I really hope not but I fear the worst may be happening!!

Fifa Street has personaly always been a bit of a chavvy excuse for a football game, with it’s flamboyant arcade-y style play, ott skills etc. the whole package symbolised the whole vibe that EA have been, and still are going for.  That ‘yoof-culture’ crap that tends to be spouted over by the Daily Mail when they have something to bitch about being wrong with civilisation.

As such, I’ve generally dismissed the previous two games as just being a cheap footy game, even after trying both of them out.

A few days ago, a demo of Fifa Street 3 appeared on the Marketplace.  Being a bit of a demo whore (well come on, it’s about an hours play time for free!) I grabbed a copy of it.  Once I got past trying to work out why the players looked like over-sized wobble head dolls, really feckin’ weird, I settled into my first game.

And got suitably hammered by the AI opposition.  No great surprise there, but then I found myself playing it again. A defeat again, but by a smaller margin. A third play through brings victory by two goals, and a better understanding of just how you’re supposed to play it.

Entertainment over I thought, but no, there I was pressing Start again.  Oh crap, I’m enjoying it!

I never thought I would do this, but I’m going to recommend that if you’re reading this and have a means to try out the game, go do it.  Imagine Mario Strikers, without the lava, and superkicks, and, well, Mario and company, in a playground or disused basketball court.  Then add in some of the msot well known names in football at the moment, and there you go.

Whilst I’m on recommendations, go try out Boogie Bunnies on Xbox Live Arcade too.  Stupidly similar puzzle concept, but very addictive play, and it has two player co-op and versus over Live.  Just look past the ridiculously cute rabbit-type things that’ll make your eyes bleed with their…cuteness.