EA Sports BIG is adding another member to its family of Street games with FIFA Street, a soccer game that encourages flashy moves and individual style.
FIFA Street review:
After the joy of the network gaming support of FIFA we're a little disappointed that FIFA Street only bothers with four-player offline multiplayer. The prospect of online leagues and cups would have added greatly to the overall value of the package. Maybe next time. As it stands, though, this could well be the post pub game to end them all.
FIFA Street review:
The core components for success are in place but they lack the fine-tuning and polish that will inevitably come with a year or two more development time. I have faith in EA that they’ll head back to the drawing board and come forth with a much improved sophomore effort. For now rent out of curiosity then check back next year to see where the series has evolved.
FIFA Street review:
Because it's so easy to score, all the challenge has been removed from the experience, and with nothing to challenge you there's no reason to return to it. Therefore, we can only recommend it if you want to introduce a young tyke to the world of videogame football.
FIFA Street review:
A few years back, Nike started a new hype in the world of soccer. They showed us pros like Ronaldo, Figo, Ronaldinhio and Henry covered in Nike gear playing football… sorry, “soccer” in fields that were a little beyond the ones you see on TV. These players played soccer like you’ve never seen it before, with crazy moves, quick shifty passing and crazy dashes you never get to see, on fields like cages and warehouses. The day these commercials were put to air a culture was born into the lights, a culture that was already there for years and years but was never accredited by many other than team selectors. That was street soccer, which was later turned into what we now call futsol.In FIFA Street you’re filling the soccer boots of an unnamed gifted street soccer player which you design and name yourself, trying to earn street credit and respect by “owning the street” in various locations including Amsterdam, London, Nigeria and naturally, Rio De Janeiro amongst many more.GameplayFIFA Street is a fast-paced soccer game where game plans and coaches do not exist. You go out with 3 players and a goalie and you play soccer, period. The Gameplay is nonstop, with no fouls or throw outs to interrupt the frantic passing and shooting and crazy beat tricks (rinse, vary, and repeat). There is no referee involved, so you’re finally allowed to do as many sliding tackles as you want; only catch is, you have to aim them yourself, unlike some of the other FIFA games where a sliding tackle is a foul risk yet a guaranteed ball. The wall is dubbed “your 5th man” and you’re encouraged to use it in beat tricks as well as in passing, where you can pass “around” an opponent.FIFA Street screams “It’s not only about the result, it’s about winning with style” and the gameplay definitely focuses on that aspect, perhaps ignoring other aspects of the game. The tricks are amazing, and executing them with the right thumbstick, or the “trick stick” as it’s called, is a breeze, especially with the addition of the “modifier” button, which opens up a new set of tricks. Not only that, but the skills executed depend on the level of skill the player in question has. For example, Ronaldinhio would have more chance of performing the “crazy legs” move than your average soccer player who would feel out of place with all those tricks going on around them. So you get an amazing array of moves at your disposal, which you can use to humiliate your opponent be it your mate or the game’s AI.Speaking of AI, it’s rather disappointing, and I think this is due to the programmers assuming that the game will be used most in multiplayer, or just plain laziness. The friendly team AI, for a start, is most unhelpful, and unlike other FIFA games would not intelligently jump in to catch a loose ball. Instead, emphasis is put on the “man-o-man” strategy, where every player is assigned a mark to guard. You have to change “focus” to that particular player and get the ball yourself, usually unsuccessfully as another opponent has jumped into the occasion and grabbed it.Not to say that the opponent’s AI is any better. More often than not, you will find players running around with no apparent reason, almost randomly you can say. E.g. when your player gets the ball, and starts running around with it doing tricks and advancing towards the goal, his marksman would run to his end of the field, and “guard” the goal. Not all that intelligent in a day where we have creative AI in other games.Another really frustrating thing about the AI is how it’s all basically scripted. For example, if you are doing a rather long beat move on an opponent, and get tackled during the first phase of it, the opponent would still do the “response” to the beat, which includes standing still and watching the ball’s hypothetical route. Also “one timer” kicks, which involve kicking the ball into the goal “on the go” can be done with no ball, if it was intercepted on the way, so you end up with your player being locked in to a motion which looks rather stupid and at the same time renders him useless to you when the ball is then almost at your goal.Malfunctioning AI aside, the HUD for FIFA Street is very similar to that of NFL Street 2 and NBA street vol.3, which arrange all its components very neatly. The score and time are put in the top center, while the two teams’ vitals such as trick points, trick diagrams and gamebreaker bar. The gamebreaker is your bonus for doing as many tricks as you can and stringing them together. As