FIFA 2008 News

The FIFA series has been a busy little bee over the last two or three years. Firstly, the previous generation versions have been morphed into something which actually reflects the sport of football. Additionally, since the introduction of the series to the next-generation in FIFA 2006 (as a Road to World Cup release), the developers have built modes around their all new next-gen engine every year to the point where it now offers the multitude of features that the discerning Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 owner demands.

Firstly – and let’s get this straight right off the bat – FIFA is not Pro Evo. While it’s fair to say that FIFA has moved towards a more organic and realistic football representation over the last few years, it simply doesn’t (and probably never will) present the same gameplay style that Pro Evo does. The manager’s shouts from the dug-out and half-time slices of orange in the locker room realism of Pro Evo, just isn’t FIFA. FIFA is the glitz and glamour of football superstars with their lavish 12 room properties, Hummers in the driveway and page three girls on their arm.

Now that’s said and done, the most touted new feature in FIFA 08 is the ‘Be a Pro’ mode. This might just be the most exciting and original new feature in a footie game since Sensible Soccer introduced aftertouch swerve to the genre. In ‘Be a Pro’, you’re locked to one player for the duration of a game. This means holding your position on the field, calling for passes or long balls and finding space. For this type of gameplay to work, the developers needed to introduce advanced enough AI to ensure that you only get passed to when you’re in a good position, and the EA Canada guys have definitely succeeded in doing this. If you keep calling for a pass when you’re marked then you’ll get nowhere. Another nice touch is the camera, which seamlessly zooms in and out depending on your position and proximity to the ball. Also, when you start sprinting with the ball you get the much loved ‘CNN’ shaky cam effect (a bit like Gears of War when you run for cover).

On the next-gen versions, the only available single player mode for ‘Be a Pro’ is a training game. It allows you to play in an exhibition match as your footballing hero. This would’ve been rather limited if it’s all that was on offer but, thanks to all that is good and true in the world, EA have promised that gamers will be able to go online with up to nine other players (five on each side) and compete in ‘Be a Pro’ online matches. This will apparently be available as a downloadable feature six to eight weeks after release. While we’re a little frustrated that it won’t be a playable online mode out of the box, we’re also licking our lips like a salamander at the prospect because the short training feature truly is a lot of fun.

Speaking of the online features on the next-gen game, EA really have gone all out to please their PSN/Xbox Live gamers, adding the successful ‘Interactive Leagues’ from the previous generation formats to the next-gens for the first time. For those not in the know, ‘Interactive Leagues’ pit players against each other in matches that reflect real life fixtures. The results of the many thousands of online matches are then tallied up to give an overall result that can then be compared to the real life outcome. Both the ‘Be a Pro’ and ‘Interactive Leagues’ new modes for online play add to a host of other features (online leagues, ranked and unranked matches – the online FIFA world truly is your oyster).

But, without good core gameplay none of this really means anything, so ears pricked everyone. The next-gen game has seen considerable improvements since last year. Ball physics can be credited for some of this as the pig’s bladder now swerves, dips and takes flight in more believable ways than we’ve seen previously on the Xbox 360/PS3. Going hand in hand with this are the improved shooting mechanics and animations of players. The direction of your shot varies more realistically depending on what position you find yourself in and the shot you try to pull off. So, if the ball is coming into you awkwardly and you try to pull off a shooting angle that will contort your player’s body in ways that cause herniated discs, the result will be a pretty poor shot. This is also affected by the footie player’s weight distribution when they shoot. In other words, teeing up shots nicely will result in the most effective result.

AI has been knocked up a notch as well (although not with a spice weasel). Goals are harder to come by and breaking down the opposing team’s defense takes careful probing attacks and relies on holding onto possession. We did come across a couple of peculiarities though, such as the AI’s uncanny ability to knock in free kicks at a rate of about one in every three or four good opportunities – clearly this doesn’t reflect the success rates of free kicks in the Premiership and means that set-pieces on the edge of the box really can’t be given away. Speaking of which, we also felt that we were unfairly penalised for a few too many good challenges although, what football fan or player doesn’t think that?

While the AI has seen improvements, attacking play still feels a little bit two dimensional. Creating scoring opportunities still tends to depend far too much on repetitive one-twos and crossing into the box hopefully. Basically, throw it about enough and something’s got to stick. The gamer is rewarded too much for this type of ‘Conference’ play, meaning that subtleties and nuances of the beautiful game (such as lightning counter attacks, deftly weighted passes and pin-point long balls) are less important. This is ironic, given the series’ stress on flashy skills and superstar players which, again ironically, seem to provide more style than substance in-game.

