Fifa Street 3 looks like this

Electronic Arts has finally officially announced FIFA Street 3, the third chapter and first next-gen installment of the EA Sports Big brand of soccer action (or football, depending who’s reading this). Developed by the same studio responsible for FIFA 08 (EA Canada), Fifa Street 3 will feature of 250 players from 18 international teams. 

Using the NBA Street Homecourt engine to turn your favorite players into over-the-top Meet the Robinsons-esque caricatures, EA hopes to get your attention. 

“We have completely re-invented the FIFA Street franchise by burning the game’s biggest starts into action heroes using art direction that makes you look twice,” said Joe Nickolls, the game’s producer.

Well thank God no one actually looks like that. They don’t, do they?

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the newest iteration of the street football arcade series FIFA Street will return with a new look that turns the game’s global football icons into stylized action heroes and a simplified control system that enables you to easily perform over-the-top trick moves. Scheduled for release in spring 2008 under the EA SPORTS BIG™ brand, FIFA Street 3 is in development in Vancouver, B.C. by EA Canada, and the studio that is also home to the industry-leading FIFA 08 videogame.

The third chapter in the FIFA Street series creates a fast-paced and larger-than-life arcade football experience for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. FIFA Street 3 creates a hyper-real world that merges the game’s biggest stars with environments that pulsate to the music in exotic locales around the world.

Featuring over 250 of the world’s best players representing 18 of the top international teams, each player has been rendered into a stylized caricature with heroic qualities. Decked out in authentic training kits, every player boasts their own, distinctive style of play with unique abilities to match. Whether you’re after brawn, brains, silky skills or crunching tackles to complete your team, the perfect street player is out there. Choose from Tricksters, Enforcers, Playmakers and Finishers to give you different options on the ball and make your mark on the street.

“We have completely re-invented the FIFA Street franchise by turning the game’s biggest stars into action heroes using art direction that makes you look twice,” said Joe Nickolls, producer on the project. “The power of the Next Generation hardware gives us the horsepower to break new ground for consumers, making it the perfect stage to enjoy a multi-player, sports action arcade experience. Casual gamers and sports fans can expect a simplified control system that makes it easier to perform spectacular moves and enjoy the game with friends, yet still be a challenging experience for more seasoned gamers.”

Using the same engine as the critically acclaimed NBA STREET Homecourt basketball arcade game, combined with the market-leading AI from FIFA 08, FIFA Street 3 delivers animations and ball control that enables you to take complete control of your players with a responsive and intuitive control system that makes it easier than ever to pull off sensational moves. Use the simple button configuration and analog stick to seamlessly combine moves – providing you with hundreds of different ways to show off your street skills. Fill up your all-new Game Breaker to power your ultimate abilities and express yourself like never before. Maneuver your players to leap past defenders, flip off walls, or perform gravity-defying one-timers to score spectacular goals.

From the urban playgrounds of South America to the rooftops in Asia to the streets of Europe, your players perform to an eclectic selection of music seamlessly infused into the surroundings, where the game’s environments pulsate, and explode to life with every well-timed tackle, outrageous trick move or unstoppable shot on goal.