Now before we begin to look at this point further, it is only fair to acknowledge the fact that EA does do an alright job at stadiums in the game, particularly in recent editions. Effectively all of the worlds best teams have their real-life arenas in-game, and there is a manageable number of generic stadiums to choose from, however, there is still no excuse for the number of notable and important stadiums that are not present in the game. A number of examples spring to mind: the San Nicola in Naples, Villa Park, Ibrox and Celtic Park to name but a few. If a real push was to be made, you can be sure that the stadiums of all the teams in the top three or four leagues in Europe could be included, as could a large amount of second division clubs' homes. In the upcoming FIFA, another way EA could really heighten the matchday experience would be to include a greater selection of generic stadiums. Playing with a lower league team can sometimes get a little bit tedious (and faceless) when you seem to play all of your games at Molten Road and Crown Lane. On the next gen consoles, the named tasks could be achieved, so let's hope we won't be saying the same thing this time next year.
A keen observer of gaming, television, film and football from the distant outpost of Ireland, Shane is studying Sports and Fitness and dreams of joining the Irish Army. Yes, that really does exist.