Another area where the title still falls down is its failure to make one player seem different from the next. Other than basic abilities and attributes such as pace, playing with Ronaldhino still feels irritatingly similar to playing with Mark Viduka. This is something that the FIFA series has continuously fallen down on since its very first game in the early to mid nineties. I guess some things will never change.

However, the graphics on the next-gen machines have been given a lot of spit and polish this year. The visuals look more convincing, drawing you into the illusion that you’re actually at a Saturday afternoon game in a stadium of thousands, rather than the slightly ethereal graphics of FIFA 07. Player likenesses of the FIFA all-stars (i.e. Ronaldo, Ronaldhino, Rooney, somebody else beginning with R) are nicely rendered, and the mo-capping has made for some smooth and realistic animations of the player’s in-game.

As for the previous gen version, it refuses to go quietly into the night and is still churning out original features left right and centre. It also brandishes the ‘Be a Pro’ feature but, unlike the next-gen machines, gamers won’t be able to go online with the mode. Instead, PS2 gamers have been treated to the ‘Be a Pro: co-op season’. In short, you choose a player (or create one) and play solely as him in a season of games. Your player then improves depending on whether or not you complete certain individual and team tasks (i.e. complete 10 successful passes). The ‘co-op’ part of the mode allows you to play with three other guys locally (each as one player on the same team). Given that there’s no online play, you would expect this ‘co-op season’ mode for the ‘Be a Pro’ feature, but it’s good fun nonetheless.

The all round play has been nicely spruced up similarly to the improvements on the next-gens. Better AI, more realistic gameplay and better ball physics/player shooting mechanics make for a more engaging FIFA experience. But, the team responsible for the PS2 and PC versions of FIFA 08 at EA Canada has also managed to add in a couple of unique control/gameplay features that aren’t on the next-gens. Manual Crosses and through balls are the standard control setting, forcing you to get used to gameplay that’s quite awkward at first, but very intuitive and rewarding after a few games (N.B. on the next-gens, players can choose to control manual passes by changing the settings, but this just makes passes uncontrollable rather than intuitive).

Another nice touch is the ability to manually control your keeper by clicking the R3 button. He can then be brought out for a user controlled dive or positioned on corners and free kicks. To balance out these new abilities, EA Canada has done something rather special with the freekicks. Let’s say you position yourself for a curler into the top-left corner: the opposing player can then move his goalkeeper over there prior to the kick to stop the shot easily. To counter this, you can move to aim towards the right side of the goal but keep the camera frozen. It’s a nice little touch that really livens up three kicks. There’s also a similar feature for when the ball goes into touch down the sidelines, which finally makes footie game throw-ins fun rather than tedious. We look forward to seeing these clever little PS2 additions winging their way onto the PS3/Xbox 360 titles in the coming years.

In both the next-gen and previous-gen games, depth is added to the single player experience with the stalwart ‘Manager Mode’. Here you’re tasked with various tricky situations such as signing up youngsters, dealing with the press and getting the right sponsorship deal, while all the time retaining the morale and performance of players on your team.

As a final note, the soundtracks on both games are actually quite good. This is particularly the case on the PS2 which has an eclectic mix of world music that I’d like to have on my iPod, let alone a game. Our theory is that this is because FIFA has such an appeal worldwide, there are roughly 120 million PS2 owners and EA has realised they need to please a wide audience. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Sound: 9
Graphics: 8,6
Gameplay: 8,2
Originality: 8,5
Longevity: 7,5
OVERALL: 8/10

Spanish review from Meristation website. They analize the PS3 version of the game. Overall Rating, 8.5.

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Let’s rewind twelve months. ‘Watch your back, Konami’ was the ominous warning that rounded off our review of FIFA 07, a statement fuelled by a belief that after years of churning out identikit pap, EA had finally taken the hint that tacking on a novelty feature onto the previous year’s game and slapping it onto the shelves was no longer a recipe for global domination. Having had its nose blooded by the mesmerising Pro Evolution Soccer series, FIFA 07 was an attempt to bite back. But it wasn’t quite enough. Now, FIFA has returned, refocused, leaner, hungrier and eager to retake the crown that PES swiped off its cocky head a few seasons ago.

