Rotherham risk move to New York

This will be the last season that Rotherham United play their home games at Don Valley Stadium. Scheduled to be completed by the 11^th July, The Millers will relocate to the New York Stadium, in the heart of Rotherham. The ground is named after the local area, as in the 18^th century, steel was exported to America to build fire hydrants in New York. The ground will cost £20 million pounds and will have the capacity to seat an initial 12,000 people, with the possibility to expand in the future.

Described as a “soulless venue” by press officer Matt Young, Don Valley Stadium sits in the heart of an industrial estate. However Rotherham’s new ground is located “in the heart of the city” and is part of the plan to “bring the team back to the town.” However, with Rotherham currently averaging an attendance of 3,706 for their home games; 12,000 seems a long way away. Due to the new location, the club believes that they can attract average attendances of “8,000 people in the first year”.

Darlington F.C. opened the Darlington Arena in 2003, which was built to seat 25,000 fans at a cost of £18 million pounds. The club is now in administration and last season, recorded a mere average home attendance of 1,886. “The chairman wants promotion next season” says Matt Young, “or the manager will be under pressure.” But The Millers would surely need to attain promotion twice in order to achieve the 9,500 average attendances that local rivals Barnsley and Doncaster enjoy in the npower Championship.

At Rotherham United’s first home, Millmoor; the never finished ‘Main Stand’ still lies in a half-built state. The stand would have been able to seat an extra 4,500 fans, all seated and covered, and was due to be completed during the 2006–07 season. But this had still not come to fruition by the time Rotherham United entered administration in March 2008, and the ground became disused.

At a cost of £20 million pounds, it seems like no expense will be spared in the construction of this “iconic” new stadium. Assistant press officer Ben Shepard noted its “sloping design” and the New York Stadium will even contain “poly-carbonate in the roof to keep in the atmosphere.” In short, this is a big statement from a club who want to achieve big things. But as Rochdale A.F.C. have proven, a promotion can take as long as 41 years.

FIFA 12 - A Revised Look (Continued)

6. Player Ratings

Is it me or have players' ratings steadily got more and more stingy over the course of the series? In FIFA 2003, (bearing in mind that players' ratings are out of 10 rather than 100) many players have a lot of 8s and 9s amongst their stats. In FIFA 2005, a lot of players have stats in the 80s. However in FIFA 12, most players' stats are mainly 70s and less, outside football's most well-known players. I've ended up downloading a lot of players for my teams from the Creation Centre, as they actually have some decent stats!

E.A. keep putting new teams and leagues in every year, (with the exception of FIFA 12 which had leagues TAKEN OUT!) but some are completely redundant as none of the teams have any half-decent players. The Irish League is a prime example; there's barely a player with any decent stats over 70. But the Irish League has produced a few decent players lately; like Seamus Coleman and James McClean to name two. Bottom line: E.A., just be a bit more generous when deciding on players' stats.

And what happened to finding hidden gems? Yes there are still a couple but there's no one like Matteo Brighi in FIFA 2003 or Alessandro Parisi in FIFA 2004. (Parisi had 100/100 for shot accuracy and shot power) Sure, it's not too realistic; but where do you draw the line between fun and realism? For me, one of the things I look forward to most on a new FIFA title, is looking for relatively unknown players, who have some good stats. Maybe they're young and up and coming; or late bloomers perhaps that just came good last season. I feel that this just isn't there in FIFA 12.


7. Manual Shooting

Just a bit more on shooting. Manual shooting shouldn't be mandatory for scoring goals from far out. It's too difficult to score screamers when the shoooting aids are on. (Yes, I said aids.)


8. Players finding space

Again, another short recap. I can't stress enough how terrible the players on this game are at making runs and finding space.

