I grew up in south of Spain and this kind of street football introduced me to football in general, this game brings back so many memories. There was no full size pitches about or any grass for that matter so we had to make do with basketball courts and car parks, we'd play 5 a side, 3 a side with rush goalie and it's great that I can experience the same thing here in the UK with FIFA Street.
The game plays very fluidly with the emphasis of skill and pulling off tricks rather than passing and working the ball, however you can play that way if you like just don't expect to beat the harder difficulty challenges, you do have to learn and understand the various moves and techniques.
The game uses the same engine as FIFA 12 so therefore the game looks beautiful and contains the majority of full licenced teams and kits with the addition of street gear. I'm glad EA ditched the cartoony style of Street 3, even though the gameplay is rather unrealistic/arcadey having the true `look' of street football adds a lot to the overall game.
The controls are simple enough to learn, it's very pick up and play, I would recommend playing with a few friends because the gameplay imo becomes something else entirely, dare I say it becomes much more tactical and more nail biting than the FIFA proper.
The meat of the game requires you to create your own football team, design your kit and crest then play dress up with the hundreds of different clothing combinations and colours. You can build your team out of created players or players you find throughout the world tour mode, you can also download friend's players and you're Pro from FIFA 12. Once the team is assembled you take it on the world tour competing in events like 5 a side, or Last Man standing (a fantastic mode where you lose a player each time you score). There are lots of game modes and variations to keep you busy.
I do have to say I havnt had this much fun with a football game ever before! The other night I played 4 a side with each player fully controlled by my friends and my gf in my bedroom and it was a blast, it was just like playing the real thing and as its only small teams it works much better than the online 11 a side on FIFA 12 were all the players just run about and hog the ball. No, this version is all about marking your man, making runs, pulling tricks and scoring great goals, its lightning fast and a total blast to play.
There are a few hiccups, the defending is quite poor as the advantage is clearly in the attackers favour, there are some moments were players just bang into each other and as the pitches are small it can feel a bit congested at times, also the AI is not the best, lots of own goals due to poor goal keeping and defending.
Some people have also said it shouldn't be a full price game due to its limited playability, I disagree, its aimed at the people who want a more personal and fun experience with a football game, it's at its best with friends and at its worst when your alone fighting against the poor AI and overly aggressive COM opponents but there is no doubt in my mind this game has it where it counts and I think the UK's football culture will divert a lot of players away from it, but please take my word, give it try, play the demo, learn it and you'll love it.