As has become the norm, every new FIFA game is preceded by bold boasts from EA about why this year’s version will be ‘The One’. It’s a statement that’s usually followed by lists of features and numbers containing countless zeros. Apparently, the revamped game engine now sees players making 1000 decisions every second. They can also strike the ball in an infinite number of ways – a stat that’s numerically impossible to display, as there simply aren’t enough zeros in the universe. EA also claims that defenders are more intelligent than ever (and by that they don’t mean they’ve added home economics to their woodwork GCSEs) and that the ball physics are affected by a multitude of factors, including wind speed, player balance, ball spin and even air pressure. All sounds very impressive, right? But how does it translate on the pitch?

Well, incredibly well actually. From the first moment you kick off, the sheer amount of love that’s been lavished on FIFA 08 is immediately apparent. Charge forward in a cocksure attempt to dribble past the opposition with a journeyman midfielder and you’ll be left more red faced than an exfoliated tomato. As is the case with every part of FIFA 08, you’re going to need to put in some serious practice if you’re going to master its subtleties. Thankfully you can do just that on the training field – which you’re transported to every time the game loads a match – for some one on one practice against a goalkeeper. Which is a nice touch.

What will strike you even more is that FIFA 08’s pace has been toned right down when compared to the likes of PES. Not to the treacle-like plodding of UEFA Champions League 06-07, but rather to the tactical, considered, multi-tempo pace you’d associate with real football. Instead of just charging forward in endless waves of attacks, you’re forced to stop, look around, shield the ball, make space and try to find a team-mate while the opposition incessantly harries you into making a mistake. An excellent fatigue meter ensures that you can’t spend the entire match with your finger jammed on the run button. Instead, you’re forced to sprint in short, sharp, bursts and bamboozle the opposition by suddenly accelerating past them before trying to release a team-mate with a perfectly timed through ball.

However, passing is no longer a case of pointing in the vague direction of another player and hoping for the best. You see, not only do you now control the strength of each pass but its exact direction (particularly challenging if you turn off passing assistance). This makes for some excellent build up play, where players jostle for position and momentarily find space only to be quickly closed down, forcing you to reassess your approach play on a second by second basis as you look for an opening to thread through that killer pass.

It’s right about now that it hits you. FIFA 08 is perhaps the most realistic virtual rendition of football you’ve ever played, one that requires you to think like a real player, to probe and pass and ping the ball around the field rather than charge forward en masse like an invading army. Every bounce and spin affects how the ball leaves a player’s foot when they shoot. Defenders and attackers desperately lunge and poke at the ball when it’s loose in the area rather than having it sucked miraculously onto their toes by an invisible tractor beam. And then there’s the way that you can only ever truly get at the opposition if you put your foot on the ball, graft hard and look for those rare openings that typify a real game of footy.

To emphasise my point, let me take a small detour. After spending a couple of days in an intimate clinch with FIFA 08, I fired up PES6, a game I’ve always considered a slick and fairly realistic rendition of the beautiful game. It was like someone had sped up time. Players buzzed around the ball like flies around a horse’s arse and it wasn’t till an hour later that the joys of PES’s unadulterated end-to-end mayhem came seeping back into my overwhelmed brain.

The distinction between PES6 and FIFA 08 proved so wide, it was almost hard to believe they were the same sport. And herein lies the age-old conundrum. Which is better, the slow, considered simulation or the madness and mayhem of arcade-inspired action? Well, as with all such decisions, it totally depends on what type of experience you’re looking for and how much time you’re willing to invest before you master it.

I’ve heard grumblings from some sections of the press that the game is too frustrating, too hard, that there simply aren’t enough goals. All of which, admittedly, are valid points. But that’s because FIFA attempts to recreate real professional football, which by its very nature is itself frustrating, hard and often fairly frugal with goal counts. FIFA is like watching a ninety-minute match, one packed with jostling and failed attacks punctuated by the occasional moment of magic that makes the whole affair worthwhile. PES is more like watching the highlights: a series of frenetic exchanges where the action never ceases.

Anyway, before we get too bogged down with this, let’s move on to some of FIFA 08’s other new features, starting with the Be A Pro mode, which sees you taking control of one player and mastering his position. This is an inspired inclusion, as it allows you to play anywhere on the pitch other than in goal (shame) and then have your performance rated. Thanks to a superb camera system you always remain on screen, with the camera zooming in on you when the ball is close and pulling out when you’re far from the action.

