FIFA Street Review
Developer EA
Publisher EA
Platform Xbox, PS3
Release Date Out Now
If I am totally honest the news that FIFA Street was getting a reboot didn’t initially set my world alight, the series synonymous with an almost cartoon take on street football was very off putting to a football fanatic. Thankfully this year we see a huge difference in Fifa Street and the reboot has much more in common with FIFA 12 than previous Fifa Street titles in terms of look and feel, but it still holds onto the fun side too without being silly.
It feels a lot like Fifa 12 because it is a lot like Fifa 12, for the first time it was built in house by the same team so it is built on the same game engine and uses the same character models and controls.
It does however not have the depth and longevity of FIFA 12 but it does offer a game that is incredibly fun to just pick up and play, while still having a lot to offer player in the long term.
Fifa Street is 5 a side football, where the players with the quickest feet and fastest footballing brains triumph over tactics and formations. Games take place in indoor arena’s, tennis courts, concrete playgrounds and roof tops basically anywhere you can set up a pair of goal posts.
The silly skills have been replaced by “realistic tricks”, this doesn’t mean you can’t do amazing things with the ball it just means no one’s feet catch on fire anymore. For anyone who watches Street football they will understand you do not need the unrealistic over the top additions to the already impressive level of skill on display.
Controlling the players is similar to Fifa 12 but with an additional trick feature. Holding the left trigger stick you to the spot and by flicking the analogue stick you can move the ball, timing this to coincide with an opponent’s lunge will either pull the ball away from him, tip it past or through his legs. Either way it makes a donkey out of him and put you through on goal.
This is all about attacking being one on one and baiting your opponent into making a mistake. The passing and defending is suspect but the level of control offered to the player with the ball is incredible. While these tricks are very hard to master the world tour brings you along at your own pace and lets you evolve into the street player you need to be to compete at the top levels. As you win tournaments you unlock new skill points which unlock new moves and before long you will be up to a level that will allow you to hold your own in multipayer.
OVERALL : Fifa street is a great addition to stand alongside Fifa 12. It takes the tricks and showboating that shouldn’t be in Fifa 12 and puts it in the right context. Hopefully both franchises evolve alongside each other and complement each other while offering two very different experiences.
Presentation is top notch and for a fun time you can’t go wrong with Fifa Street.
SCORE 8/10
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