Here's the best video I could find of examples of good runs and players' ability to find space, from the past FIFA titles:

FIFA 12 - A Revised Look

Since my last swipe at FIFA 12, I have learned that you can get rid of the horrendous new tactical defending! *Fireworks* Yes, all you need to do is go to the Options menu and change the defending to 'legacy'. This will change it back to more like it was in FIFA 11. So, that makes the game a lot better, right? Sadly not, as FIFA 12 is riddled with faults in other areas. I know I already reviewed this game, so why am I reviewing it again, I hear you ask. It's because it's such a huge pile of shit, that it deserves it.

But this time I'll be a bit more methodical. I'll go through all the areas which could be improved, and suggest ways in which E.A. could go about it.


1. Passing.

Last time out, E.A. implemented a new passing system in order to rid the series of 'ping pong' passing. This is where the player is able to pass accurately, no matter how the ball is passed. e.g. with the player's back to the intended receiver. The new pro passing system was carried over to FIFA 12. Now, I'm all for the riddance of ping pong passing, but what we've now got instead is something dysfunctional and poorly implemented.

The main problem is that a lot of the time, the passes are sluggish. It's extremely difficult to create a fast-paced attack when I'm forced to frequently jog backwards to collect an under hit pass from my teammate. This also makes it difficult to make longer passes along the ground, as I don't have enough confidence in the passing system in order to try them. I often try to use through-ball instead, but obviously the ball goes ahead of them rather than to their feet.


Another fault is that the A.I. doesn't realise when an opposition player is partially blocking a pass. Instead of slightly altering the destination or trajectory of the pass in order for the target player to receive it, they will try to pass to the receiver through the opposition player, as if they weren't there at all. This obviously results in losing posession.


Also, I find the passing to be extremely inaccurate. A lot of the time, I aim for one player, and I'm surprised to see that my player has picked out someone completely different. Sometimes it's beneficial, but I wish my players would pass to the player that I want them to.


2. Player Runs.

There is a special place in hell reserved for the person who designed strikers' runs in this game. If I currently have the ball with a wide midfielder or a wing back, and I get into a crossing position; where would I like my strikers to be? Hmm, in the box of course! However, they gravitate towards the wings. Every time I'm bombing down the flank, I'm greeted by one of my straying forwards doing his best to get in the way. There is the option to direct where your players move in attacking and defending situations, but it seems to make very little difference.

In other occasions, players look to make runs, then check back. Often I see one of my players make a run, so I attempt to pass to them, (often a through or chip through ball) only to see them turn back and my pass is harmlessly collected by a defender.

There are also times when players won't run where I'd like them to. I find the best example to be when I have the ball on the wing, and instead of crossing the ball; I choose to check back inside. Now I'm looking for my midfielders to burst forward towards the edge of the area, similar to a Paul Scholes position. Sadly, I'm always deserted. Plus my forwards do a miserable job of trying to find space in the box. Most of the time, they're motionless.


3. Shooting.

Scrap it.

Here are my personal favourite shot types from the FIFA series, which I would collectively like to see in the future in FIFA 13.

Long shots - FIFA 10. Long shots on FIFA 10 were the best they'd ever been. It was like roulette; every one in so many long shots would fly in; and that's how it should be. On FIFA 12 it's extremely difficult to score from anywhere mid-way inside the opposition half; except if you go through the gruelling process of learning manual shooting.

Mid-range shots - FIFA 07. If you were facing straight at goal, you'd unleash a powerful drive. If you were at a 90 degree angle to goal, then often your player would unleash a shot with lashings of curl and bend; which made great viewing! Players with average long shot capailities were capable of the same, just like in the lower leagues of football in real life. Every one in so many shots fly in, and that's the way it should be replocated.

Shots inside the box and finishing - FIFA 09 / FIFA 10. I suppose they're not too bad in FIFA 11 and FIFA 12, but players have a habit of missing open nets for some reason... Bottom line: the finishing isn't as good as it was in FIFA 09 and 10.


4. Defending.

As I said earlier, the tactical defending system can be switched with with the legacy defending system. However I'm fearful that E.A. won't give us the option in future, I hope I'm wrong!

