FIFA: A Franchise Reborn

[MMChrisS]

FIFA and PES: Like United and Liverpool, Pele and Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo and any player who won't go flying if you breathed near him; ask ten different soccer gamers and it’s likely you’ll get ten different reasons as to why they prefer one over the other. It’s funny how these things work, because there was a time when it wasn’t like this.

There was a time —gather around, kids — when the FIFA series looked like it was going to play perennial second fiddle to the Pro Evo/Winning Eleven franchise. The transformation, from being the game that made hardcore soccer fans instinctively roll their eyes upon hearing its name, has been nothing but remarkable. Who would've thought?

Make no mistake, the FIFA series was never a David to PES’ Goliath — none of EA Sports’ games will ever play that role.

It’s just that, for folks who care to remember that far back, there was a time when PES’ quality was so far ahead of FIFA 's, that we felt confident enough in proclaiming that this will always be the natural order of things. The fact that FIFA has always achieved respectable sales numbers wasn’t the point — EA’s marketing war chest will almost always guarantee that — it was the fact that PES has always been the game for the “real” fan. But that was a notion that gradually became a misconception, starting from when the first batches of Xbox 360s and PS3s hit the shelves.

Read More - FIFA: A Franchise Reborn

[Cardot]

Good article. I am a very casual Fifa fan. I still have '09. Out of curiosity, could someone list a quick bullet/hightlight or two of each version, and the advances they brought to the table. It is interesting reading about the evolution that has taken the franchise to such acclaim.

[ezio]

Very well written article but I still think Fifa can improve een further.

There are still things in Fifa that need to be addressed IMO. the lack of fouls and the ridiculous transfers in CM come to mind immediately. Also, I still think there are some things that PES does better, mostly the off the ball movement and I also think it still has more player indiuality than Fifa does but Fifa has come a long way from where it was.

[elprez98]

CPU vs. HUM, FIFA still doesn't hold a candle to PES. Every team in FIFA plays the same. However HUM vs. HUM FIFA shines in some parts. I think if they fix the fouls and give the CPU more AI, it can be the better game.

[Randiesel75]

Agreed, very well written.

[SlimKibbles]

I was a somewhat regular buyer of the FIFA series since its start. But, after the debt glitch issue in FIFA 10, which they refused to fix, and World Cup 2010, which had the bug-filled tournament and whatnot, I haven't bought a FIFA game since. FIFA RTWC '98 still remains my favorite FIFA game.

[kelvinmak]

Appreciate the comments, folks.

Anybody who's got ten minutes of their lives they're willing to waste, this is a pretty nice vid showing the evolution of FIFA. Cool trip down memory lane, especially for the slightly older ones among us:

(Don't know for the life of me how to embed, so here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN_RHOqAymI)

Quote: Originally Posted by SlimKibbles

FIFA RTWC '98 still remains my favorite FIFA game.

I loved RTWC '98. Especially the indoor games. Man, they need to bring those back.

[Cardot]

Quote: Originally Posted by SlimKibbles

FIFA RTWC '98 still remains my favorite FIFA game.

Yes, I also had and enjoyed this one (for the PC). If I recall, each game had a great intro where you would come flying in from outside the stadium, and come in through the tunnel. And wasn't that the one with Chumbawamba...or was that WC98?

[SoAwesome]

I like Winning Eleven but the problem for me was released February while FIFA released in September. Wasn't going to wait 6 months for a soccer game so I went with FIFA.

[ps3veron]

Excellent article! Old school PES fan here who made the jump and I fully agree with whats written.

And just for the record, as a Liverpool fan, we beat United 2-1 last game