I love it when EA releases a new edition of FIFA. No matter how much I know it’s going to be a case of evolution rather than revolution, I can’t help but head down to the shops and grab a copy. In fact, I get the same emotions about the annual update as I do about the start of the real-life football season... I can’t wait for it to arrive and then when it’s here, it’s business as usual. It’s inevitable that little will have changed from the year before; there will be new faces among the players, there will no doubt be different team shirts and sponsors on display and the commentary team may come up with some inventive new phrase or slogan to summarize the proceedings, but largely the beautiful game will be much the same. And that’s a good thing!

FIFA 10 pushed all the right buttons last year as did the World Cup edition in the summer; both were a breath of fresh air for the long running series – now in its 19th year – and helped to cement its rightful place as the best football game in the land. From the graphics and tip-top presentation, to the enhanced player controls and online team play, FIFA 10, in particular, was a fantastic and worthwhile purchase and a great improvement on the year before.
This year’s effort has not had such an overhaul, but instead tweaks and tinkers with a winning formula. Play the first few games and you’d be forgiven for thinking little had changed at all. Settle down for the evening, however, and you’ll be chuffed you lined EA’s pockets once again. Get past the intro animations and you can dive straight into a game or start a 15-season career as player, manager or player manager. Then, of course, there are the celebrated online options – from the simple head to head games to the 11v11 matches.

FIFA 11 is as glossy as ever. It features all the players you’re familiar with and all the teams you love or loathe. This time round, however, those players are affected by EA's intriguingly named Personality+, which replicates their real life personas in the game. Each team now actually plays differently, with players finally having noticeably different attributes from one another. A stocky forward now holds off several defenders while bearing down on goal, the pacey winger speeds past opponents down the wing but the slightest touch can take him down, and scoring from set pieces comes naturally to the free kick specialist. It’s a nice touch that really makes you value your key players on the pitch and wince should they get an injury.

And you’d better hope they stay fit and healthy too as it’s so much tougher to score than before. The AI seems much improved, particularly with the positioning and variety of play. Goalkeepers are acrobatic little swines who often just manage to pull off the impossible and poke my incoming shot onto the cross bar.
Speaking of goalkeepers, a new game mode allows you to don the gloves and stand between the sticks for an entire match too. Be A Goalkeeper is a welcome option but one I imagine will quickly be overlooked... it can get pretty dull watching most of the action take place higher up the pitch.
Among the most important new additions to this edition, however, is Pro Passing – a nifty new element that affects how your team pings the ball about the pitch. It certainly takes some getting used to, as you try to weight the pass and add just enough power and direction to ensure the ball goes where you want it to, but it’s so much more rewarding when you pull off that killer pass – more than a little reminiscent of Pro Evolution Soccer in its heyday. Depending on the skill of both you and the pixel-based player you control, the ball can now easily be intercepted or mis-hit. It really adds to the fun, longevity and realism.

The latest update brings no huge surprises but improves upon its predecessor in almost every way. Once again, EA has achieved its goal of bringing a fantastic football game to the masses. FIFA 11 is the best yet!