Play at left back and you’ll have to shuttle up and down the pitch, overlapping the winger and whipping in crosses, then track back to snuff out an opposition foray. Play up front and you’ll be attempting to get behind the other team’s defence. A simple call for the ball button set-up allows you to request a pass, a through ball or shout for defensive backup. However, almost criminally, you can only play one off games in this mode. Why you can’t play an entire career or even just one season in which you build up your player, work with your team and maybe even interact with your fellow squad members is beyond me. Had these features been implemented, FIFA 08 would have been propelled into a league of its own.

So far, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’ve been pretty glowing about this game. Of course, you’ve probably also had a look at the score. Maybe you’re wondering why it’s only an eight and not a nine. Well, let me just clear that up before we start winding things down.

For starters, the game is too hard on the easier difficulty settings. I’ve no problem with a game being a challenge and requiring you to put in the hours, but when even the beginner settings make it fiendishly hard to find the back of the net, I start to worry. Defenders are impressively efficient, almost too efficient, and you can’t help but wish they’d been toned down ever so slightly to make the game more accessible early on, and it’s more than possible that a fair number of you will be discouraged by this steep early learning curve.

FIFA 08’s front end is also a mess. Clunky menus, unclear save features, fiddly squad editing options and an infuriatingly awkward tournament creation process are just four irks that’ll irritate you before you even step onto the pitch. The whole team chemistry mechanic is also very undeveloped and somewhat confusing, often feeling like a puzzle game where the right players need to be slotted into the correct positions rather than being a powerful formation tool. What’s more, the Manager Mode is pretty under whelming, with transfer negotiations and board interaction the biggest culprits.

So there you have it, FIFA 08 is, on the whole, a triumph. Had the Be A Pro features been more fleshed out and the lower difficulty settings somewhat more forgiving, then it would undoubtedly have scored a 9 rather than an 8. However, thanks to the promise of the former feature, multiplayer games that are little short of superb (due to the lack of AI defenders thwarting your every attack), the usual exhaustive array of official league and cup competitions and some stunning visuals and animations that milk next gen power for all it’s worth, it very much feels that the FIFA franchise is genuinely teetering on the cusp of greatness.

So, to finish off, we come to the inevitable question. PES or FIFA? Well, perhaps the most pertinent point here is that FIFA 08 now feels more like an alternative to PES rather than a direct rival, due to its slower, more considered and realistic approach. The two series feel very much like they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum now, with both possessing a host of merits, but ultimately providing two very different experiences. Maybe it’s time we stopped torturing ourselves about which is better and started thinking about what kind of footy experience we’re looking for, then make our decisions based on that instead. Now there’s a thought…

Rating: 8/10.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=84408&page=1

There is much about football that doesn’t make sense. How Chelsea can let go of Jose Mourinho, one of the greatest managers in the world, is one example. That England fans expect the national team to win every game despite having failed to win anything in over 50 years is another. But the fact that the world’s two premier football video games are made in Canada and Japan, ranked 54 and 34 respectfully in the FIFA World Rankings, is perhaps the most mind-boggling piece of nonsensical football trivia ever. It also makes you wonder how they manage to produce such spell-blindingly good football games.

We’ll acknowledge the FIFA VS PRO debate now, but actually leave it alone until later in the review. Instead we’re diving straight in at the deep end like a Cristiano Ronaldo pirouette in the opposition’s penalty area. First thing you’ll notice about FIFA 08, developed by EA Canada, is how impressive the game looks, especially on a large HD TV. In a normal match, with the camera in its default position, the game looks stunning, and would fool non-gamers into thinking they are actually watching a real-life football match. The game is perhaps the closest the industry has ever got to achieving a photo realistic virtual game of football.

You’ll be amazed at how life-like the players move about the pitch. Animations are varied and fluid and players interact with each other with an impressive degree of aggression – arching their back to shield the ball, tugging and jostling for 50 50s and raising their elbows for headers. Add in the genuinely impressive way you can tell individual footballers a mile off and what you have is perhaps the first truly next-gen looking football game. At least for the first half-an-hour of gaming anyway.

But we’re not in the habit of playing a £40 game for half-an-hour, putting it down and declaring it the next Maradona. Unfortunately for FIFA 08, the more time you spend with the game, the more you’ll notice that the EA polish is once again papering over rocky foundations. A bit like little Mickey Owen.

