FIFA 09 Review by a soccer nut

A football sim that is sure to please every

hardcore football fan . . and their dog

By GrathiusXR

©2008 Arthur Kotsopoulos:

It seems that with every new FIFA game that EA churn out each year they always know how to not only keep fans of the game happy, but also make it easier for new-comers of the sport to get in on the action. With the introduction of new gameplay physics that are sure to rattle the cages of many, slightly improved graphics, new games modes, and features FIFA 09 has set the bar for football sim games.

Boasting a staggering 250 improvements that not only improve and enhance the game where FIFA 08 fell short last year, it would seem that EA have gone that one step further to ensure that every football fan picks up and makes 09 the football sim of choice, with the inclusion of Adidas Live Season.

This new feature for ever changes each game that you play whether it’s offline, on LIVE or with a friend or family member. After selecting a league that your favourite team is in you enter a code and download the latest update, this then basically changes the stats of each player in the league based on their performance during the week.

So say you were to choose LIGA BBVA and use Barcelona,  Xavi one day might be rated 92 and a few days later after the next update he may be 95 or 87. This new feature not only makes the game more fair, it means more skill will come into play. Your team may be king one week, but the next may falter under the dominance of another team that faired better throughout the week.

Included alongside this new feature are the new gameplay mechanics of FIFA 09, that many would argue has contributed to 09 being the most realistic interpretation of the beautiful game. Players now will put their hand up in front of them and call for the ball when they see space, if a man is offside players will raise their hand to call it, if a free kick is not given or a striker misses the goal they will sit on the ground and ponder in disbelief.

Who would of thought that seeing a player fall from a tackle so realistically would be so fun and exhilarating to watch. What was once a chore to sit and play a 10 minute game of football has now become an intense, unpredictable 10 minutes where everything from missed chances, stupid tackles and wrong passes contributes to the success or downfall of your team.

On top of these new features and improvements, 09 continues the slick and simplistic presentation seen in 08 and also includes every game mode as well as introducing a few new ones. The arena is back now having different surroundings that you can practice in every time you start up the game, Be A Pro (BAP) is back and better than ever where now you can select one player or create your own and carry him on through 4 seasons starting in the reserves and then making the big league.

FIFA 09 Clubs where you create your own online club, recruit players from anywhere around the world and compete for the title of best club, perform well and you get rewarded, perform hopelessly and you club gets relegated to a lower division.

A familiar face that is Manager Mode, the main bulk of offline football madness is back. Just like 08 you input your name and then select any club from any league you want to be manager, Liverpool or Man Utd from the EPL, or AC Milan or Inter from the Italian Serie A. In 08 Manager Mode was a bit of a bore to do and half the time you would see yourself sim half the games to progress, but not this time.

Since these new improvements have been made, the AI has become smarter in every way, they think like you would think, they take every chance like you would, and they pace themselves exactly like you would if you were winning. Tackle them head on in Professional difficulty and they will show you a thing or 2 until you grow accustomed to the controls then move up to World Class/Legendary where they will really take you for a night out on the town.

It’s not the same old walk in the park game anymore, as all these features, game mechanics are contributing factors that come into play one way or another even whilst playing over Xbox LIVE. Be A Pro LIVE now includes the ability to have 10 vs10. Wrong passing, stupid crossing, miss-positioning all take into effect the mentality and dominance of your team.

What was once an unfair advantage, has been equaled out by something else. So unless you play the game non-stop for days on end, gone are the days of 4-0, 6-1 thumpings you hand out over LIVE or to a friend. Plus, with Custom tactics that allow you to change the way the team plays in all areas attacking and defending gets that much harder.

Now as always, EA know how to pick out a soundtrack for their FIFA games and 09 is no exception. 42 tracks from a variety of well known artists with a smattering of unknown artists that are sure to please many music fans. But if music isn’t your thing, then you have the ability to stream podcasts directly to your console that talk about daily/weekly soccer events.

Theses podcasts are also just one way to gain information on the happenings in real world football. Along with this, ESPN News integration is back again and as with the podcasts brings you live news feeds for all you favourite leagues and also NBA and F1.

Now It’s no wonder FIFA 09 is the superior football sim of choice. With a plethora of pros that outweigh the cons such as, slighlty improved graphics over 08, a few stupid referee calls and some evil online latency at times,  EA, have taken what worked in FIFA 08 and improved in these areas, as well as where it fell short to produce a game that every football fan must own whether on the PS3 or 360.

EA have truly shown us what the beautiful game is all about.

“8.9/10

©2008 Arthur Kotsopoulos:

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Filed under: Console gaming, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | EA, EA Sports, Electronic Arts, fifa 09, Fifa Soccer 09