An Emphatic Improvement From FIFA 08

Author's Rating:

Pros: Improved Gameplay

Cons: Stupid AI

The Bottom Line: 
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Author's Review
I am an avid soccer fan and subsequently, an avid fan of EA Sports FIFA series. It seems like no matter how the last years installment fared, I always find myself buying the newest version of the game almost as soon as it comes out. Sometimes I wonder why I anticipate the newest version coming out, because EA never seems to get everything quite right in a single years game. Case in point being FIFA 08, which was a step up in physics and ball control, but the opponents played far too conservatively and defensively to make the game enjoyable at all. Maybe the hope that everything will be improved is what keeps me buying the new version, and FIFA 09 is really no different. The gameplay has been improved by leaps and bounds as well as selected other aspects of the game, but there are still some areas that EA has some work to do on.

New Features

There really aren't a large amount of new features that come along with FIFA 09, but there is one notable addition with Be A Pro Mode. In this mode you can create a player or select an existing one to control at all times while out on the field. I think this is a good idea, but really wasn't my cup of tea as controlling one out of eleven players on the field felt too restrictive to be enjoyable. As with the past games, I spend and will continue to spend most of my time playing manager mode, in which you create a manager and try to work your way up the latter to the biggest clubs in the world - or for less challenge you can just start there, or playing online. The online servers are usually pretty empty, due to the fact that most FIFA players aren't dinosaurs like me still playing the PS2...

Gameplay

To reiterate my point from above, the defensive nature of the gameplay from FIFA 08 is what really ruined that game for me. You were pretty much required to knock the ball around on the offensive end a lot to even have a prayer of getting past the defense. Any possibility of playing counter-attacking soccer was forgotten when you won the ball and found yourself staring 6 defenders right in the face. On the plus side, it was challenging, even if the challenge was achieved at the sacrifice of enjoyment. After buying and playing several matches in FIFA 09, I can happily say that this game is much more enjoyable than FIFA 08 ever was.

In FIFA 09, you're allowed to play and attempt to score goals in the way you decide to. You can try to score them with quick passes, long thru balls, slow patent build-ups, whatever. How you attempt to score the goals changes with the team you're playing against, in direct comparison to 08, in which it really didn't matter you were lining up against. Another thing I noticed about 09 is the improved realism on ball physics on long shots. In past FIFA installments, the way the ball came off a players foot on long shots reminded me more of a beach ball rather than a soccer ball. Something that I found a little ridiculous about 08 is when an opponent is running down the wing looking to cross the ball into the box, the vast majority of times the cross would be hit straight at the keeper. The last random observation was that free kicks and corner kicks are much less predictable. Whenever you got a free kick close to the goal in previous FIFA's, you could pretty much start celebrating the goal. They were too easy. Same with corners, even though the scoring rate was much lower, you could easily put the ball in the same spot every time. The flight and trajectory of the ball is much less predictable in 09.

Not everything about the gameplay is completely positive, unfortunately. I actually think the players on your team's intelligence has regressed from last year. Not only do they still run in front of you at times when you are looking to shoot, apparently this year they forgot what the offside rule was. Players often make runs until they're 5-6 yards offside - which is simply absurd. What's worse is your players seem to be content that they're offside and hang out there leaving you with fewer options to pass to. Another weak point is how the goalkeepers are less aggressive in this game. In real soccer matches, the keeper will come out and try to catch almost everything near their goal, while the keepers are simply lazy on crosses and corners in this virtual world.

Audio/Visual

The graphics really haven't improved at all, again, not surprising considering I'm still using a PS2. Still, the real life stadia that was rendered looks exactly like the grounds in real life, and the players faces are pretty accurate. Commentary for the PS2 version is provided by the lovable Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray, with their English and Scottish accents. It's decent to listen to, but becomes old and repetitive after only a few matches. It doesn't help that only a few select players have their names recorded, and this is compensated for by saying those players names way too much. At least you can switch it over to Spanish commentary for an interesting experience.

Final Thoughts

FIFA 09 is an excellent game and is far superior to the previous version. It provides a fairly real experience with only a few flaws. Knowing EA, the 2010 version will have fixed the flaws found in this game but they will have created others to make up for the fixed ones. Oh well, I probably still buy 2010 anyway....and hopefully for the PS3.