Don't agree with you... 5 seasons is too little for player development. By the time your player is developed it is game over...
On the other hand, I'm a freak and I play EVERY single game, don't simulate matches... There are people already who completed the manager mode (simulating it). Plenty of gameplay time, but still it is quite bad for player development. There is no option to use the same player in the new season...
Just to add few points...
Game is a LOT harder than the demo... I have to admit that this is the very first time since '98 I'm saying that Fifa is really good. I know it is a cliche statement, but it's true.
Keepers have improved significantly. I had a go at Fifa 07 recently saying that Demo has **** keepers... There are sweet spots that I found and was able to score 4-5 goals on World Class...
Now, I played over 10 games on Semi-Pro and I managed to score ONLY 1 goal...
I tried to shoot from the same spots as in the demo, with same players but it doesn't work anymore... Very very important that this got sorted... Even in the Arena when you shoot from some situations and just knew that it will go in, it doesn't anymore.
I even went back to the demo last night, just to double check whether it was me or they really improved keepers and AI, and I'm glad that it is latter. I again scored 4 goals on World Class in the demo, but I'm still struggling to score in the game.
The gameplay is even more fluid than in the demo. Frame rate is like a dream during the game, it never skips a beat. Rock solid.
The only place where I noticed a bit of framerate issues was in Arena, when you reach closer to the corner line (same as in the demo)... but during the match it's perfect...
I think ball physics got tweaked even more, the ball feels even looser than in the demo, not much, but you'll notice it... Ball bends more than previously for example.
The stadiums look average at times, and absolutely photorealistic at times... Depends from which camera you look at it. It is basically like in the demo, some angles show stadiums a bit blurry, with plenty of jaggies, and some angles are awesome...
Disappointing is that intro scene is extremely short... Just like in the demo... Players shake hands and that's it... There is also a short cut scene with your players celebrating after the game.
Most of the cut scenes have been sorted out, there are no frame rate issues, especially after misses and good chances, but some cut scenes are still with issues, e.g. Yellow card cut scene was jerky...
What also disappointed me is the choice of highlights after the half or after the full time. I had few awesome chances, hitting post and a cross bar, but instead of those, computer showed how I fouled a player in the mid-field etc... Why in the world would you show tackles and fouls in highlights at the first place??? Also, there is only one replay (from one angle of course) of the goals... Again, it is not a major thing but still it would be so nice to have better implementation...
Collision detection is still not as good as it should be. The ball happens to go through the player or body part which should be addressed.
Sound is incredible at times and below par at times. Even when you play at home there is lack of atmoshpere when you score a goal, which has pretty bad effect. I finilly scored in the game (my only goal), it was a volley from the corner, hit the cross bar and went in... I got so excited I jumped out of my chair, but the lack of audience excitement was disappoining... It doesn't happen all the time but randomly.
Also, it happens that the commentary goes ahead of the game, which is in my opinion the wors part of the game.
Martin Tyler does awesome job with commentating at times, sub-par at times but it is absolutely horrendous when a player shoots at my goal and I hear Tyler screaming "it is IN" while the ball still travels towards my goal. It only happened twice so far, so I hope that it is a glitch that will not happen too often.
Lack of leagues and features from current gen doesn't really bother me for the several reasons:
Manager mode is awesome
Lounge is great
Challenges are awesome
There are plenty of Unlockables such as Season highlight reels, balls, boots, classic teams and players, and even one stadium
Achievements are REALLY hard to get, it will definitely take time before I get them...
Plenty of gameplay time before I complete it all...
Loading times are exactly the same as in demo (i.e. almost NON EXISTENT)... I thought first that the demo loads up so quickly because it was from HDD, but no, the final game takes exactly the same time to load )))
And the best part comes as icing on the cake:
ONLINE is freaking perfect! No kidding! The very first football game that has ZERO lag and plays like you are playing it offline.
Played 5 games last night with 5 different people and it was perfect. And these were not Aussies I played. One guy was from the US and still there was zero lag.
I can't believe it that EA got it right in online department. I'm really and truly amazed how well it plays...
Finding a player is extremely quick... After that, game asks you to check and update your roster and pops you in kit selection menu. After you set formations etc... you are popped back to Arena, while the game loads (< 5 sec) and automatically starts after the game is loaded... after that it is PURE JOY.
The ticker thing is also great implementation. News are fun to read and having a news bar on the bottom all the time you are messing around in the Arena is also awesome...
