Passing overhaul leads FIFA 11 changes

The latest edition of Zoo magazine includes the first official details about one of the most anticipated games of the year – FIFA 11.

As reported by CVG, EA claims to have made seismic improvements” to its football game engine. Along with the normal graphical and audio enhancements the game is also said to boast massively improved” computer AI and an increased focus on footballer personality.

The most radical changes, however, are with the passing mechanism. In what sounds similar to the ‘manual’ passing mode found in FIFA 10, players will have complete control over the direction and weight of their passes. Also available are swerving passes, driven lobs and backspin-heavy through balls.

One of PES’ strengths has always been its accurate recreation of the playing styles of the game’s biggest stars, and that’s just what EA is promising with FIFA 11.

Along with a host of player-specific moves that will see Wayne Rooney charging about like a mad man and Didier Drogba bullying defenders off the ball, ten body types” (as well as a number of special cases such as super-tall Peter Crouch) are now available for the game’s designers to help inject individuality into players. FIFA 10, by comparison, had just three body types.

Another interesting addition is the new ability for gamers to record custom chants for use in the game.

With PES 2011 also placing the emphasis on drastically overhauled passing, it will be interesting to see how the two titles fare with critics and consumers.