The bottom line is,
The game will be more and more scripted, because the core fundamentals are the same as ever, and yet Konami is trying to create an illusion of freedom, adding a new layer of bullshit to the aforementioned illusion of freedom, on a yearly basis.
The problem is, that at the end of the day, you have video games like PES11 and FIFA11, wich are amongst the most scripted video games of all times.
The new passing freedom and the illusion of freedom that it creates, means that the movement without the ball is more scripted than ever: players not running when they should, running when they shouldn't, ridiculous off-sides.
Back in the PS2 days, the passing system felt more scripted and more assisted; however, the movement without the ball was more consistent, players actually made intelligent and responsive runs without the ball, because Konami was compensating for the lack of freedom in terms of passing directions.
If Konami added more freedom in terms of passing directions and yet kept the same intelligent and responsive PS2 game in terms of movement without the ball, you would have an unplayable video game that would play at a hundred miles per hour, it would be faster than PES08, it would be unplayable.
Therefore, more freedom in terms of passing directions comes at the expense of dumbing-down the movement without the ball....
Do you understand what the real problem is?
The game cannot offer both freedom in terms of passing and consistency in terms of movement without the ball.... because offering both types of freedom would make the game too fast and therefore unplayable.
And why is it that it cannot offer both types of freedom?
Because the root of the problem has not been touched: by directing the left analog stick without the assistance of any other button, it is possible to cover spaces of over 50 feet of distance.
This means that the variety in terms of running speeds is very limited, because you do not actually need a running button in order to run, the player runs automatically in accordance to the direction that you give with the left analog stick; which means that it is impossible to actually move inside the space, because directing the left analog stick will have the player moving through space.
Remember that the pitch would feel bigger if it was possible to move inside the space, therefore you would have the space and the time that is required in order to implement more substance and more freedom into the game.
The current problem is, that Konami and EA Sports do not have the space nor the time required to implement more freedom and more substance into the game; which is why they keep dumbing down the movement without the ball.
