FIFA Street Preview

Look ma! No hands.

When the word “street” follows the name of any title, goofy is a word that comes to mind. Things like flaming balls, unlimited turbo, super awesome 360 big-trick, and much more are available in many “street” games. This time around FIFA Street is focusing on the real aspects of street futbol. It’s about the showmanship and individual skills each player has.

This is the first FIFA Street working off of its own engine. Past editions worked from a completely different control system. The development team at EA had been working on it for the better part of the last seven years and they hope they've achieved the essence of fantastic soccer control. The playstyle of this newest FIFA Street is about realism and by creating an engine completely customized for this style, brings a fresh and balanced scheme for this genre.



There are many sensational YouTube videos of soccer players showing off their array of kicking tricks. And makers wanted to capture what these players represented without needing to add special effects or cartoonish traits. If you watch these videos, people are already doing ridiculously amazing things and that’s what street futbol is all about.

The best part about street futbol is that it is universal. People of all races, genders, and ages play it day and night all over the world. Some show off their moves in indoor arenas, others in local parks, and some just set up a goal post and kick the ball around in the street. All of these venues are showcased in FIFA Street to demonstrate the nature of the game. Not only are venues different, but game rules can also change, especially from country to country.

There are a few different game options to choose from, such as Panna rules. This is a popular soccer variation played in Europe; Amsterdam seems to be big about it. (I didn’t notice this when I was over there, maybe because I was too busy rolling up…never mind.) The object of Panna rules is to score more points than your opponent and are earned by dribbling the ball between the opponent's legs and retrieving it before your opponent does. It’s also about keeping possession of the ball, as the player with the most tricks and longest time with the ball tends to be the winner.



Panna rules represent just one example of the many variations FIFA Street is hoping to illustrate authentically. Players will react to playing surfaces and surroundings in a proper manner. If they're running on artificial turf, they will be slightly faster than if they were running on grass. Balls will hit off of walls differently too. Bouncing off a brick wall will have more return force than a chain-link fence.

Among other features is World Tour which is basically a giant tournament for online competition. Many options are available in World Tour: creating a team and character, uploading a team to share with friends, playing against A.I. or human controlled squads, and the list continues. It all adds up once you get into action. The more you play, the more experience your players get. So even losing a tournament or exhibition game isn’t that bad, for you will always gain some kind of reward.

From video uploader, to realistic scenery and even real club licensing, FIFA Street will bring a new brand of a street futbol game that the world can enjoy. EA Sports is giving a lot of people, especially the United States, the opportunity to understand the underground side of “soccer”. This isn’t about David Beckham’s feud with Landon Donovan or how many fans Christiano Ronaldo has. It’s about you vs. me, who gets embarrassed first, and when it's going down. The showdown begins March 13th, so make sure to get a copy then.