As soon as you get a replay you’ll notice something strange about the players’ faces. We know it’s EA’s trademark sweat effect, but it just looks like someone has rubbed Wayne Rooney’s head through a car wash. You could shave your face looking at his forehead, so shiny and polished does it look. While the sweat effects might work in an EA basketball game, where there are less players on screen and more detail in each, in FIFA 08, when you zoom in close it looks depressingly false. All this does is further shatter the ‘you’re playing like a real footballer would’ illusion the game is so at pains to push.

We noticed slight graphical differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions too. It looks a little better on 360 – crisper and more fluid, despite EA’s claims that both would run at 60 fps. It’s a very subtle difference, but noticeable nonetheless. Generally, EA Sports next-gen titles haven’t looked as good on PS3 compared with the Xbox 360 (Madden 08 runs at half the frame rate on PS3), and FIFA 08 is no different. If you’re lucky enough to own both consoles, the 360 version is the one to get, unless you have an affinity to the Sixaxis controller, which we know many football game fans do seeing as it’s essentially the Dual Shock sans the shock.

Did we mention the players look fat? Not in normal view, of course, but up close, the players don’t look built like brick walls, they look like walls of lard. Didier Drogba is huge, and the creases of his shirt make it look like his belly is rolling over his shorts. Super Franky Lampard won’t be impressed with his virtual alter-ego either. While we welcome any effort to make the players feel like they carry some weight on the pitch, and don’t simply skate around on an ice-rink made of grass, this is going too far. We didn’t sign up for Lard Ass United VS Five Bellies FC.

Another nail in the simulation coffin is the commentary. Again, play for 20 minutes and you’ll think it’s the best commentary you’ve ever heard, as you would expect with an EA sports title. But play more than a few games with the same team and you’ll start to get very annoyed by repeated commentary for specific players. If I have to hear Sky Sports presenter Martin Tyler say Shaun Wright-Phillips is a “bundle of energy” one more time, I’m going to throw my controller at the TV. There are also points where it falls down, like when Martin gets very excited for nothing, or is completely calm when he should be jumping up and down and having a fit.

Presentation apart, the game plays well enough. The impressive ball physics creates a much better feeling of randomness than in previous FIFA games, and is approaching the ‘no two goals ever the same’ feel of PES. It’s not quite there, but again, a marked improvement. EA has also implemented a new manual mode of control, which is basically playing the game without any assists not only for passing and shooting, but for through balls and crosses too. This makes the game brutally hard. The games we played in manual resulted in numerous misplaced passes, woeful shots and a general war of attrition in the centre of the park. Think Everton VS Bolton on a bad day. While it feels like gamers willing to practice hard in this mode will certainly reap reward, we’re not sure it’s suitable for casual gamers who love FIFA for its high scoring games and pick up and play arcade feel.

When played with assists on though, it’s still very hard to score. Dare we say it, even harder to score than in PES. How ironic. The fancy skills are practically useless in a multiplayer game, and it’s almost impossible to go round a player. Instead you have to craft openings with slow building moves from the back, which is how it should be of course, but perhaps not this hard.

So, we finally turn our attention to the inevitable FIFA VS PES debate. This isn’t for the decided, since the loyal will probably stick with their preferred game no matter what. This is for the undecided, the floating voter, the glory hunter, the one who goes where the money is. Should you wait a month and get PES 2008, or should you take the plunge and get FIFA 08 now?

The answer, inevitably, depends, and can’t be properly answered until PES comes out at the end of October anyway. Most hardened PES fanatics will admit that the last game, Pro Evolution Soccer 6, was somewhat of a disappointment, especially on the Xbox 360, which hardly had any editing options or game stats. But the game was still unmistakeably PES, with perhaps the greatest football game engine ever conceived carrying it through its undeniable flaws. In many ways this year is the perfect time for EA to step it up against its great rival, which it may see as under a degree of pressure from its own rabid fanbase. Could previously loyal PES owners risk ultimate disgrace and dump a sinking ship, like Sol Campbell leaving Spurs for Arsenal?

It’s clear that EA has concentrated on improving the realism of its engine, and made sure the graphics and presentation remain just as good as ever. The Be A Pro: Co-op Season mode is a case in point. In it you control one player from the team, calling for a pass, telling players to shoot and keeping your performance rating up by staying in position, marking your men and doing a professional job. You even do a Gears of War style roadie run when you have the ball and run at players. It’s interesting in theory, and certainly will be more fun multiplayer than it is on your own, but we’re not sure it will ever prove more popular than the normal mode of play.