Anyway, even with legacy defending on, it can still de difficult to successfully defend. A lot of the time it can be difficult to simply make your players put a foot in. On occasion I think I'm winning the ball, only to find that my defender is casually jogging alongside the attacker; not doing much more. Obviously you can only control one defender at a time, with option of holding Circle for a secondary defender press. That means all my other players are being controlled by the computer; and they do a poor job of attempting to mark / follow the opposition players. I can't hold eleven hands at once, so I expect the players which I'm not controlling to often be where they should.


5. Teamwork.

This is linked to passing, but I thought I'd give it it's own section. I feel that the essence of the game has been lost. In real life and in the old versions of FIFA, the emphasis was on creating great goals through teamwork; much like vintage Arsenal and Barcelona displays. Now the emphasis is on skill moves. With the wide variety of skill moves that you can now do, it seems as though this is what E.A. feels players enjoy more than anything else. That's much what you see on the internet; goals where 4 or 5 defenders are effortlessly skinned, before the player takes on the keeper, then backheels the ball into the open net. I want a FIFA game that champions constant passing and movement, (maybe some Swansea City triangles?) which everyone should agree is the fabric of the game. So, E.A., please bring the emphasis back to teamwork and movement; much like it is in real life.


Well that's about it. My fingers are ready to drop off after that typing marathon, but I think I've covered every base. If there's anything that I've forgotten, then please leave a comment. :)

I'm Thinking of Going to Dubai

Nah, not really but this is what sparked my interest:

It's a video of abandoned cars in Dubai and yes that really is a Jaguar XJ220. Other deserted cars include a Ferrari F40 and a Ferrari Enzo.

It was that very Enzo (as if there'd be two of them...) that sparked my interest in this topic; having been the subject of an article by the Top Gear staff.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/ferrari-enzo-abandoned-in-dubai-2011-09-29

So how does this situation come about? From all the information I could gather, these cars' former owners were people who fell into debt or simply were bitch slapped by the recession. They just flee and leave their cars and other posessions behind. That means these cars are now canvases for graffiti artists. Don't worry though folks, it's just people drawing in the dust that accumilates on these vehicles after a certain time with phrases like; 'Police, please wash me!'.

So what happens to these cars? After a period of time, they are towed away and confiscated by the Dubai Municipality. They are then taken to the abandoned cars unit in Umm Ramool, where they are kept for six months. If the owner claims the car in this time, it costs around Dh700 to release the vehicle.

As I'm sure many other people have said, there's a lovely Ferrari Enzo sized spot on my drive; and I'm currently looking for something to fill it. The good news is that if the six month period that the owner is given to retrieve their car passes, then the car is put up for auction. So anyone like me who was wincing at the thought of a rare DeLorean or XJ220 getting crushed; you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Ronaldo Reunited with United?

For the last two months or so, various reports have sprung up all over the internet that Cristiano Ronaldo is currently unsettled at Real Madrid. It could just be paper talk, however 'they' say it is true. I'm not sure who 'they' are, but their argument usually carries some weight.

Seems odd though, that a player who has scored 90 goals in 84 league appearances (according to the reliable source, Wikipedia) is currently unsettled. However, a portion of Los Merengues' fans are unhappy with the size of his ego, and his underwhelming performances against chief rivals Barcelona. To be fair, I think Real's performances against Barcelona are more the fault of manager Jose Mourinho; as he employs rather boisterous tactics, to put it politely. Los Blancos are currently less Real Madrid, and more Real Ale Madrid; as it seems like they've all had a few pints and are now looking for a barroom brawl rather than a game of football. These tactics have coined the phrase; "Barcelona come to play. Real Madrid come to wrestle."

According to my reliable sources once again, (not Wikipedia this time!) Ronaldo has confided with family and friends that he misses life at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, who he considers a mentor. After all Fergie was the man who changed Ronaldo from a pock-marked teenage winger into a handsome goalscoring sensation. Ok, that was partially down to Ronaldo finishing puberty, but nevertheless; he became what he is now at Old Trafford.