So much potential for leagues online and Fifa Interactive World Cup on the horizon, it will be awesome ))
Also I forgot to mention few other bad points:
As much as they have improved AI, it still has issues, serious ones at times...
For example, on World Class, computer was in Counter Attack. It was just my keeper and computer attacker... Computer reached 20m in front of my goal with noone around him and he stopped and passed the ball backwards to a team mate... "what the???"... there are few more I can't recall, but it is just ackward when you see it in otherwise really great game.
Also, it looks ackward that some REALLY powerful shots are cought by the keeper with both hands like it was a practice shot not a match (problem from Fifa 06)...
The bottom line is that this is the best FIFA ever made... no doubt about it... Current gen version is just well short of this game (I have them both). If you are a football fan and love football games, do not miss out on this one. It is FUN and quite realistic... I won't compare it to PES, no need for that. They are both great in their own regard and ONLY by playing both you'll appreciate how lucky we are to have 2 great football games out there...
My nick is my gamertag, so if you are up for a game, count me in
It is definitely a different game... Things that work in current gen, don't work in 360 and vice versa. 360 is more "random" and unpredictable, less scripted and I'm yet to see two identical goals in Arena, not to say in full match.
360 version is also slower (more real football pace), more fluid with a lot better ball physics and AI, especially the keepers. It is also more strategic rather than action oriented especially at higher difficulty settings, which again suits the real football comparison.
I find the current gen a bit on a easy side, with a bit too repetitive type of goals etc... (keeper usually deflects the ball and it somehow always gets to your player and you score and vice versa for a computer). You can also kind of find the way how to break the defence and it works over and over again. E.g. through balls just go "through" too well... then going down the wing, crossing the ball inside makes it really easy to score after a while. In 360 version it is a lot harder, especially when you turn off passing assistance and put the difficulty setting to Pro or World Class. It is just harder to break the defece, they play a lot deeper defence so you can't do quick counter attacks. You can do these at Semi-Pro, but it really makes huge difference when you bump up difficulty settings.
Also, the difference is in Fatigue effect. Players get tired quickly and in second half some of the players can't even sprint. you have double fatigue bar, one that is long term fatigue which does not recover, while the short term fatigue bar drops quickly but also recovers quickly. So, doing subs is essential... In manager mode this fatigue is compounting so after 2-3 games in a row, your player starts the game tired. Better players handle fatigue better, so even when fully tired I found that Adriano still sprints well, but guys like Grosso were struggling at times.
It is the whole package that makes a difference. Animation and physics make it look like a night and day.
The fact that there are no tricks with the right stick is actually excellent. Now only really skilled players will do context based skills. C.Ronaldo did a dummy yesterday by himself, a stepover and some fancy footwork before I crossed the ball. I saw Phillips doing a backhill pass etc... I find myself stopping a game quite often to see these tricks and skills in slow motion...
In a comparison, current gen allows you to exercise any trick at any time and pretty successfully once you get grasps of it. Both computer and people online over use tricks and it's starts becoming dull that some players are almost unbeatable...
In 360 version you can't perform tricks as you wish, ball is really loose and you can nock it one way or the other, do a quick drop shoulder, send a ball in one direction and run in the other etc... Passing assistance off is essential as well and this is where the game completely differs to current gen. Passing takes time to get used to but unlike the demo, I found that it is more button sensitive so if you just tap the button it will nock the ball just a little in fron, if you hold it it will go further etc...
I was really furious about not having Trick stick at first but now I really feel why EA went this path. After a while you start appreciating why these context based skills are better than skill stick... You know, when EA implemented first touch in Fifa 05 it was awesome because every first touch felt differet and I really enjoyed seeing them... Tricks with the Right stick on the other hand were cool before you see them all and once you master them it becomes just plain repetitive.
Anyways, I disagree that the difference is small between current gen and 360. 360 version feel a lot less "arcadey" than current gen if you can put it that way.
If you have a 360, this is a no brainer... go for it!
I'd give game over 9 out of 10. Gameplay, Graphics, Animation, Phusics, Online and Some unique features are really really great.
Presentation, cameras, highlights, collision detection, audio could have been better but overall do not affect the gameplay...
It really is a great "brick" for EA on which they can build further iterations.
, looking at an image taken. Just have to comment again how beautiful i think the pitch is in fifa. I reminds me of fa cup final day where its immaculate and you can see the slight difference in blades within the same colour green ( a slight blur from a distance), if you get what i mean. An improvement would be damage offcourse but ill settle for really nice grass atm.