Gamers are screaming out for a truly next-gen football title, and in this FIFA is leagues apart from PES. FIFA 08 also comes with perhaps the most comprehensive set of online features ever seen in a football game. You can access real world tables and statistics from all the major leagues, the latest news on your club, as well as a sticker album-type accomplishment system which looks very nice indeed. One of them is win 20 man of the match awards using teams from the Mexican league. That’s accomplishment 100 and certainly won’t be gained by many players.

EA is also promising five-on-five online play next year via a future patch, which immediately puts PES 2008 under pressure to do the same. Tack on the what we know is always better about FIFA – the menus, loading screens, real player names and teams – and this really is shaping up to be one of the more interesting PES VS FIFA battles for some time. A bit like the Premier League then.

But none of the sheen stops us feeling a degree of sadness when playing FIFA. Sadness in that here we have a lovely looking and functionally excellent game, but it’s just not got that certain je ne sais quoi, that va-va-voom. If we could just combine FIFA with PES, perhaps creating FES, or PEFA, we would probably never need another football game, and we’d all be singing from the terraces. As it is, it’s a gorgeous, decent football game that’s trying a bit too hard to be PES when it should be celebrating what it already was.

Pro-G Score:
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Overall Rating: 8 (Great)

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/ps3/fifa_08/review.html

Last year FIFA 07 was a complete reinvention for the FIFA franchise and was the closest the franchise has ever come to being better than Konami’s increasingly popular Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. For FIFA 08 the gameplay engine has been retained, so the game isn’t as radically different as FIFA 07 but with a few new gameplay additions and some decent features FIFA 08 is without a doubt EA’s best soccer game yet.

Initially it looks like FIFA 08 features the same options as last year, but quite a few things have changed. The kickoff mode returns of course and launches you into a quick match with your favourite team. The modes in FIFA 08 are split between offline game modes and online game modes. The manager mode, FIFA 08 lounge mode and challenge mode all return from last year, with tournament mode, a create a tournament mode and the be a pro offline training mode added in for this year’s edition. The lounge mode lets you play with your friends (or the computer) across several matches and keeps track of your results in a league table. At the end of each match in the lounge mode you’ll be awarded points, based on cleansheets, shot accuracy, cards etc. Each player will then be awarded cards which can be used to improve your performance. Impressively, the lounge mode keeps track of the standings for each player as well. There are also 100 stickers to be collected which are awarded at the end of each match, and as always the lounge is one of the highlights for FIFA 08.

The manager mode puts you in the role of a soccer club manager. At the beginning of the manager mode you’ll select which club team you’ll take control of. You’ll sign the contract and be given specific contract terms, such as a challenge to win the league. By fulfilling these contract terms you’ll secure your contract for longer. After signing your contract you’ll need to select a sponsorship offer. Sponsorship offers are important as the money from sponsors is often what keeps your team afloat. Sponsors also have their own requirements and fulfilling these will net even more money for your team. Once you’ve signed a sponsor you are ready to take over the team. As the manager you have full control over your team, you’ll need to scout for new players, negotiate contracts and do everything else a manager needs to. Most importantly though, you’ll need to win the matches to ensure you fulfil the requirements of your sponsors. As you play through the manager mode you’ll get exp points which can be used to improve the quality of your players. From the main manager mode central menu you’ll also be able to track your job security, manager prestige, fan appreciation and team chemistry. Overall though the manager mode hasn’t really changed all that much from previous years (aside from a few interface changes which makes things more accessible), but it’s still a great mode that’s very indepth.

The challenge mode features 105 challenges split up into ten regions. For each match there are specific goals to fulfil in the challenge mode, such as scoring a goal and winning the match in regular time. The game keeps track of all of the challenges you’ve completed as well, and you’ll unlock more challenges and gain points by fulfilling the challenges in the challenge mode.

This brings us to the new gameplay options in FIFA 08. Tournament mode features fifty real world tournaments. There is also a create a tournament mode which, as the name suggests, allows you to create a tournament. There are several customisation options in the mode including how many teams play in the tournaments and what type of tournament the tournament is (league, knockout etc..). The create a tournament mode was sorely missing from last year’s title, so its inclusion is appreciated.

