FIFA Street (Xbox 360)

FIFA Street

Tested and reviewed based on the Xbox 360 version.
Review by Ben Nacca
(Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BenNacca )
XBL GT: Darkeyes1991 PSN ID: Darkeyes2k11

Going back to the streets or at least the roots of the franchise, EA Sports have taken over from the no longer used EA Big who previously took charge with FIFA Street titles. Gone are the over-the-top, unrealistic stunts that the predecessors had – This is street football and EA are demonstrating how realistic and beautiful it really is.

Showcasing the successful FIFA 12 engine, FIFA Street gives players an alternative to that very game. If you find the rules and regulations of FIFA 12 to restricting or setting up a sublime finish or skimming three players before scoring isn’t quite your fancy, then maybe FIFA Street will do it. Now I mentioned the extreme, unrealistic stunts were gone – yes and this doesn’t mean FIFA Street is without the tricks. Instead it focuses on juggling the ball and Panna.

The World Tour mode is centred on building your Captain and your squad into the biggest names in street football. Creating your captain from scratch or importing him from FIFA 12, you can then add players who exist in real life, created players that you made yourself or some of your downloaded friends’ creations. You start low in local matches trying to make a name for yourself before moving to the regional tournaments in a kind of story mode progression that sees you rise from nothing to greatness as you improve your squad, their rank and their abilities.

The players can upgrade their stats, abilities but also juggling tricks and different techniques including shooting and manoeuvres that will make you more deadly on the pitch. If there is one thing FIFA Street excels at, it is the progression aspect. There is always something to achieve and the building and development of your squad are crucial and consistent throughout the entire World Tour game mode. Had enough against computers? Well you can seamlessly jump online against other teams in ranked divisions or tournaments that are held at certain times.

If there is one thing that FIFA 12 lacked, FIFA Street makes up for it. The ability to take your custom, grown team online against other peoples incarnations. It really helps mix things up a bit and gives the title plenty of life as well. Getting beat down too much? Well come back after a bit more practice on Single-player, develop your squad some more then show them how it is done. There is local co-op as usual along with the online game modes too so you can play with a friend sitting next to you, either with or against to further give you options.

There is plenty of variety throughout FIFA Street if you hadn’t already guessed with some game modes having out of bound rules and other arenas fitted with boards or glass so that the ball just bounces off and back into play. There are also 5-on-5’s, 6-on-6’s or even as little as 2-on-2’s depending on the even requirements. The beats system banks any beats that you do on your opponents and if you score, the goal is cashed in to that amount.

So what are the visuals like? Well using the FIFA 12 visuals, I wouldn’t say there is a vast improvement although the graphics FIFA 12 were packing was pretty impressive. The animations in FIFA Street are crisp and smooth with everything having that polish that you come to expect these days. Even the various environments look detailed and interesting and this is topped off with some fantastic mechanics that are realistic and capable.

With a hefty soundtrack from numerous artists and plenty of character vocals when playing in the matches, FIFA Street is pretty good on the ears too. Obviously it lacks the commentary that FIFA 12 has but this is street football so an entirely different environment. The controls aren’t as tight or well-tuned as it’s real life brother FIFA 12. The triggers deal with most of the tricks with the left stick used to break away with the trick and march on to the goal.

If anything was to let FIFA Street down, it would be the A.I. There are no issues noticeable in smaller matches (2v2, 3v3’s) but in the larger 6v6 matches, sometimes the team mates and your opponents just don’t really know what they are doing or wander round aimlessly. It isn’t so damaging since it normally isn’t enough to break the game but it definitely breaks the immersion when you suddenly see half your team are asleep and not sure what they are doing.

Many people don’t attempt tricks on FIFA 12. They can be hard to time and have severe consequences when you don’t pull them off right. Firstly you look like a right idiot and secondly, because the opposition now have the ball. FIFA Street does have a learning curve to it but with the gameplay focuses on tricks, you can really get to grips with the controls, how to perform the various tricks and you will develop the techniques that you prefer and leave the ones you don’t find work for you. It is individual to the player really and by player, I mean you.

Visuals 9/10

Well visually it looks like FIFA 12 but with a bit more polish. Using the same engine but more focus on the players allows EA Sports to add that extra bit of paint to FIFA Street making it very pretty on the eyes. Animations and the arenas are all top notch too.

Audio 8/10

A great soundtrack from a range of artists – something we expect from EA Sports titles these days. There are also sounds and voices during the matches but at times it can feel a little empty without the commentators.

Gameplay 9/10

“Don’t over complicate it” must have been the message to the design team as they have stuck with juggling and Panna to create a stylish but realistic representation of street football. It is nothing that will make you gawp in disbelief but it would certainly have a manager on the touchline yelling at you for outrageous behaviour and flair.

Delivery 9/10

Plenty of modes with plenty of depth is the drill here. Online or offline, there is a variety of events and modes to choose from and taking your custom team online is a particularly sweet deal. The ability to import your captain from FIFA 12 also saves you time if you also own that game and keeps the likeness across both games.

Summary 8.9/10

FIFA Street has had the reset button pushed and it has done wonders to the series. Using the FIFA 12 engine it looks better than ever and with plenty of game modes and creation options, this isn’t a shallow package either. Whether you are new to FIFA or you want an alternative to playing the 11-a-sides all the time, FIFA Street is a worth trying out.

For more game news, reviews and previews, check the rest of the site: www.lanraiders.co.uk

This review is the property of Ben Nacca and is for the sole use of www.lanraiders.co.uk, www.dailyecho.co.uk and www.ciao.co.uk. No copying to other websites or other mediums without written permission first.