Fifa 11 Review (Xbox 360)

Fifa 10 was a turning point for EA Sport’s (It’s in the game) long running rivalry with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series, delivering a football simulation that let you feel a microcosm of what it is to be a real player. One year on and we have the follow up Fifa 11, boasting some small but interesting improvements.

The first thing you will notice if you are familiar with last years game is that the main menu has been improved allowing you to navigate to different modes faster. Accompanying the menu is a virtual scoreboard which collects a range of stats from you and your Xbox Live friends then displays them for you to compare. These vary from fastest goal to most earnings in career mode, if your competitive you might find yourself putting in extra time to beat a friend’s record.

Heading pitch side, the core mechanics have been tweaked building upon the success of Fifa 10. The main change is the improved physicality, players will constantly battle for possession and there are no guaranteed tricks or tackles. For example when defending timing and positioning are now more crucial than ever, go in for the tackle too early and you will be left playing catch up, pick the wrong angle and you’ll concede a foul. Passing has received an upgrade after complaints last year that users could exploit “ping pong passing”, this basically meant you could play the ball up to attack quickly without much skill. The new “Pro Passing” system eliminates this without making it overly difficult to play an accurate ball, the direction you hold on the left analogue stick will direct your pass while power can be controlled with the length of the button press. It takes a little while to master but that is the point, mastering anything worthwhile takes time and effort. With these changes each match is hard-fought and plays as a much better simulation of the real life sport. This won’t be to everyone’s taste however, for those of you that are looking for a fast paced goals flying affair then this may not be the game for you.

You will have to constantly fight for possession.

Two completely new additions to Fifa 11 are “Personality Plus” and the ability to jump between the sticks and don the gloves of the goalkeeper. The former is about making players you control more like their real life counterparts. You will see Cristiano Ronaldo’s stance and fancy footwork, Wayne Rooney’s aggression and ability to muscle his way past defenders and John Terry’s rock solid defensive presence to name a few. It’s hard to appreciate until you see it in action but it only really affects the world class talent. The latter gives you the chance to play as the goalie for the first time. This can be done in exhibition modes as any team or your own created Virtual Pro. This feature can be boring in one match then great fun in the next depending on how much pressure you are put under. To try and make it more interesting you are given the ability to direct your teams play, highlighted button symbols will appear at the players feet when they are in positions to receive a pass or to shoot. This is more of a distraction than being of any genuine tactical use and I spent most of my time forcing errors on my team so I could warm up my gloves, that said it makes a nice change of pace every now and then, plus it allows for 11 vs. 11 online play.


Offline aside from exhibition matches and tournaments you can hone your skills in career mode. This year you can play through 15 seasons of club football as a player (virtual pro or existing), a player-manager or manager. Lead your team or player (or both) to glory winning silverware, secure transfers to boost your squad and move to other clubs when you want a fresh challenge. This mode can eat up hours of your time, you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you drag a league two club like Cheltenham Town into the premiership and clinch the title. There’s not really anything new here but it is as good as ever and now everything is in one place which is a welcome change.

When you are ready to compete against the best the world has to offer then take you skills online and battle it out. Play in head to head matches and get yourself on the leader boards or take control of one player with ten others in online team play. Pro clubs allows you and a group of friends to start your own team and compete against others using your virtual pro’s and this is one of the best modes. It is unfortunate however that this mode seems to be plagued by a few problems such as latency issues, crashes which require returning to the dashboard, glitches causing you to change team and results not being recorded. This is the only mode that I have experienced problems in and hopefully EA will resolve these issues swiftly.

Personality Plus gives players like Rooney an edge.

The visuals have received some polish with top flight teams and stadiums looking fantastic, zoom in on a replay and you can see the high level of detail on players faces such as Lionel Messi. While this is great it is disappointing that the lesser known clubs still haven’t received enough attention. Commentary is provided again this year by Martin Tyler and Andy Gray who do a great job, you will be pulled in by the facts about the teams and the general banter between them.

In Fifa 10 EA provided on their website “Game Face” a tool to get your mug onto your virtual pro, this worked by creating your face on a PC then downloading through your console. They have gone one step further this time around by giving you the “Creation Centre”, using this you can create your own team complete with kit and players and add your own crowd chants to your game.

Fifa 10 was something special and Fifa 11 manages to improve upon that with tweaks to the engine, new customisation options and the ability to be a goal keeper. If you love football games that stay true to the real thing, have deep tactical ways to play and are rewarding then look no further.

Review score 9.0 out of 10
　
　

Xbox Live 2010 Update

November the 4th will see the implementation of Xbox Live's dashboard update and Microsoft have released the details of what we can expect.

Listed below is the summary of all the new features and tweaks according to Microsoft:

• Improved voice quality - the audio codec is being updated to improve Xbox LIVE Party chat audio quality. So grab your friends and jump into a multiplayer game, catch a big sports event, watch a movie or do all three.
• Improved experience for changing your Gamertag - choosing a new Gamertag? If the Gamertag you're looking for is already taken, your Avatar will spin a wheel and we will provide five other Gamertag suggestions at a time for you to choose from.
• Streamlined in-dashboard virtual keyboard - we've taken the existing QWERTY keyboard in-dash and made it easier to use for scenarios that involve repeated text entry, for example when signing up for Live within the dashboard.
• Improved Xbox Live Marketplace UI and browse experience - the Games Marketplace has been re-organized to provide streamlined access to the games and content you want, reducing the number of steps it takes to get to a download.
• Avatar changes - we've made your Avatars slightly more proportional so you can better play Kinect games.
• Easier to get on a wireless network - trying to connect to a wireless network? With the next update, you'll see a list of all the wireless networks within range when you go into network settings. From there, you'll be able to select a new network or further configure the network you're connected to.
• Ability to sign-out other controllers in the sign-in UI - we're adding the ability to sign-out profiles on other controllers in the sign-in UI within the Guide. This is especially useful when playing games like Rock Band.
• New browse experience for 100 per cent completed games - you spent a lot of time and effort earning those Achievements, so instead of only being able to view your first dozen completed games, we're giving you a new and better way to browse all of them.

