 8 minutes on average. The developers have to make it so that you have fun while keeping the rules and the game as close to reality as they can. Somewhere in the process however, something has to give. That's where stats come in. They discriminate between the great and the mediocre but will never be able to replicate real life accurately. If it was the case, the game would have no element of surprise, no random events.

As far as Fifa is concerned, it's as good as it gets. Nothings beats playing or watching on tv but it sure is fun and EA definitely gets it.

[Steve_0]

Exactly.
The article does have a few points, especially concerning AI, animation and team/player mentality, but it's a game. FIFA and PES are not meant to simulate what it's like to play football. It's a completely different perspective and playing with control over the whole team (lets not talk about Be A Pro) changes the game completely. FIFA's about short, 8 minute matches against a mate or two while being able to replicate the feeling that watching football live or on the tele gives you by recreating the emotions that go alongside watching your favourite team persevere, or your best player pull off a goal against odds, or following your home country through the World Cup... In doing this over the years its introduced more skills, mode, options and strategies as its evolved, but it was never meant to be an accurate simulation of curling a real football around a wall, or pacing yourself for 90 minutes. FIFA is more of an interactive football match on the TV than a simulation of the sport itself - and that's exactly how it should be.

[iceman06]

that the author is going for the authenticity of the sport as opposed to "realism". What he is saying is that there are some fundamental elements of the sport that he finds lacking in FIFA. I am loving the new demo. That said, I can also agree that I get frustrated at some of the same things. Check backs on passes and on runs are important to gain space on defenders. It frees up the player for more creative attacks and safer possession of the ball. I HAVE seen a more rounded route to the ball on through balls, but I think that has to do with how good the pass is. It doesn't happen all of the time (nor should it). I haven't played PES this year (can't find the demo in US). But, I am hoping it is great so that competition will keep pushing the game of football (soccer) to be the best. Best meaning the most fun, gratifying, and yet STILL true and authentic to the sport.

[Fatal Blow]

fifa 10 and fifa 11 looks the same to me after playing the demo i know its a demo but what do you guys think ?

[badz149]

11 definitely look better than 10 and the control feels a bit tighter IMO. but have you tried the penalty shoot-out? I was like WTF?

[terrorofdeath]

Penalty concept taken from FIFA World Cup 2010 game. You hav to get the bar in the green before shooting, and NOT hold in a direction before pressing O. AFTER you press O and its in the green zone then you can direct the shot.

So basically it is like there is an invisible reticle and you only aim it after pressing O.

[badz149]

I've never played WC2010 and never knew they used that mechanic before but it's just plain stupid IMO because the green zone for a non-star players are thin as a hair and the bar moves quickly but with star players, not only their green zone are wider, the bar also moves slowly! it's like EA trying to say that non-star players can't take PK better than star players when it's totally not true! the question is, why should it? it's a fvcking PK and even I eat PK for breakfast! they used this similar mechanic for direct free kick in older FIFA I forgot which one but even that is stupid IMO!

[jinofthesheep]

the reason is because penalties were far too easy before. no it's taking into account pressure when you go up to take a penalty. the best players still feel pressure, but their skill means that they're more likely to be able to cope. its all to do with pressure, which IMHO is a great move. its not hard to master it, but there's still an element of difficulty meaning shootouts aren't all about guessing which direction you need to dive.

[Senden]

Personally for me as a devoted FOOTBALL purest.. his opinion went out the window with the word soccer, yeah it's a silly technicality but so bloody true!

[kenshin22up]

soccer is a term invented by the British, get off your 'bloody' high horse

[heyheyhey]

same here man

i can't take anything that refers to FOOTBALL (or footie if you prefer) as soccer seriously

@yanko above

who cares who invented it? yanks overuse it and that means it's automatically annoying

[heyheyhey]

it's football

FOOTBALL!

no yankery when it comes to beautiful things like football please

[SmokeyMcBear]

soccer's cool i guess.. its nice where a valid strategy of playing is hurling yourself to the ground like a little baby at the slightest touch from an opponent... buncha pansies.

[jinofthesheep]

but then the FIFA series is so good that the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo have huge sessions prior to playing the real thing...maybe the author just doesn't understand football all that well, cause they seem to love it, whilst often REAL premiership matches play out as a FIFA match (see last weekend's Man U vs Liverpool match. anyone see those goals scored before? Gerrard's freekick?!) sorry but FIFA is so good that it's hard to tell if it's mimicking life, or life is mimicking art