The changes to this year’s game aren’t all immediately apparent, but they are welcome and make the game deeper and more realistic. The biggest change is the physicality between players–whether it’s a winger holding off a defender, or two players tussling in the box, FIFA 11’s players are constantly fighting each other for the ball. This increased tactility has an impact on the gameplay, adding an emphasis on player strength and speed, making player interaction more brutal, and producing some nice touches that add to the realism. For example, if you perform a crunching tackle, the tackler will sportingly tap the downed player on the back as he runs by to collect the ball. There’s also much more variation to the passes and shots; you won’t see the same shots being taken repeatedly, while positioning, footedness, and environmental factors such as rain all have a real and notable impact. Scoring is also more difficult than before; improved goalies are harder to beat than in FIFA 10, and shots, particularly those lobbed over the keeper, are harder to get in the net.