Just for now, let's take these unconfirmed reports as truthful. Cristiano Ronaldo is missing life at Manchester United and a portion of Real's fans are struggling to warm to the Mediterranean man. If Cristiano was looking to leave Real in the summer, that would surely spark the interest of clubs like moneybags Manchester City. His supposedly favourite side of Manchester perhaps couldn't compete with a Manchester City sized transfer offer and Ronaldo's wage demands. Let's not forget that Manchester United sold the star striker to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million, and with his current form, he would surely still command a similar price. What would make the transfer more difficult is that Wayne Rooney has a clause in his contract that gives him parity with the club's highest earner. For example, if Ronaldo returned and had his wages set at £250,000 per week; Manchester United would be forced to pay Rooney the same amount.

Even if he had his heart set on Old Trafford, and Manchester United could afford the transfer fee and his wages; there's no guarantee that Ferguson would make an offer. This is a man who boots out any player who gets too big for their boots; Dwight Yorke and David Beckham to name but two. Ferguson decided to cash in on Cristiano in 2009 and I'm unsure that he would spend a similar amount to get him back.

Obviously it is all up in the air at the moment, and with Real looking like a serious title contender this season; it could be that their star man decides to stay. Perhaps even more so if Jose Mourinho leaves Real, as reports say he will. But as a Manchester United fan, I would love to see Cristiano return at whatever the price. He's not only a talisman and one of the all time greatest footballers; he's one of my faves. Oh, and he scores more goals than I've had hot dinners! To have him wear the famous number 7 shirt again, would be a fantastic sight. I'm sure the current wearer Michael Owen, would be stripped of the famous shirt and it would be laid down to pave Ronaldo's emphatic return.

FIFA 12 Review

It’s that time of year again; the time when the latest FIFA has been out for several months and has now endured enough playing time to face a fair verdict. But before the main feature, let’s go back a few years to the time when FIFA was making its first leap to the next generation consoles. The year is 2007 and it’s October. FIFA 2008 hit the shelves and was inserted to many consoles all over the country. It was a decent game overall, but faced stiff competition from Pro Evolution Soccer 6. Over the following two years, FIFA 09 and FIFA 10 would slowly eclipse this competition and forever cement Pro Evolution Soccer into its shadow.

FIFA 10 was most probably the pinnacle of the entire series to date. The passing was fluid, the shooting was accurate, and the replay value was high. It felt uncomplicated, yet challenging; and many fans including myself felt that this was the best football game we’d ever played. The expectations for any sequel to follow this footballing masterpiece were high; and inevitably FIFA 11 fell short. The main innovation that E.A. introduced was their new passing system, which aimed to replace the ‘ping-pong’ passing system that past versions were criticised for. However this new passing system was not implemented without fault. Passes were too frequently under and over hit, and players would always have to track back in order to receive an always too weak pass. This made it difficult to produce an attack with momentum. Still, many fans enjoyed this game even though it was largely inferior to FIFA 10.

The stage had been set for FIFA 12 to come and knock the socks off FIFA 11 and restore the faith in the series. As soon as it was released, it was bought and thrust into my Playstation 3. The first thing to note about this game is that the passing issues have been addressed. It’s still not as fluid as FIFA 10, but it’s definitely an improvement. The game as a whole is fairly similar to FIFA 11, but it contains one new element. Similar to the remodelled passing system that appeared last time around, E.A.’s designers have turned their fire on the defending. The new ‘tactical defending system’ makes it much harder to tackle opposition players. Well, the word ‘harder’ is flattery really as it’s practically impossible.

Since the release of the game, tutorials have sprung up all over the internet; answering to the call of thousands of fans who have voiced their frustrations. One common factor is that a lot of players advise to avoid the use of the tackle button – ‘circle’. Surely this is the beacon that advertises the game as being poor. Any time a trick or strategy is widely proposed, that bypasses the intended use of a feature in a game; it is a primary example of bad game design. The frequently used tackle button in past versions of the game is now for last ditch challenges only; similar to the sliding tackle button – ‘square’. Players are supposed to contain the opposition team and either let their attack deflate, or get close enough to an opposition player so that your defender automatically tackles their opponent. This makes the defending in FIFA 12 almost impossible as simply tackling your opponent when you want to, is a feature that seemingly no longer exists.

