As an avid soccer fan growing up, FIFA was always the game of choice to represent the sport. From the very first FIFA title up until FIFA 96, EA had it all their way. Konami then stepped up the competition and released ISS (International Superstar Soccer) which had been enjoying small amounts of success on the SNES and the N64. I can remember playing ‘ISS Pro’ for the first time on the original Playstation and being totally blown away by the game play that put all the FIFA games to shame. Ever since then, FIFA has played second fiddle to ISS (now Pro Evolution Soccer). EA have tried time and time again over the years to top the playability of its main rival, even though FIFA usually enjoys more sales. Will the latest incarnation prove to be a better game than PES2008?
The presentation of the game is top notch throughout which is what we all have come to expect from EA. From the brilliant looking club crests to the loading screen that allows you to control Ronaldinho against a single goalkeeper. The game oozes quality. The game includes 621 licensed teams, 30 leagues and more than 15,000 players. All the major European leagues are present such as the English Premier League and Football League, Spanish Liga, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga, as well as leagues from elsewhere in the world such as the U.S. Major League Soccer, A-League (Australian League), Brazilian Série A and Korean K-League. You can also create your own teams from scratch and edit/create new players. There are also more teams to unlock by completing the rather difficult challenges set out in the game.
The ‘Be a Pro’ feature adds a whole new dimension to the game. Instead of controlling the entire team, you get to pick one or several players that you will handle exclusively throughout the match. This fundamentally changes the way that the game is played. It’s an excellent way for a newcomer to the sport to learn the technical side of the game. It teaches you player positioning and a whole lot of other useful things every footballer should know. I have found myself playing this mode a lot more than the regular game types. It is very addictive. There are a lot of challenges to do throughout the game, with most of them proving quite difficult to achieve. An example of this is when you have to win with 3 goals or more and score a late goal with a sub that entered the game after the 85 minute. Some are just totally far out and ridiculous. There is no real substantial reward for completing them either aside from some extra teams and players.
Graphically the game speaks volumes. It is quite far ahead of its rival PES2008 in so many ways. The animation is top class, with players like Rooney and C. Ronaldo moving pretty much exactly like they do in real life – even the way they strike the ball. Of course, the less popular players like Cardiff City’s Joe Ledley do not resemble their real life counterparts at all, but are still beautifully animated. The way the players’ shirts stretch when they are performing warm up exercises on the touchline or waiting to enter the action as a sub also really impressed me. The attention to detail is second to none. There are a few issues with the graphics – there is a slight hint of slowdown during replays and heavily congested penalty areas. This doesn’t affect the playability of the game by any noticeable margin. The crowd effects are also poor but still streets ahead of PES2008.
