FIFA 11 News Post

Carraggi's Corner: FIFAmerica

03:25 PM - September 15, 2010 by RaychelSnr

It's no secret that international football is utterly lost on the majority of Americans. Yes, generally speaking, soccer is becoming more popular in the States, but we Yanks still can't even call it by its proper name. It's backwards, inside-out and upside-down. It's closest relative in the the States is hockey, which has far deeper roots in Canada.

EA's FIFA series has nonetheless become the company's cash cow (sorry Madden) in recent years, a position it would be hard-pressed to be in if not for the American dollars being shelled out for it. But FIFA is the only major sports title not primarily geared towards an American audience, even if it admittedly makes some compromises to attract said audience.

What exactly is it that average American soccer fans (like myself) want from soccer games, and how could FIFA better suit them? In rapid-fire style, let's flop -- er, dive in.

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Member Comments

# 1 Adzs K2 @ 09/15/10 03:44 PM

7 on 7 would never work especially as its traditional here i mainland europe for it to be played by 7-11 year olds with smaller balls and pithches it just wouldnt be right....5 aside in a 'cage (ala fifa street) is thew most obvious option for this 1....

# 2 kenliving @ 09/15/10 03:52 PM

you want high scoring? are you also happy with madden being ultra-offense happy? fifa 10 was a farce when it came to scoring goals, hopefully they tone it down for fifa 11

# 3 CeltBhoy33 @ 09/15/10 03:58 PM

Sorry lad but Rivalries be lost amongst fans of San Jose and Philly Union? Most MLS fans are very intelligent when it comes to footy. If you were to say at a Fire watch party and you strike up a conversation about Celtic v.s Rangers you would have many lads coming up to you talking about the rivalry and how great it is. Not a bunch of wee clueless idiots asking why would the Texas Rangers by playing the Boston Celtics. They have also addressed the manager mode are working on it from what I have read.

# 4 sinc79 @ 09/15/10 04:22 PM

so you are asking FIFA to educate you on the game? you would like FIFA to create a sense of urgency and excitement for you? I personally fell in love with the game during this past World Cup and am like a kid in the candy store now as I'm exploring the beauty of this game at the club level. I'm a huge college football guy, but honestly once you get past the low scoring and the draws, the game really is incredible. Anything can happen in soccer. I would argue that the ability to have a draw makes the league standings and season so much more interesting and keeps so many more teams involved. Plus, the sheer fact that teams can drop out of the top leagues for poor performance and teams in the lower divisions can earn their way up is absolutely the greatest thing in sports. Imagine if the Pittsburgh Pirates had the AAA staring them in the face every year. Changes things doesn't it? Anyway I'm rambling. You just need to get over the soccer hump see how great the game is, then you'll actually enjoy playing it on your console.

# 5 Whitesox @ 09/15/10 04:46 PM

It's crazy to think someone might buy a game just because it has a 7 on 7 mode. I quite object to this notion. I don't want to play 9-6 games. Not sure I know anyone, fan or not, that does.

Could the explain the transfer system better? Sure.

Quote:


	these types of rivalries might be lost on the normal fans of the San Jose Earthquakes and the Philadelphia Union.

This is a slap in the face to fans of the MLS.

# 6 Adzs K2 @ 09/15/10 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinc79


	so you are asking FIFA to educate you on the game? you would like FIFA to create a sense of urgency and excitement for you? I personally fell in love with the game during this past World Cup and am like a kid in the candy store now as I'm exploring the beauty of this game at the club level. I'm a huge college football guy, but honestly once you get past the low scoring and the draws, the game really is incredible. Anything can happen in soccer. I would argue that the ability to have a draw makes the league standings and season so much more interesting and keeps so many more teams involved. Plus, the sheer fact that teams can drop out of the top leagues for poor performance and teams in the lower divisions can earn their way up is absolutely the greatest thing in sports. Imagine if the Pittsburgh Pirates had the AAA staring them in the face every year. Changes things doesn't it? Anyway I'm rambling. You just need to get over the soccer hump see how great the game is, then you'll actually enjoy playing it on your console.

Agreed this is why football (soccer) is by far the worlds most popular sport, and in many countries like my own its more than a game, its a religion ;P however the fact that anything is possible makes it painful also (Asamoah gyans penalty still gives me nightmares and im not even of african descent

...)

# 7 CeltBhoy33 @ 09/15/10 05:07 PM

I agree completely whitesox. A thought process like that is trying to take offsides away from the game or overtime.

