The player

Football gaming will change forever with the debut of Fifa 11, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

WHEN YOU think of PC gaming, football isn't usually the first thing that springs to mind. First person shooters? More than likely. Role-playing games? Definitely. But for many sports games, much of the attention in recent years has been focused on console games.

However, Fifa is about to get an upgrade. The PC version of the game has been previewed before, but at EA's Surrey offices a couple of weeks ago, we were given a glimpse of what to expect from Fifa 11 for the PC. And it's impressive.

The version we saw was close to complete. The game engine has been completely upgraded from Fifa 10. The line between the console and PC version has been all but erased, with Fifa 11 getting the same game engine in the PC version that the PS3 and Xbox 360 version have enjoyed.

The upshot is console quality, next-generation graphics and gameplay on the PC, as close to a competitive game of football as many of us (ie me) will ever get.

Some of the best upgrades have been applied to the players. Not only are the graphics lifelike (Wayne Rooney's EA avatar looks particularly true to life), but the player movement is better, with 360-degree dribbling so you can find and take advantages of spaces, better tackling and more physical play.

The AI players have been improved as well. The stupid mistakes of previous versions have been worked out, and the players aren't as easy as beat as they once were. The goalkeepers are the biggest beneficiaries of this, so any previous tactics of tricking the goalie will be that bit more difficult to pull off.

Fifa 11 will also allow you to test out certain set plays, with customisable set pieces for free kicks and corners. You can create them in the practice arena, assign them to specific players and then trigger them in game.

Add in 62 different stadiums and you have an impressive line-up for PC gamers.

But what about console gamers? At the time of writing, the console version of Fifa 11 was still under wraps. But if the improvements in the PC game are anything to go by, competitor Pro Evo Soccer will be forced to up its own game with its next version.

EA has obviously listened to feedback from players, so expect decent gameplay improvements and the removal of some of the more annoying bugs.

There's only a matter of weeks left to find out; the console versions are out this autumn.