tricks are done, the gamebreaker bar fills up. Once full, you can unleash the gamebreaker, which is a “super shot” stoppable only by those who are already in its way. While most of the time it will hit home, you will still have to aim it. This is achieved by a goal diagrams that appears in the bottom center part of the screen when you pass the midfield line, the area where the games you’re kicking to score, not just “clearing the ball” as a defensive move. Moving the left thumbstick in all four directions moves a red dot inside the aiming diagram aims your shot into that part of the goal. How you’re supposed to do that while maintaining your running direction is one of the wonders of soccer games that is yet to unfold.The main menu gives you seven options; friendly match, where you can pick your team, the players and the field where you want to play on. Play on mode lets you pick the teams and simply throws you into a random field with the players with the best ratings on your team. “Rule the street” is the single player “story mode” where you start with the aforementioned anonymous street player and have to work your way up the ranks of ten cities, by “kicking about” with 8 teams in each city, then entering the “rule the street” competition, where you play 3 back-to-back matches and if you’re the winner, you receive the city trophy, the ball that was used to play ALL the previous matches in that city. Not only that, but you win “skill bills” which allow your player to improve his skills and lure new players into his squad. You can get a player who is better than the others on your team by paying them a fee, then playing against their team and if you win, that player is impressed and joins your team.You then have the “create-a-player” mode, which is painfully limited with a few outfits but decent body and facial customization. You can later on use your player in a “rule the streets” game or just in friendly games. You then have the “star team” option, where you get stars form the available international teams and put them all in a custom team which you can later on use in friendly games. You then have your options, which allow decent customization of the gameplay, audio levels, language, set uncustomisable soundtrack, save/load and an extras section which has a rolling credits and an NBA Street Vol. 3 video. After that is a “street training” option, which turned out to be the FIFA Street video I viewed on the FIFA street website before purchasing the game. It is rather helpful in learning the basics. However an interactive training module would’ve definitely helped more.MultiplayerFIFA Street does not support online game modes, but relies on the multiplayer which is sure to be a blast if you can mentally overcome the AI and snap animations. Gameplay does not exceed the single match mode, but it still provides a lot of fun and constant laughter and challenges.GraphicsFIFA Street, despite having huge potential and uniqueness to be one of the most beautiful graphic feasts you have ever laid eyes on, scores a double bogey when it comes to graphic presentation. The menu system is beautiful, albeit sometimes plain confusing when you try to pick players for your team, but with experience it becomes a breeze. The in-game graphics however, is where EA is to blame. Snap physics reign, and ball physics are non existent. The ball goes from stationary to “whoosh” in no time at all, and with no acceleration whatsoever. The game really relies on player immersion rather than deeply rendered graphics. The details of custom-made players and outfits are however very high and it’s quite amazing that that last logo on the back of the hoodie top your player is wearing is rendered with great detail. You might not believe me but the ball physics are so bad, I once kicked a goal and it came right back out. It was counted as a goal though.SoundFIFA Street scores a low C in the sound category. Sounds are greatly recycled even for various situations and different players. A player kicking a ball can make the same muffled noise as that that the goalie makes when catching the ball. This really eats away at the game’s quality. The in game music is excessively annoying, not that the menu is any better. With artists like dizzie rascal and fatboy slim on the playlist, it’s bound to be turned off VERY soon. It’s the commentary where FIFA Street shines. A Brazilian carefree-ish commentator gives the game its “street flava” and excites the gameplay with phrases like “be afraid Bridget, mama’s got tha powa!” when you get the gamebreaker shot.OverallFifa Street is great if you’re ready to love it for what it is. It doesn’t try too hard, and thus does not achieve its full potential. An enjoyable multiplayer mode saves it from jumping head first into the bargain bin too soon, but for a RRP of $79.95, it’s almost given the label that’s already been forsaken, which is the public trend towards Electronic Arts these days. Verdict is: they could’ve done better.Thumbs Up Cool concept to soccer fans Tricks are amazing Custom player and “rule the streets” mode are very cool for single player Great locationsThumbs Down Graphics not so good—snap animations and bad ball physics and what not Very limited replayability Can grow boring very quickly Soundtrack becomes very annoying at times full size >>
FIFA Street review:
FIFA Street is a combination of arcade action blended with the culture of freestyle street football. By removing the rules from the simulation football experience, 'FIFA Street' exposes the heart of the world's beautiful game, on-the-ball flare and individual style.
FIFA Street video:
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