# 8 CeltBhoy33 @ 09/15/10 05:09 PM

Also things like google can teach people about transfers and loans. It's not very hard to comprehend what a transfer or a loan is.

# 9 addybojangles @ 09/15/10 05:25 PM

You guys are on a SPORTS GAMING WEBSITE commenting on a story about SOCCER.

Mr. Carraggi isn't talking about YOU. You guys aren't casual fans of soccer or of sports games on consoles.

Re-read his last paragraph:

"Not all of these off-hand suggestions necessarily add to the sim aspects of the game, and many of the ***more knowledgeable fans of the game would object***, but the majority of these additions would be completely optional to help ease fringe fans into the game."

This is for the guy who sees FIFA on the counter, remembers watching some games of the World Cup and being slightly amused.

# 10 RaychelSnr @ 09/15/10 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by addybojangles


	You guys are on a SPORTS GAMING WEBSITE commenting on a story about SOCCER. Mr. Carraggi isn't talking about YOU. You guys aren't casual fans of soccer or of sports games on consoles. Re-read his last paragraph: "Not all of these off-hand suggestions necessarily add to the sim aspects of the game, and many of the *more knowledgeable fans of the game would object*, but the majority of these additions would be completely optional to help ease fringe fans into the game." This is for the guy who sees FIFA on the counter, remembers watching some games of the World Cup and being slightly amused.

Exactly, everyone above missed the point of the article here. It's suggestions to possibly build the market of FIFA customers in America and perhaps even coaxing a new fan of the sport or two into the fold. These are for Joe America who doesn't know much, if anything, about Soccer on a worldwide basis.

# 11 mjarz02 @ 09/15/10 05:39 PM

I think adding more friendly/Arcade style game modes to Fifa might cause more American fans to buy FIFA but I believe the bigger piece is the education.

What formations work best for which types of teams would be great!

Also if they added a video on rivalries for each league would be very cool to watch. I know about the major rivalries but not much depth and videos would be a great addition!

# 12 Adzs K2 @ 09/15/10 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjarz02


	I think adding more friendly/Arcade style game modes to Fifa might cause more American fans to buy FIFA but I believe the bigger piece is the education. What formations work best for which types of teams would be great! Also if they added a video on rivalries for each league would be very cool to watch. I know about the major rivalries but not much depth and videos would be a great addition!

If the game becomes more friendly/Arcade, i guarantee you a large chunk of players would go back to PES.....Pes was the game to play a few years back, then around fifa 08 many people switcehd games (including myself), but with how pes is looking for the average football fan, any let up in realism for an unwanted (by non americans) gameplay change would lead to another mass migration loool

# 13 Whitesox @ 09/15/10 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMChrisS


	Exactly, everyone above missed the point of the article here. It's suggestions to possibly build the market of FIFA customers in America and perhaps even coaxing a new fan of the sport or two into the fold. These are for Joe America who doesn't know much, if anything, about Soccer on a worldwide basis.

I object for reasons other than you might think. How do they get the word about a 7 on 7 mode out there? They have to specifically advertise to American audiences. Not only is this taking away from marketing budget that could be used for features that appeal to much of their user base, but also consider the man hours put in to making this mode work. Contrast that with the amount of new players it brings to the game, and I believe you would find it an unfavorable business decision.

The same thing goes for marketing their explanation of the transfer system (this could be spread by word of mouth, it probably would take more time to write the text than it would to actually build the menu into the game.

What can they do for rivalry games? Bump up the sound and add a commentary line?

These features don't seem to me as feasible marketing options, which is why I object. Well, in addition to the fact that a 7 on 7 mode just sounds un fun to play.

# 14 CeltBhoy33 @ 09/15/10 07:41 PM

How about this go buy FIFA street if you think soccer is boring or needs to be faster. FIFA shouldn't be based on Americans when the majority of the people who buy it are not American. In no way should there be 7 on 7 if you want to play that go buy a ball call up some lads and go play at there nearest pitch because that should not be in a game.

# 15 electrickeeper @ 09/15/10 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CeltBhoy33


	How about this go buy FIFA street if you think soccer is boring or needs to be faster. FIFA shouldn't be based on Americans when the majority of the people who buy it are not American. In no way should there be 7 on 7 if you want to play that go buy a ball call up some lads and go play at there nearest pitch because that should not be in a game.

