When we were 11, we could think of nothing grander than having the skill to take a football, wiggle our foot around and somehow perform tricks so incredible that Glenn Hoddle himself would hear of our exploits and sign us up on the spot! Forget the fact it makes no sense (why would the boss of England sign unknown children?) but it shows how important we considered the footballing art of trickery. Unfortunately, some years later, EA’s attempt to glorify this within a videogame didn’t work as we had hoped. The original FIFA Streets failed to capture this childish fetish and one in particular had no hope because it was officially the most annoying game of all time™; thank MC Harvey for that. However, the series did appeal to a portion of the market and was successful, and these two reasons combined were more than enough for a third to be commissioned.

The smartest decision made for FIFA Street 3 is the radical transformation of the art style. Although it is somewhat garish and cartoony, it’s refreshing and ensures the drab, gritty method used previously doesn’t have to be witnessed by anyone ever again. What’s more, each footballer looks really rather odd and therefore on occasion will make you chuckle. Whether you’re laughing with or at it will come down to personal preference, but at least you’re smiling.

And then, well, we come to what we all really care about: the gameplay. The good news first – FIFA Street 3 definitely sits proudly above its brothers. Although essentially nothing has really changed – it’s still a case of abusing the right analogue stick as if it has insulted your mum to perform all matter of skills – but the whole experience is just a touch smoother and more refined. Chipping a ball up over someone’s head before turning and striking it into the back of the net reacts and flows far better; you certainly won’t feel frustrated due to unresponsive controls. The highlight with this enhancement is it heightens the pleasure factor which is crucial to the experience. Turning defenders inside out, performing preposterous overhead kicks and flipping off walls (and yes, we mean that literally) is amazingly satisfying to pull off. It’s only right to give a nod to the crisp, smooth animation, because the refined engine EA has used is far better suited.

Unfortunately, this is all, technically, filler on top of the same problems that have plagued the idea since the beginning. While the first 30 to 40 minutes of play hold up well, the drop off from this high comes quickly, and more importantly, hangs around; after you’ve had a few matches you’ve seen everything on offer. FIFA Street tries to keep events interesting with its Street Challenge mode, but the challenges barely differ from one another; being the first to score five goals is hardly a mile apart from being the first to put five headers and volleys in the net.

The same can be said for actions on the pitch – or concrete court in this case. Having every skill on the ‘trickstick’ is all well and good, it’s the perfect way to cater for all individuals who currently consider themselves part of the human race. Alas, the lack of any learning curve leaves the street stale. At times, much like a basic hack-‘n’-slash adventure, you’ll just wiggle the right stick with no real purpose before shooting on a whim – not a winning formula. There are variants in place: holding the left trigger or flicking the ball in the air will result in other moves, but it just feels lacking.

FIFA’s football spin-off falls flat in terms of multiplayer as well. Although playing a friend does provide more laughs, one of two things will happen. Either, à la single-player, the fun is shortlived, or some nobody comes along and beats you even though you’ve been hammering away at it for hours. And yes, that did happen to us...

Thankfully, like all good sports games should, it throws Achievements at you as if you’d threaten to eat its face. Over the years we’ve all started to appreciate developers taking the definition of ‘achievement’ and making its in-game point system reflect the word, but who can really complain about 25 points for participating in a match?!

So, even though FIFA Street 3 can lay claim to being the best yet, the niggles that have marred it throughout are back to stop it from reaching the level it desperately would like to. We definitely see the appeal, and the gamer who enjoys picking up a controller for short bursts of play will fall in love with this. Maybe they’ll elope to Vegas, have a cheap wedding all the while pondering where our frustrations came from. Of course, for those who regularly make love to their 360, the proposal will be turned down and ‘normal FIFA’, as it’s known, will be crowned king instead. The depth is exquisite and it’s the best there’s been for a while. And that, dear friends, is that!

Simon Miller