Click the images to get a better look at them.

Wordfromthewise – Silver Liga BBVA

Aidan – FC Gooners

Chyngyz – EPL 75 Star

Johnpaulluna – ASTORIA FC

Neil – Blitzkrieg

Ole Martin – FK Oslo

Pablo – Inter Milan

Tim M – Irish

Tuome – Spain

Think you’ve got something better? Pop a link in the comments…

This one is all about FIFA Street, with us discussing everything posted today in a little more detail.

We’ve changed the way we record as well and although there are some kinks to be worked out in regards to one channel in particular, we hope you guys notice a massive improvement in podcast quality overall. If you do think the quality is better than before, or have further suggestions please let us know in the comments.

We also sadly lost a fair bit of audio, meaning that this podcast is stitched together. If you can figure out where, I’ll send you a FIFA 12 T-Shirt (Provided you live in the UK).

Enjoy.

Direct Download | Subscribe Via iTunes

*The build of FIFA Street we played was an Alpha version of the game and was not representative of the final product. We played on the Xbox 360 and all online functionality was disabled*

Twitter Questions:

How is the Career Mode (World Tour) part of FIFA Street?

Tom: It’s great, but rather than regurgitate stuff, you can read the full preview of World Tour.

Is there a Pro Clubs mode?/Is there an Ultimate Team mode for FIFA Street?/What Online modes are there?

Tom: We didn’t get to see the online suite I’m afraid. We’re doing another Developer Q&A soon so we’ll try to get all online bits answered then.

Can you create a Virtual Pro?

Tom: Not in the way you have done in previous FIFAs. You do create a character in World Tour, but it’s not a VP with accomplishments and there’s no Game Face support either sadly.

FSB Community Questions:

Tom Moxey: What teams and arenas are in FIFA Street?

Tom: Loads. We’re hoping to get a complete list of them together soon. You can’t play every match type in every arena though so we’ll try to get that information for you as well.

Eric: How many players from each team are available, do you have a full squad?

Dave: You don’t have a full squad in the traditional FIFA 12 sense but you do have anywhere between 10 and 15 of the best players from each team to select. Given that the maximum number you can use in any match is 6, that’s ample.

Mendieta: Are there different weather conditions?

Dave: Sadly no but there are more than enough arena’s to provide sufficient variety and some of these venues show off day, night and indoor conditions.

Is the Impact Engine improved from FIFA 12 and how will this affect gameplay ie. player collision, physicality etc?

Dave: With the pitch size condensed the Impact Engine is certainly more evident in FIFA Street although there were still some issues with players reacting strangely to heavy contact but it was an Alpha build we were playing after all so that was probably to be expected.

Is diving part of FIFA Street? Or shirt pulling (push/pull)?

Dave: There’s no diving or shirt pulling in FIFA Street but you still have Tactical Defending and the use of push/pull.

Can you use objects such as bars, walls, to hit the ball in order to manoeuvre around players?

Tom: Yep, it’s great, discussed on the podcast but if you play a 1-2 with yourself (double tap pass) off a wall, it’ll come back with some pace on it. But if you try the same thing off of a chain-link fence, the ball is cushioned and probably won’t make it back to you.

Tim: Are their penalties in FIFA Street, how do they work?

Tom: Didn’t get to take any, but we did face one and as a keeper, it’s the same as FIFA 12. Penalties are only a possibility in the matches/tournaments which have referee’s.

Fasyx: Is the skill dribbling the same as FIFA 12?

Tom: Nope, Dave has explained how the dribbling etc works in the Gameplay Preview.

Luke: Will there be actual street players in the game eg, Issy Hitman and Edward Van Gils?

Tom: Yes to the street players, but we didn’t get to see who. We’re hoping to get full lists before release but can’t promise anything, if not we’ll do them as soon as we have retail copies but yes, FIFA Street does have real street players.

Will Futsal matches have the correct rules eg, can’t pass back into your own half once over the half way line?

Tom: Yes they do, including the fact that that isn’t a Futsal rule. I certainly couldn’t find any references to it in the rules, maybe you’re thinking of Basketball?

Shane: Have they recorded any new goalkeeper animations especially for FIFA Street?

Dave: Goalkeeper animations on the whole are the same but in true street fashion you can now use the skill pass modifier (L1) on goalkeeper throws. For example a keeper can throw the ball to a team mate through his own legs now, which we loved using.

BC87X: How is the player personality, are individual players distinctive visually (face, boots, body type) and in the way they play?

