Player Traits
The new Personality Plus system also plays a vital role on the pitch. This is a perk system where some players have a strength that defines the way they play. This is addition that attempts to bring FIFA even closer to creating a realistic feel on the pitch. You can see how this differentiates certain players by giving them traits ssuch as enhanced physical ability or speed. Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta, for instance, can make tighter turns and has such close control that he can dribble through defenses, whereas Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney's strength is holding off defenders and striking shots from distance with pace. These traits are limited in the game - there are approximately 57 traits spread across the top players- but it's a welcome addition that can give you an edge in the game and makes players react differently throughout the course of a match.One of the most obvious changes on the pitch, which will be apparent immediately to anyone who played FIFA 10 online for a long period of time, is the inability to now pull off chip shots. In FIFA 10 this was both a blessing and a curse. The goalkeeper would often move out too far from the goal, particularly when you were one on one, and after a bit of practice it became relatively easy to chip them time and time again. Now it’s really difficult because the goalkeeper hangs back and you need to be much more accurate to pull off the chip. It's early days and we haven't been playing FIFA 11 for too long, but we've yet to get close to being able to chip the keeper. It seems practically impossible. A happy medium would probably have sat somewhere between FIFA 10 and FIFA 11.
The animation in FIFA 11 and the look of the character models and stadiums is stunning. On the pitch it captures the drama of the game and whether it's a step-over or scissor-kicks, the way that players fall, dive and leap in the air, or the way that defenders move intelligently to track runs or midfielders move into space to receive pass, it's always an entertaining game of football to watch. This is the best looking FIFA yet.
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