The most disappointing thing is that the rest of the game doesn’t even need to be reviewed. The frustration factor of the extremely flawed and difficult defending renders the game unplayable. It’s such a shame too, because I for one always look forward  to playing the new FIFA every year; even though it seems like it’s destined to be a disappointment forever onwards.

5.5/10.

Gran Turismo 5 Review

Gamers have had an agonising five year wait between the releases of Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo 5; with the mini game Gran Turismo 5 Prologue releasing in 2008. Five years is a long time for a new game to be designed; a fact that becomes even more apparent when E.A. releases FIFA on a yearly basis. Naturally we were expecting a masterpiece; a game that’s equally as good on and off the track. So, does Gran Turismo 5 live up to the five years’ worth of dreams and estimations that we’ve perceived?

Let’s start with the graphics and presentation. The graphics themselves are one of the outstanding features of GT5. The new track additions are not just an enjoyable drive, but a scenic tour; especially when driving an equally as beautiful ‘premium’ car. So, the game looks great when you’re driving in your newly acquired Bugatti Veyron around the streets of Rome, but what about the ‘standard’ cars and familiar tracks? All the returning tracks have slightly less impressive scenery (with the exception of the Loch Ness Monster on Trial Mountain) and the lower priced cars also have less impressive textures. The ‘standard’ cars also come with less damage and no cockpit view. Speaking of the new addition of damage; it’s unimpressive to say the least. Even if you crash any of the cars into a wall at a hundred miles per hour, you’ll be lucky to shift more than one polygon. However the menus all look nice, even though some feel quite jumbled presentation wise. It’s also pleasing to see the return of the jazz menu music; it’s the perfect accompaniment to relaxingly viewing your prize cars in the home garage or going shopping for a new ride.

Unfortunately, the rotten core of this game lies in the AI’s ability. The competition faced in races is pitiful. The other cars brake too much; follow each other in a well-rehearsed formation and will even kindly move out of your way when overtaking them. The main challenge in this game comes from attempting to beat a time trial or a license test, which isn’t the reason why anyone would buy a racing game. The new addition of Nascar is another disappointment. It’s near impossible to win on Indianapolis, and again the AI is a big let-down when racing in the rest of the Nascar series. All the Nascars are of almost identical statistics, but it’s no problem to get to the front of the pack and stay there for the rest of the race. Another let down is Formula 1. I was excited at the prospect of Formula 1 being fully implemented in Gran Turismo 5, after the Prologue version allowed players to race in the Ferrari F12010. However, the only official Formula 1 cars that feature on the official game are the aforementioned Ferrari F12010 and the Ferrari F12011. The concept Red Bull X2010 makes an appearance along with driver Sebastian Vettel, so it is beyond imagination why their Formula 1 car is left out; therefore the rest of the F1 line-up is made up of stock ‘Formula Gran Turismos.’

Endurance races are another problem. On Gran Turismo 4, there was an option to do the endurance races (especially the 24 hour ones!) on B-spec mode, where the computer drives for you. However all races on Gran Turismo 5 have to be done on both A-spec and B-spec mode, so the only choice is to drive the race yourself. I recommend having one person drive for the 24 hours, and another to watch your electricity meter go through the roof.

Visually, Gran Turismo 5 is a great game and the car physics are also much improved. But the challenge is still far away from the standard of many other racing games currently on the market. In fact I believe that I could have a more challenging race on the original Gran Turismo. So the series has taken huge steps forwards in graphical capabilities, but it has also taken huge steps backwards in AI capabilities. Finally if you’re going to implement a series of racing such as Formula 1; then either create a full grid or just don’t bother. Yes the Ferrari formula 1 cars are fun to drive; but that only makes you wish that you could race against similar machines.

7/10.