Dave: Yes, most definitely and the variety of the street clothing they wear is also really good. When going in to a match you can choose whether your team wear their licensed football kits or street wear and the street apparel randomises every time. We played a lot of World Tour mode so we didn’t have much contact with real footballers but Messi is predictably insane to control.

Sebastian: What customisation options are available?

Dave: Loads really and as you progress through World Tour you unlock more and more kits and accessories. When you create a street team you can customise the team badge, kits and each member of your squads appearance individually.

Theirfan38: What about the tactical defending?? Do you see any difference (progress) comparing to FIFA12?

Tom: Contain is better than in FIFA 12 because it brings you in to pretty much the ideal position, but outside of that it’s basically the same. Dave went into more detail in the Gameplay Preview.

How are the graphics are they exactly the same than FIFA12?

Tom: Hard to compare as the environments are so different. I’d say that FIFA 12 has better player models, but FIFA Street is brighter, prettier and generally easier on the eye, even in some of the grey urban arenas.

Can a defender do the same tricks as a forward? I mean can Ferdinand can do the same as Ronaldo?

Dave: All players can do all tricks once they’ve been unlocked. But it depends on player attributes how successful these tricks are compared with other players. So if Ferdinand does a double step over, Ronaldo’s version will be faster and more powerful because of his attributes.

Eli: How effective are aerial passes in such a small pitch?

Dave: They’re actually quite useful to pass to a team mate that’s across the pitch or to try and set up more spectacular finishes like overhead kicks. We did manage to cross and score a header in a 5-a-side goal so yeah, quite effective.

Are skills necessary to beat a player, or can fast players be used to run straight through?

Tom: Depends on the match type/arena in a way but sprinters won’t be steaming straight down the middle of the pitch. At the same time, you don’t HAVE to use tricks to beat players but it’s obviously the most effective way. Knock ons work pretty well too, but you need space to knock the ball into which isn’t always available.

Adam: Is FIFA Street easy for non-skillers to pick up and play or is it more suited to those who have somewhat mastered skills in FIFA 12?

Tom: Definitely easy to pick up. The trick system is really well designed, you’ll grasp feints and general ball control immediately. The tougher tricks are still fairly easy in terms of input, but you need to apply context to get the most out them. Neither Dave or myself are big on tricks in Fifa 12 but we still hit the ground running, that said, we did have Hjerpseth helping us out. You’ll be chaining combos in no time though.

Kieron: How many players a side can we have?

Tom: Up to six, depending on the match type. Panna for example is always 2v2.

Zidane: Is there an Arena mode before matches in FIFA Street?

Tom: No, just a loading screen. There is a 1vKeeper practise arena that you can jump into though, so you do have a place to learn and perfect tricks.

Happyfeet-efc: Can you create a team without being on World Tour Mode?

Tom: We didn’t get a chance to try, but I’m certain I saw it referenced in the team selection window, so I’m pretty sure you can.

*The build of FIFA Street we played was an Alpha version of the game and was not representative of the final product. We played on the Xbox 360 and all online functionality was disabled*

PANNA

Panna matches are tight, technical affairs, played 2v2 in the smaller, more enclosed arenas. You earn points for beating players, 1 for a ground beat and 2 for an aerial beat, but ideally you want to be aiming for nutmegs as they’re worth three. As you earn points through play they build up in your bank, to claim them and add them to your total tally you need to score. Scoring gives you one extra point but importantly wipes your opponents bank setting you both back to zero.

Whilst it’s fairly straightforward to build up points, cashing them in isn’t always easy. With the arenas being so tight, even just having four players fills the pitch up making it tough to break through the defence. Add to that the fact that the goals are so small, making space and shooting from distance isn’t an option unless you’ve already beaten the defensive line with tricks or you fancy chasing the shot down after it’s bounced off the wall. That’s not to say defending is a doddle, if you attack in pairs you’ll leave yourself wide open to being broken on in seconds, you’ll want to try and keep someone on the line as much as possible. The winner is the side with the most points at the end of the time limit.

We found the matches to be really exciting and a lot more tactically involved than you’d imagine. You’d think that scoring loads of points is all there is to it, which is semi true, but there’s definitely a knack to knowing when to cash in. Not to mention the fact that a cheap (tactical) goal can turn things around in seconds. When done at the right time it’ll reset all of your opponents hard work, frustrating them and giving you a slight edge, just ask Dave. 28-0. Panna is by far the mode I’ve missed most since we had to put the pads down.

