After much debate (and several mixed opinions from friends and GAME store employees alike) I bit the bullet, traded in my copy of 2010 World Cup and purchased FIFA 11 for the PS3. I had watched the trailers on Youtube and had been blown away by the improvements that FIFA had promised, including better graphics, improved 360 degree dribble system and a host of new features, as well as improvements on old ones.

The initial setup was a little lengthy at first, however not irrelevant. One of the new features included in ’11 is Hospitality, which basically searches your system for any instances of previous FIFA games and imports your defined settings from them. The system found my previous 2010 World Cup data and automatically adjusted the settings accordingly. Despite this somewhat lengthy procedure, it saved me lots of time in the long run that would have otherwise been spent trawling through the settings, getting everything ‘just so’. Once this process completed and I was signed into the Playstation Network, the game proceeded to the main menu.

I knew exactly what my friends were talking about in terms of improved graphics; even the title screen featuring a CGI of Kaka walking down the tunnel was visually impressive. Once I had set my default team (Bayern Munich), I launched into a game against long time rivals Bayer Leverkusen, and immediately was immersed in breathtaking visuals, an improved sound system and commentary.

One of the largest (and most advertised) new features in the game immediately became apparent to me. FIFA have dubbed it ‘Personality+’, and it essentially means that certain individual players have their real-life characteristics and skills implemented into their virtual self. For example, Rooney has the ability to make a sudden sprint burst up the pitch when he receives the right sort of through ball, as he would on the real pitch.

Another feature that is familiar to the FIFA faithful is the 360 degrees dribbling system that was first introduced in FIFA 10.  In ’11, however, it has had a complete revamp. Where it was good before, it is now mind-blowingly accurate, allowing the more agile players to skip around slower defenders, giving the game a new lease of life while encouraging style.

In conclusion, I would recommend this game to any of those either with FIFA 10 or even the more recent 2010 World Cup. The new features, plus the improved favourites make it a true winner in the virtual sport world. Let me just say for the records; it beats PES by a square mile, and then some.