Aside from the changes in preparation for Kinect, the improvement to the audio codec will surely be a welcome one for Xbox Live users.

Halo: Reach Review (Xbox 360)

In 2001 Bungie brought us Halo: Combat evolved on the original Xbox, a revolutionary FPS that has defined Microsoft‘s games console. We followed Spartan John-117 as he awoke from his suspended animation and began his quest against a collective of alien races known as the Covenant. Since then we have had three sequels (plus Halo Wars) and a range of different incarnations from animation to toys. Now in Bungie’s farewell to the series we come full circle with the prequel Halo: Reach, a game that while lacking in it’s main plot is one of the most complete multiplayer experiences available.

In Reach you assume the role of Noble 6 the newest recruit to the Spartans of Noble team. The game takes place on the planet Reach, mankind’s central military and technological hub which is also home to the “Spartan program“. From the outset it is obvious the proverbial is about to hit the fan as waves of Covenant forces begin assaulting the planet. While the plot does it’s job in taking you through the campaign, it lacks depth. Your team mates are space marine clichés that have appeared in numerous films, this would have been acceptable if the characters had been explored further, instead they get a few lines of dialogue in each cut-scene. It’s hard to care about them and I can think of other titles such as Gears of War that manage to do a better job. Luckily the plot is helped along by some impressive visuals.

Each cut scene and environment has been lovingly crafted into some superb eye candy (I challenge you not to be in awe when you dog fight above the planet). If you are familiar with the series then you will no doubt notice that the weapons have had an overhaul, each one has improved in detail and realism. The improvements are not groundbreaking but they add to the experience and draw you into the campaign and world.

Multiplayer is fast paced mayhem

The campaign can be played alone or with up to 4 players. Bringing friends along heightens the experience and adds a tactical edge as you try to complete objectives, especially on the harder settings. Scoring is back as are skulls which no longer need to be found, just turn them on in the options and your set. While the length of the campaign is short (around 7 hours) there is a good amount of replay value when you factor in co-op. Combat is challenging on normal and heroic difficulties while tear inducing on legendary. The enemy AI will keep you on your toes as they frequently move and take cover to avoid your fire. On some missions you may attempt to snipe an Elite only to repeatedly hit thin air, this can be frustrating and you may want to charge in there like Rambo guns blazing, on legendary this is a bad idea. While the enemy AI can be smart it is a shame the friendly can often let you down especially when travelling.
　
On one of the Falcon missions (I played on co-op) the computer takes the pilot seat while you gun. Halfway through the mission the other player’s pilot decided to leave the set flight path and take a timeout on the beach (perhaps to work on his tan?). This lasted for about ten minutes before he returned to catch up with me waiting at the next section. It is important to note that if you decide to let the friendly AI take control of the wheel only bad things can happen, that is unless you like being destroyed repeatedly by merciless grenade launching, expert sniping, wraith gunning aliens.

Most of the previous vehicles are back in Reach including the Warthog which can handle fine one minute, the next you have driven over a pebble and are engaged in something reminiscent of a Crocodile’s death roll. For the most part though the vehicles handle well. My favourite new addition and probably most underused is the Saber space fighter. For the first time players are able to take part in space combat above the planets surface and I have to say that it is thrilling. Unfortunately this sequence is over too soon but there is potential for a stand alone game here (spin off anyone?).

Red Leader isn't standing by...

There are a handful of new weapons on offer with a couple of standouts being the Plasma Launcher and Focus Rifle. The Plasma Launcher can lock onto a target and fire up to four energy balls that seek out your enemy and explode after sticking to them, it makes things go boom and is an absolute blast when used right (pun intended). The Focus Rifle fires a concentrated beam that is effective at long distance offering would be snipers another option.

Multiplayer is back and is just as frantic as ever. The whole menu system has been streamlined making it effortless to see which of your friends are playing, join parties and check out each others stats. The usual death matches and objective based games make a return, offering many variations on the standard set up. Firefight now supports matchmaking which is a welcome addition to those of you who enjoy desperately fighting off overwhelming odds. One of my favourite new features which are also available in the campaign are the armour abilities. These work as loadouts and you can switch between them every time you meet your maker. Maybe you want to launch yourself all over the map with the jetpack or create decoys of yourself, either way they are all useful and balanced well. It is extremely satisfying to watch a lone enemy attack your decoy only for you to sneak up behind and assassinate him. There are a good number of maps to battle on but why not make your own in the improved Forge mode. Forge world gives you an enormous map to build to your hearts content and thankfully building is now a breeze. Gone are the days of building blocks having seizures as you try to line them up thanks to the fact you can now snap objects to degrees. You can also phase objects into each other and place them at any available height. This is one of the most creative tools available on a console and I am sure the community will pack the servers with their creations.
　
If your looking for an amazing multiplayer experience with a whole ton of content then you have come to the right place. It won’t convert anyone who is not a fan of the franchise but for those that are then this is a must buy as it is up there with the best.

Review score 9.0 out of 10

First thoughts

My first post, please allow me a second to wipe the tear from my cheek on this historic moment...all done.

I have started this blog as I have a dream, a dream of becoming a games journalist.  I will post here my laughable attempts at reviews, news and articles.  If you would like, please leave a comment on whatever I write even if it is just to explain how awful I am and why I will never make it.

Enjoy my blog...hopefully.