FREESTYLE

Freestyle matches are similar to Panna in that you need to score to bank the points you’ve accumulated, but instead of being rewarded in small increments for beats, you earn points by doing tricks and combos, increasing your bonus bar and then cashing in by sticking the ball in the net whilst it’s at its peak. As you use tricks they become less profitable in terms of points, so you can’t just spam the high scoring tricks, you’ll need to mix things up. The games aren’t limited to 2v2 and the winner is the first team to pass a pre set points threshold. The matches we played had a target of 2500 points, which usually took around 8-10 minutes to complete, just to give you an idea of length.

FUTSAL

Futsal is as close as this game gets to the main FIFA series. With more players on a bigger pitch, there is much less emphasis on tricks to beat players. Matches don’t exactly play like FIFA 12, but they’re a little more relaxed when compared to Freestyle or Panna matches. The emphasis is obviously on scoring goals so whilst tricks can be useful, they’re certainly not the be all and end all. If clubs were ever to appear in future any way, then Futsal would be the only mode that could possibly make it work. It’s a great mode and a lovely change of pace from the frantic feel of some of the others.

LAST MAN STANDING

Last man standing sees both sides start off with an equal number of players, which decreases as the match goes on. When a goal is scored, the goalscorer leaves the pitch and the team carries on without him. It’s a match type I was really looking forward to, but ended up being unimpressed by. The matches aren’t particularly eventful and it felt like the teams were just trading goals as the players were whittled down, making the whole match largely pointless up until the inevietable 1 on 1 that it would end with. That’s not set in stone of course and I’m sure there is excitement to be found in those matches, especially if you do end up with 1v3 or 4, but I just didn’t get the appeal (Dave wanted me to point out that he loved it and that I’m wrong).

PRACTICE ARENA

Not so much a match type, but it’s important to point out that there is a practise arena that you can use to learn tricks. It reminded me a bit of the FIFA 08 arena in terms of style and lighting but the important thing is it’s just you and a keeper. Just like FIFA 12, the keeper AI is pretty aggressive, so if you get too close they’ll take great pleasure in stealing the ball and walloping it over your head into the open goal behind you. If you keep your distance you’ve got plenty of space to nail those neck stall to rainbow flick combos. Seriously, try doing one of those.

CUSTOM

Again, not a match type but you get four slots for saving custom game types. You can mix and match the options present in the modes above (within reason) and save them into slots that you can quick launch matches from. It’s a small touch, but you’ll find those all over FIFA Street, little tweaks and touches that make your experience that much smoother and more enjoyable.

Overall there is plenty of variety to the match types available in FIFA Street,  the beauty being that they each offer something completely different but none of them feel out of place.

We’re starting to find our feet properly now and have built some important relationships that will help us get better content and news out there for you guys to read. We’ve got some ideas and plans  for the new year, and you can bet your bollocks that we’ll be all over FIFA Street.

It wouldn’t be worth it if people didn’t visit the site and get involved in the comments. We do it because we enjoy it, but in all honesty you guys make the site possible, so from Myself, Dave, Toby and Suff, Merry Xmas and thank you for reading.

Here we go, it’s the final category of the FSB Awards 2011 and we want you to pick your favourite Xaor’s Corner article from 2011. Toby aka Xaor has churned out some amazing pieces this year and whether you’ve agreed or disagreed no one can deny that the FIFA debate his articles have saparked has been nothing short of spectacular.

The nominations are:

1) Xaor’s Corner: Manual Just Isn’t Good Enough

“Since FIFA 07 we have been given a choice over our control scheme – and while the initial innovation was fantastic this area of the game is clearly one which demands change and could be improved massively without huge difficulty”

Dave: “FIFA’s manual community is so large and so committed that much more care attention needs to be shown to the control schemes as Toby rightly says. A genuine Semi middle ground must also be a top priority for FIFA 13.”

Tom: “As a manual player it’s a topic that’s close to me and I agree it needs a lot of work.”

2) Xaor’s Corner: The Unholy Gameplay Trinity

“If FIFA is to play a believable game of football the AI has to be both intelligent and deep: but currently it varies between boringly functional to disastrously broken”

Dave: “Loved this article and 84 comments speaks volumes of the debate it caused”

Tom: “Definately stirred up some debate, but an interesting post”

3) Xaor’s Corner: Saving Clubs From Itself

“As I said at the beginning, the potential of this mode is immense – it could quite easily morph into an almost MMO style game, a living online football universe – but before any of that the basics must be put right”

Dave: “Clubs is one of the best new additions to FIFA in recent times and I’m so glad Toby took the time to write about it, agree with every single word”

Tom: “Agree fully with every single word. I wish clubs was good enough for me to spend time with it”

Hit the comments and let us know which Xaor’s Corner article is your favourite and you can bet your bottom dollar that Toby will be back on FSB bigger and better next year.

