Not a fan of the knock-on button (R3) AT ALL. I don't expect it to work out all the time, but at least let me knock it ahead in close quarters and if I lose it, then I lose it. Tired of seeing defenders catch out a knock-on touch when they were previously coming in to smash me off of the ball. Everything about that steal animation is scripted.
And I really hope EA tweak the manner in which defenders can STILL catch up to attacking players. If Ronnie Ron Possible (Cron) gets past Terry on the wing, I'd imagine it's up to Alex/Bosingwa/Ivanovic/Essien/Mikel or whoever is in the center to try and cut him off. NOT for Terry to gain the ability, after turning, to accelerate at near super human speeds to catch me again. I also think another part of that is CPU-controlled players not making support run when you're running down the wing and into the box. Can't tell you how many times I've had nobody to pass to in the middle of the 18.
I've been playing more FIFA11 Demo, and the one thing that stands out for me currently is the unbalanced defending/attacking. In Fifa10 and World Cup the attackers had an advantage against the defenders. Most noticeably attackers with the ball in possession were able to move more quickly, or as quickly, as defenders.
Now, it seems reversed. If I have the ball and try to cut in-field to sprint past a defender, my player will be moving so sluggishly, it seems like I am not holding the sprint button at all, while the defender will just sort of slide in effortlessly and catch up with my player. If my player is controlling the ball he should loose some speed and agility, but when the ball has been knocked ahead or when running more quickly, the payer isn't controlling the ball, just basically running after it. For him to suddenly to look as if he has just run full speed across the pitch seems completely non-sensical. He's not even tired judging by the stamina bar.
Playing on World Class difficulty I've managed to score 2 goals in 2 hours of playing. I really hope this is tweaked from Demo to final game, because the imbalance sticks out like an unrealistic sore thumb after just some playing. Surely the devs will spot this aswell.
Also I am not sure I like the keepers, they need to be toned down about 7-10%, it looks ridiculous when they fly out to CATCH a hard shot that was even missing by 2 meters, sure it's Petr Cech but come on, the animation shouldn't slide him along the ground to get him an extra meter closer to the ball without his legs moving. Overall reaction times seem fine though.
And shots generally, or atleast for the cleaner strikes, really need alot more zip to them, and I mean in the "add 20%" + range, not just a tad. Even on Normal Game speed when looking at a replay the ball really looks like it weighs twice what it does, and as if the player really has problems getting it up to speed when shooting it.
Also, I still see so many 90 degree turns without the player in possession of the ball loosing any speed, or needing to move in a wider arc than the ball to get round the tight turn. His body starts to shift angle of movement before any leg has even had the chance to move him against the ground.
Not sure how many 3 minute 0-0 games of frustrating defender-packed standing-tackle mess I can stand. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I missing something? Reading people who say scoring is easy, what difficulty do you play on, because on World Class 0-0 is the default score, and you always seem to face a tight 2-man CB pair, with a defensive player always moving in on your player as soon as you pass to him. Longshots for me are non-existant, because there is absolute no space in front of goal unless perhaps on a breakaway, but even then the slow players in possession are so easily hunted down and dispossessed.