One of the most hyped inclusions in FIFA 08 is the be a pro mode. The be a pro mode allows you to take control of one of the players on the pitch, rather than the whole team. In single player you get a chance to touch up on your skills with the be a pro training option. Taking control of the one player is a lot more complex and the player has several options open to them whilst playing the be a pro mode. A performance bar gives you an overall indication of how well your player is performing, you can also call for passes, crosses and through passes as well as advise your team mates to shoot for goal. A positioning arrow guides you to where your player should be and a red ring will appear beneath players you should be marking. Pleasingly you can also choose which player you become, so for example you may want to take control of Archie Thompson from the Melbourne Victory and this is possible. Be a pro mode isn’t just for offline play, at least for the rest of the world. In a few weeks EA will be releasing a 5 on 5 be a pro gameplay option for online play, which Australians will miss out on. The mode will be available for free in Europe and America, but due to server issues Australia will miss out, which is very disappointing.

So does the Be a pro option fundamentally change the game? Well, yes it does. Initially it’s a little difficult because you’ll want to follow the ball to take possession, but soon enough you become used too taking position and waiting for the ball. The ball won’t always come to you but you can set yourself up to get the ball by actually reading the play and calling for the ball at the right moment. The camera angle in the be a pro mode is actually a little different as well, so it’s easy to keep track of play. It’s incredible how quickly you’ll get used to running back into position and keeping your player onside.

FIFA 08 also includes some online options. You can play a quick ranked match or a quick unranked match as well as take part in online leagues. FIFA 08 on the PlayStation 3 also features interactive leagues where you represent your team as a team world league. As previously mentioned other countries will also get be able to play online via the 5 v 5 be a pro online option.

One of the best inclusions for Australians is the A-League. All eight A League teams are in FIFA 08, so if you want to play as Sydney FC or the Melbourne Victory you can. You may not want to play as them for too long though, as they have very low star ratings, with Sydney FC rating 1 and a half stars and the Newcastle Jets rated as half a star. Nonetheless, the inclusion of the A League is a big boost for Australian soccer and will differentiate FIFA 08 from Pro Evo 2008, which doesn’t appear to feature the A League at all. Licensing hasn’t just been improved for Australia, FIFA 08 now features 620 licensed teams, 30 official leagues, and more than 15,000 players. Impressive.

On the field a few things have changed as well. The directional pad is now used for tactics. Pressing one of the four directions will implement specific tactics including CB attack which sends a player up to join you with the next attack, opposite wing attack which forces a winger up to join the attack, team press which makes your team press the opponents and offside trap, which is self explanatory. You can also increase and decrease your team’s attacking mentality by press R1 and either left or right. For the first time through balls and crosses can be completely controlled as well. Shooting has been improved as well and overall FIFA 08 ends up feeling a little more realistic than its predecessor, but only minorly.

Graphically FIFA 08 is very impressive. The character models are decent, as are the animations. The stadiums look simply brilliant and are still awe inspiring at the beginning of every match. Commentary is provided by Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, who do a great job as usual. The comments do become a little repetitive at times though. The crowd noise is simply amazing and can’t be faulted.

FIFA 08 also features a fanshop which features over 100 possible purchases. As you play through the game you’ll be awarded points and these points can be used to purchase several possible items including new boots, balls and jerseys. It’s little additions like this which will keep you coming back to FIFA 08. There is just so much to unlock and do in the game that it’s unlikely you’ll ever complete everything the game has to offer.

FIFA 08 is without a doubt the most realistic FIFA title yet, but only just. There have been a few gameplay refinements and the new modes are decent. It’s disappointing Australians will miss out on the 5 vs 5 be a pro online feature as that is one of the drawcards for FIFA 08. The game isn’t quite at the level of Pro Evolution Soccer yet but there is still a lot of fun to be had with FIFA 08.

8.5

Graphics:
Graphically FIFA 08 looks very impressive. Animations are decent and character models look good, the stadiums are large and atmospheric.

8.0

Sound:
Andy Gray and Martin Tyler once again provide the commentary, which is more varied. The crowd noises are brilliant.

7.0

Gameplay:
FIFA 08 isn’t quite a big a leap as FIFA 07 was over its predecessor but the gameplay is definitely more polished and realistic.

9.0

Lifespan:
With over 100 items available for purchase at the fan shop as well as an expansive manager mode and online play, FIFA 08 is a game that will keep you occupied for a long, long time.

7.0

Overall:
FIFA 08 is an enjoyable soccer game that makes a few improvements over last year’s FIFA. With a tonne of gameplay options FIFA 08 is simply the best EA soccer title yet.