The FIFA community video scene is as big as it’s ever been with numerous people now “famous” within the community for their edits. We can’t post them all, but of the ones we have, these are our favourites.

1) Wepeelers FIFA History 101

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dave: “Rob’s put out some great FIFA videos this year but this is by far the best and by far my favourite”

Tom: “A nice little trip down memory lane, the music fits absolutely perfectly. Easily my favourite video of the year.”

2) FIFA Street Mashup Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dave: “FIFA Street is the surprise package of 2011 and looking at this, March 2012 can’t come soon enough.”

Tom: “Definitely the best FIFA Street video we’ve seen.”

3) Small Beans Can Play FIFA

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dave: “This is the standard all FIFA community montages must aspire to, a wonderful effort”

Tom: “Completely caught me by surprise, I’d not seen anything from these guys before. The editing is superb, even moreso when you find out that iDueli, who did the edit, is self taught.”

Let us know which of these you think is the best video that we’ve posted from 2011 in the comments.

It’s been a pretty big year for articles on FSB and some of our gameplay and Career Mode impressions pieces are among the most commented posts on FSB. But aside from the articles you guys expect to see from us every year these three stood out for us in terms of their content and prominence in a FIFA year which has seen people dived in many different areas.

1) The Great Control Debate

“Sadly it’s balance that’s missing, and that’s out of the players hands. EA need to take on board the arguements of both sides and make changes that keep everyone happy regardless of their control choice.”

Dave: “The assisted/semi/manual control debate has raged on the FIFA forums for years which is why tackling this subject for us was so important. This one will run and run and we’ll certainly revisit it in 2012″

Tom: “I doubt this will ever be resolved to a point where all parties are happy, but I enjoyed writing it, so… yeah.”

2) To Skill Move or Not to Skill Move

“At the moment EA are having their cake and eating it with FIFA’s gameplay, adding Pro Passing and Stamina Models for realism with one hand and then promoting fantasy with Skill Moves on the other.”

Dave: “The most elaborate skill moves in FIFA are a personal hatred of mine which is why I was so keen to explore this topic. Can FIFA really be everything, to every type of gamer?”

Tom: “Maybe with the arrival of a proper FIFA Street game we’ll see this get toned down? Here’s hoping.”

3) Why EA Should Remove The OVR?

“Perhaps in EA’s eyes the suggestion of removing the OVR completely in one hit is a little gung-ho but I certainly think that it’s prominence needs to be reduced in favour of a more rounded view of player abilities”

Dave: “Writing about new ideas is big passion of mine which is this is one of my favourites articles and personally I dont think there’s anything wrong with “gung-ho” if you’re doing the right thing.”

Tom: “The individual attributes are more important to me anyway so I probably wouldn’t miss it.”

As can tell from the post image Dave Rutter certainly enjoyed them but why don’t you hit the comments and let us know which article is your favourite from 2011?

1) Nasris Pyjamas

Dave: “We’re well known for our off topic debate in our podcasts but Nasri’s Pyjamas is probably the best example from 2011″

Tom: “I had a hangover so I don’t remember much of this one, although having played it back it was full of tangents and messing about, which I like.”

2) Best FIFA 12 Podcast Ever

Dave: “The fantastic four thrust together in one of the best podcasts of the year, opinion, debate and banter”

Tom: “The longest we’ve ever recorded and probably gathered the most positive feedback we’ve ever recieved for a podcast.”

3) Who Doesn’t Love Trees?

Dave: “The title and image make you wonder whether we talked about FIFA or even football in this one. For that reason alone it deserves a nomination.

Tom: “If I’m honest, I just liked the image for this one.”

So, which was the best podcast of the year and why? Let us know in the comments.

It’s time for the Best Post Image category in the FSB Awards 2011 and we have three fantastic efforts which have all graced the front page of FIFA Soccer Blog and caused quite a stir in the comments at times. So FSB Community the choice is yours, let us know in the comments which post image from the three nominations is your favourite and crown it the best in class for 2011.

1) Goodbye FIFA 11

Dave: “This one has to be the most commented and favourite images of 2011 and there are two reasons why…”

Tom: “…I think it’s the boobs.”

2) FIFA Server Closures

Dave: “A football pitch in a server room? Enough said.”

Tom: “Still not 100% sure how I managed to find this, but it fits perfectly.”

3) EA to Ban FIFA 11 Cheats

Dave: “The perfect image to accompany the title for me, no words needed to describe it.”

Tom: “Slightly dramatic pose. I think the shot came from a grassy knoll”

So which is your favourite? Hit the comments and if there are any other images you’ve enjoyed in 2011, let us know.