FIFA Street 3 Review - Xbox 360

The developers of FIFA Street 3 really outdid themselves. They've managed to document not three, not five, but nearly seven pages worth of content in the instruction manual. Exciting play modes include the ability to practice, play now instead of later, and challenge a friend to a head-to-head match. You can even pick people to play on your team, just like on the playground or in gym class! It's almost too much for any soccer fan to stomach. We're obviously spoiled.

Back to Basics

If you've dabbled in any of the other gazillion Street games, you'll be familiar with FIFA Street 3's core mechanics. Choose from an assortment of street or professional teams and compete on non-traditional surfaces such as a rooftop, an oil rig, or a shipyard.  String together an assortment of zany tricks to build up the gamebreaker meter, cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war. The catch is that before you can activate a gamebreaker, you have to max out the meter with shots on goal. Otherwise trick points accumulate like dust in Tom Cruise's medicine cabinet.

What distinguishes FIFA Street 3 from previous iterations is its revamped visuals. The developers opted for a cartoon-like, exaggerated look for player models, and it fits the over-the-top action well. Smoothly animated moves are another plus, but the trick system involves too many context-sensitive maneuvers to make it appeal to more skilled players. If you're hoping to shake and bake opponents with complex tricks, this is not the game for you, as all that's really required is a few waggles of the right analog stick. Defense is also problematic, as players can only perform two types of tackles. Both suffer from slight delays.

For those who don't know the difference between Ronaldo or Ronaldinho and Geraldo or Ronald McDonald, helpful icons illustrate a player's core strengths. A steering wheel indicates top passers or playmakers, a hammer designates the best defenders, swirls depict trick specialists, and a bull's-eye target highlights top scorers. More than 250 athletes are included from 18 international teams, but there is no way to create custom players (male or female) and develop their attributes over time. Players also can't earn money to purchase anything of note to customize the experience. What you see is what you get.

Barney FIFA

Unfortunately, that ain't much. The FIFA Street challenge is the main single-player mode, which involves progressing through nine "tournaments" with distinct rules. You simply pick a pre-existing team and play a series of events or matches against specially grouped teams, from tricksters and finishers to enforcers and playmakers. The action is always the same -- it's just different teams and slightly different win conditions. New street teams are automatically unlocked by winning events or by earning bronze, silver, or gold medals. Medals are awarded to players for winning a certain amount of games, scoring x-amount of goals, and so forth.

Another mode is "playground picks," where you simply alternate turns with a friend to pick and choose which of the world's top players will be on your five-man team. In other words it's a fantasy draft, but it's limited to a single team and there are no new goals to accomplish in this so-called "mode." Head-to-head matches consist of a best-of series against a friend with a choice of six scoring variants: time, score, score difference, "headers and volleys," gamebreakers, and five-a-side. These are the same variants found in the street challenge mode. Once you've played one format, you've basically played them all.

Mario Strikers It’s Not

The most puzzling aspect of FIFA Street 3 is its lack of arcade-style craziness. Take us to a jungle where you have to use fancy footwork to avoid quicksand, boa constrictors dangling from trees, crocodiles near the sidelines, or maybe a few Hovitos with blowguns. Use money to purchase cool items like spring-loaded cleats or slippery kits. Or, maybe, the developer could have simply ripped a page from the superior NBA Street series, which lets you customize your onscreen personas over time. What's available in FIFA Street 3 is about as original as a Carson Daly monologue. Only less amusing.

Where the Street has no Shame

The FIFA Street series has taken a significant downturn with this third installment. Considering the disappointing NFL Tour, it's becoming increasingly obvious that EA has lost touch of what makes arcade-style sports games fun. While there are worse ways of spending your money than on FIFA Street 3, like treating six of your closest pals to see Hottie and the Nottie, the game would have been more suited as an Xbox Live Arcade title. As Kanye so eloquently says, you have to get "harder, better, faster, stronger." A sequel isn’t supposed to be softer, poorer, slower, weaker, but that sadly sums up FIFA Street 3's questionable content.