EA Sports FIFA Online would like to make a step toward the lucrative and highly competitive browser game market. the FIFA free spin-off entered into the open beta phase Since 26 May, thus playable for all. We took a look at the football game.

Simplicity is the main objective of FIFA Online. EA has created this soccer game with easy entry because FIFA 10 and PES 2010 is limited to some extent. However, if you want to compete against some other players, you will then practice hard and spend lots of time to rock yourself. In particular, the control may overwhelm many newcomers in a duel with professionals. FIFA Online allows you to Controll the game with your mouse and your keyboard before you move and advance, and even you keep your gate safe.

The player you control follows the mouse movements, a line shows the points of direction. The speed can be adjusted with the distance between cursors and players. Much more is needed to take a first attack in the game. Although one should deal briefly with the defensive work, but in the end anyway, the best defense is attack.

One Cannot defend much anyway. Try to attack and cause trouble in their goal. It is quite funny to see that you could actually play tactically wise, one can determine the flow paths directly, but ultimately is one of the tactics slightly. Most of the torsicherste way is stupid but then to run through the middle and the ball somehow got into the box, any rebound is already into the goal. This is nice for beginners, professionals wind up significantly in the accident rate.

Nevertheless, the learning curve is pretty flat: Five minutes after installing it is in the first match and score the first goals. The AI is just the beginning of the motivation very accommodating, but draws on the successes in the degree of difficulty. However, a 4-1 victory at second division club 1860 Munich against its eternal rival Bayern Munich but then – for all the love and good will – a little high. As with all football match is then simple: Either you like it to play against the AI, or you do not like it and just play against human opponents. For example, in World Cup mode.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa can play through in advance. For the World Cup in South Africa, EA has incorporated the tournament in FIFA Online and advertised it as an online tournament. Thousands of players can then play through the tournament in advance. A batch of England against Germany proved quite fast. In the duel against another player do not show lot of humility.

Easy to overcome: the goalkeeper. The presentation is pleasing in terms of quality. FIFA Online uses the same graphics engine as FIFA 10, which was panned so much because of the inferior graphics compared to the console versions and the poor performance. They are actually the same choppy animations and graphics, as in FIFA 10 for the PC – but the one difference is that FIFA Online is free, the whole thing can already stand in a different light. There is no eye candy and looks for a browser game very well. EA also wants to make sure that gamers play as many FIFA Online, and fit the hardware hunger accordingly. But again: All even in the beta phase and it is screwed to it.

With the right equipment to your players you will get better. Very nice, the different game modes. Tournaments can be organized before the World Cup and the National league last season, re-enacted. Half offline, so you need at least one Internet connection to start the game, or just online. As a manager it is a club to the top of the league cause, including transfers and equipment purchase. This is new in FIFA Online: After each game your team gets experience points. This allows the store then to buy special equipment to defend the individual players, for example, can shoot better or stronger. Presumably there will be for this store will also special equipment for real money. The idea is quite nice, but blocked the football mind strong when you suddenly can not win because the other team has particular shin. While obviously tried is to keep the Balance: Pro game only one player in the team will be equipped with these items.

Our conclusion: FIFA Online is a interesting blend of a full FIFA world cup adapted for casual fun football player. There will be both, and none can rightly so. For football fans it’s nice, they can now have a pretty good even without console FIFA experience, this is a growing online community and the well-known large licenses.

Other hand, it is quickly annoyed by the controller and the rather limited freedom. For casual players, who are overwhelmed with the Controller’s control, it is a very good start with an appropriate learning and motivation curve. For this game, the depth is hardly given, much seems to go out on the chance yet, and that can frustrate strong. The question remains whether it is really in the long run is so much fun to control a football game with the mouse. A short lunch break in-between game certainly worth it for a long evening but then the learning of the controller control.