Back Of The Net
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I'm not a huge football fan, I like to watch the big international tournaments and be disappointed with everyone else in England but I'm not an avid viewer. Why did I buy this game then? Well Football games I've always found a lot of fun ever since Goal on my old Amiga. You don't need to like football to enjoy these games.

The king of football games now is generally seen as EA's FIFA series, that's the football equivalent of Call of Duty, one released every year. I decided on the Wii version as it looks great fun and ultra realistic graphics don't really add too much to these kinds of games for me.

Controls in these type games are very important and I can happily report that FIFA 11 has an excellent control scheme. For novices there is an "All Play" mode where the computer controls all the player's movement, all you do is tackle, pass and shoot. This is ok, but really doesn't give you much control, you feel too restricted but it's ok for a start.

The main controls require the Nunchuck attachment, you'll be the Bruce Lee of the football field (some real players seem to think they are martial artists). Once you're used to it it's great. Passing is dead easy, a quick tap of a button only. Tackling players requires a shake of the controller, it's nice some of the motion control being used, although it feels like an afterthought really.

The indoor and street football modes are a lot of fun and add a great deal to the game, for a start they are a lot faster than the regular pitch mode. This mode really suits the Wii's more casual gaming approach and is a ton of fun. It's possible to bounce the ball of the wall and get power ups, not realistic but who cares when it's this much fun.

The "Streets to Stadiums" mode is the main career part of the game. You take control of a player who must start right at the bottom (jumpers for goalposts style) and work your way up to playing for a major team. It's a great idea and adds something new. When you do make it you feel you've earned it and get a good buzz out of it. You earn experience points to progress. The main game mode keeps you gripped and wanting more. Excellent.

What football game would be complete without a management mode. Would be Alex Ferguson's will love it. It's the usual thing here, pick a team, play matches or let the computer play them for you. Transferring players and selecting teams. This is not my favourite mode but its fun to drop into it now and again.

Online play is fast, free and a lot of fun, I found no glitches and it all runs nice an smooth. There are a number of modes, but no street or indoor ones. There are ranked and unranked matches. Two vs. Two co-operative mode is very good. There are however no leagues to progress through so that is a bit of a let down. It's still a great online experience and great for the Wii.

The graphics will not stand up to comparison with the HD consoles. No photo realistic stuff here. That's not to say you can't recognise the players (well the more famous ones in my case). The player models are in the spirit of Wii titles, a bit cartoony.

Sound is also good, although how can you get it wrong in a football game? Commentary is by Clive Tyldesley and amusingly the now disgraced sexist Andy Gray (I haven't seen any female linesmen so it's been clean so far!). There's also some good music too.

Conclusion

I can heartily recommend FIFA 11 to football and non-football fans alike. It's a lot of fun and has enough modes to have you playing for a good long time. What are you waiting for, there's a goal with your name on it.

Recommended.