Have EA finally listened to the legion of soccer fans around the world? With the numerous criticism heaped upon the talented developers due to their lack of drive when creating a FIFA title, EA have finally stood up and admitted that their next generation soccer offerings were simply not good enough. Whilst FIFA has always delivered on presentation, its core gameplay has been sorely lacking for an absurd amount of time. Developers Konami on the other hand, have consistently proven that, if you want realistic soccer, Pro Evolution is most certainly the game for you. Now in the next generation, EA are committed to proving Konami otherwise. This could well be the first time that a FIFA game manages to outplay the competition.
The first thing to be said is that, although EA are focusing all their efforts on gameplay this time round, the presentation will still remain completely top notch. It must be said that the game visually is looking fantastic. With a brand new shader engine, players are looking more like their real-life counterparts than ever before. And the numerous stadiums in the game have also been given a boost, with an incredible amount of polygons running through them. It is safe to say that the game looks incredibly impressive.
Fans will also notice that all the official licenses and players are back this year. It is a well known fact that FIFA has always got one-up on Pro Evo by signing each team sponsor to it’s game, and thus allowing them to incorporate official shirts and sponsors on every single club. While it may not seem that great of a deal, it always helps when the team you are playing remains as faithful to the real-thing as possible.
Playing it forward....
Not only has the game received a significant visual boost over past iterations, but the commentary has also improved dramatically. FIFA 07 now supports localised commentary from over seven different countries, as well as individual team chants and songs. Commentators have also recorded dozens of new dialogue for the game too, so the repeating of the same line over and over again in one game will be kept to a low.
But just how does the gameplay differentiate from the old games in the series? Well, EA have finally realised that the game has to play like the real thing, and so have completely re-designed the game engine from the ground up in order to utilize the full capabilities of the Xbox 360. You won’t be seeing a refined game from an existing engine; rather, you will be seeing something very special indeed. For the first time, the game actually feels like you’re there and fully in control of the players actions.
The main mechanic responsible for this huge change is the brand new physics engine the game has. Before, the ball would be tied into the animation system. Instead of it naturally rolling to a player’s foot, it would be forced there in order to complete the animation. Likewise, during a shot it would be guided towards a goal using game code, rather than moving based upon the power and angle the player hit it at. This time round, the ball has its very own physics code, so it responds and acts like a real ball would. This will not only allow for more immersive gameplay, but you won’t be seeing the ‘magnetic’ ball that has plagued games in the past. You can rest assured that you’ll be playing a very realistic game of football.
Taking a shot....
Animation in particular seems to have improved a whole lot, and this is due to the new technology EA have based the games movement on; Inverse Kinematics. The entire definition of IK fits in well with the brand new ball physics. This allows for unrestricted muscle movement, and gives the players freedom to reach out to the ball, instead of the other way round. It also means that animations are no longer pre-determined. For instance, if a long ball was lofted towards a player, they could control it in numerous different ways. Depending on the angle, they could either touch it down with their feet, or bring it under control using their chest. Again, this seems to mimic real-footballers perfectly, and will help to give the game that extra realistic touch.
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