Fifa 08 Review

FIFA 08 is the latest installment from EA games. Over the last few years EA has dominated the industry with high quality and high budgeted games. EA Sports releases the most well known sports games and the FIFA series has always topped the charts.

FIFA 08 (the PS3, 360 and PC versions) gameplay runs quite a bit differently from the 07 version. The players run more fluidly and the ball carries more weight. For those who have played FIFA's prior to 08, the new controls take a little time getting used to but overall the new controls are better. The conservative tackle is now also the same button as pass. This helps because before, tackle was also the shoot/kick button which got annoying if you accidentally kept on pressing it after you got the ball off your opponent. Now, if you make this mistake, the repercussions aren't so bad. At worst, you will pass and the opponent will intercept it. The power bar, however, isn't quite so good. I have played the game only on PS3 so I'm not sure if the 360 has the same problem but the power bar rises very unevenly, almost like the gauge is lagging. This means it's hard to make the precise power when kicking or taking a corner kick. Most of the time I was estimating when letting go of the kick button would be the correct power. The AI isn't too bad and can score good goals and set up nice plays out of nowhere which is challenging and makes for exciting gameplay. The overall speed is more realistic and has toned down substantially. This helps to create better plays and more planned strategies.

The game modes in FIFA 08 are excellent. There is the usual challenge mode which gives you numerous objectives from parts of the world which you can complete in any order. If you set out to complete every challenge it would take hours of gameplay. Most challenges require that you win a certain Cup, League or Tournament and each of them can take dozens of game to finish. What is exciting about 08 though is Be A Pro mode. This brand new feature puts you in the boots of one player all throughout every game. It brings a very realistic approach to gameplay and a unique gaming platform disparate from any experience you would have playing the generic mode. Be A Pro entails you picking one soccer player from a team and controlling him, and only him. There is button to call for the ball so you're not just always standing around. But, every position is fun to play and the camera view zooms in and out of the action depending on what is happening. If your a striker and you're going in for a goal, the camera will zoom right behind you, amongst the fray. It really puts you in the position to create a heart-pounding atmosphere. The online modes are easily accessible but finding an opponent, I found, could be tedious and time-consuming. The lag between gamers can get frustrating so finding a player from your country is what I would recommend. This can be annoying if there is no one from you country online. When you get an online game started, with no lag, it is a great feature. There is online tournaments held also which gives a strong sense of community.

The interface during a game has the scores positioned in the top left. The teams are displayed so you can easily discern which team has what points. Again, the power bar is cursed with lag most of the time which can really destroy a play or shot at the goal. That being said, it is quite manageable to still make the correct shots just out of feel.

The graphics are awesome and each player has an appropriate sprite to resemble each soccer player. The sound fits well and the crowd are believable and cheer random chants to reflect that soccer stadium environment. The commentator voices are also new and full of new calls and descriptions.

Sadly, the gameplay for FIFA 08 on the PS2 is more or less exactly the same of FIFA 07. The fact that EA didn't even bother with enhancing the game for PS2 I thought was a bit slack. The only changes I noticed to the PS2 version are the controls and some subtle graphic tweaks.

FIFA 08 for the PS2, 360 and PC, is a great game with a completely new design and gameplay experience than EA's previous soccer games.

My Rating: 87%