Exactly.

How arrogant are we (as sports fans) when we want a sport that is the most popular in the world to change just so it fits into what we consider exciting or worth watching?

If people are genuinely interested in learning about soccer, then they will find ways to immerse themselves in it. Picking up a video game that has non-realistic elements in it isn't giving a true view of the sport to people who really want to get into it.

If I played a 7v7 mode and scored 10 goals a game, then go watch a European game on the weekend and maybe see 2-4 goals, I'd be badly misinformed (for lack of a better term) and probably disappointed.

# 16 slystone @ 09/16/10 12:50 AM

Adding in an extra game mode with 7 on 7 is not "changing the game", if you don't want to play that mode you don't have to. That being said, I don't think a feature like that is necessary, and it wouldn't even be fun - just too many guys on the field.

If you want more scoring, just play on an easier difficulty level - it's really not that hard to score on Amateur and Pro, even a beginner can get a handful of goals after playing a few games.

And completely disagree about the manager mode comment - you have multiple cups you can play for besides winning your League, transfers are fun and not hard to figure out, there's player development and scouting - FIFA's manager mode is intuitive and fun, and the new Career Mode is going to rule.

The only thing I agree with is more explanations, a mini-encyclopedia would be very helpful to the casual American fan (like myself).

# 17 Whitesox @ 09/16/10 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slystone


	Adding in an extra game mode with 7 on 7 is not "changing the game", if you don't want to play that mode you don't have to. That being said, I don't think a feature like that is necessary, and it wouldn't even be fun - just too many guys on the field.

It definitely isn't changing the game, but it would be a tragic waste of time.

# 18 Dazraz @ 09/16/10 05:14 AM

It took EA a long time to get FIFA to the levels of realism it now possesses. To try & create a more up tempo shooting frenzy would be a travesty. It would be like turning MLB the Show into the BIGS.

I do agree with your comments on Manager Mode. The depth of this is pitiful when compared to the likes of baseball & basketball simulations. I'm sure EA could be a little more inventive within this mode. I have noticed that this years FIFA does have stat overlays during the game which are pretty informative. It will be interesting to see whether the stat data is carried from the game to the career mode.

# 19 m2ndbomb @ 09/16/10 05:37 AM

It's strange to me when people object to additions to a game when nothing else is being removed. Arguing that resources are being dedicated to less valuable additions -- that part I can understand. This isn't really an either-or situation, though. The idea is simple enough: take lessons from the other great sports game franchises. C'mon, let's try to be reasonable.

I totally agree with some basic guide to transfers, and an explanation of formations wouldn't be too hard either -- just throw it in the tutorial videos.

All you need to hype rivalries in a video game is added commentary and maybe some altered graphics packages for the presentation. Nearly every other sports game has done it. Maybe they've improved upon it in FIFA 11...?

NBA 2K has a "street" mode that takes nothing away from the franchise or MyPlayer modes. It may not be fully fleshed-out, but it works well as a casual experience. It also may not draw huge quantities of purchases on its own, but it's approached by 2K as more of a value-adding feature. MLB: The Show added a Homerun Derby this year; ditto. Thinking that EA couldn't apply the same strategy to their FIFA products seems foolish, since they have released full-fledged FIFA Street products (quality not withstanding) in the past. An approach similar to the bundling of NBA Jam and NBA Elite 11 could possibly work well here, while keeping them separate games to appease the sim buffs that worry about their game being tainted. They could even go the NBA 2K Draft Combine route and make it DLC (...uh oh).

To grow the popularity of the video game (and the sport!), you have to limit the condescension and distaste you feel for the unenlightened, and desensitize yourself to the offense that they may bring you. This article isn't about appealing to the people that already play and love the game, it's about extending that reach to those who would dismiss it (I think the OP referred to them as "normal"

). That's part of the equation after all; a video game serves as an ambassador to the sport.

About flopping... Do you watch the NBA?

# 20 goonertaff @ 09/16/10 08:18 AM

as an Englishman who "learnt" the rules of American Football Basketball and baseball through the Internet and Games I get the idea of selling Fifa to a wider audience.

However to basterdise the core game would alienate a lot of customers just to sell it to the US audience, I realise this isnt your premise but it seems to be what everone is assuming.

I do however remember madden having a training section when I first started playing it (2004?) which was fantastic for me as it explained the concepts of running inside and outside( for example)something similar is possible im sure as too formations try

http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_formations.html

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