FIFA 08 XBOX 360 Review

Well on today’s review we will take a closer look at FIFA 2008, the XBOX360 version of it.

Soccer has been dubbed “the beautiful game”. Unfortunately most soccer game offerings have been far from beautiful in their implementation. Fifa, as popular as the series has been has felt somewhat lacking to me, and in the past couple of years the series has had its nose blooded by the fast paced arcadey franchise that is Pro Evolution Soccer. Fortunately then, EA really stepped up to the mark for this year’s Fifa offering.

The new features list contains large numbers with many zeros, such as that players make 1000 decisions every second. These numbers mean little in isolation, but speak volumes in-game. The improved AI along with awesome ball physics (which are affected by factors such as wind speed, player balance, ball spin and air pressure) makes for a very realistic experience. Each iteration of Fifa has had its own nuances and Fifa 08 is no different. In fact it will take quite a bit of time with the game to really master its subtleties.

Fifa 08 has a much slower pace than many would be used to, which makes for a much more considered and tactical game. A game of to and fro, where there is a lot of passing and exploring to find a weakness in the opposition’s defense. In essence, it truly captures the feel of soccer. No longer can you subdue the opposition with wave after wave of attacks. Nor can you cross the ball magically into your striker’s feet from one side of the field to the other (this annoyed my old flatmates to no end). Instead you have to make space, shield the ball and really think about what you are doing, all while the opposition is relentlessly chasing your heels and blocking your passes. Fifa 08 also introduces a new version of the fatigue meter. This time round you cant sit with your finger jammed on the run button, as your total stamina will drop slowly over the game. You have to use short burst of speed.

Another bonus is the beefed up ball control. Passing has been very hit and miss in past iterations, usually involving pointing in the general vicinity and hoping for the best. In Fifa 08 this is much less the case, especially when you turn off passing assistance. The added control really does provide for some excellent build up play.

In my opinion Fifa 08 is quite possibly the most realistic soccer game I have played. I say this, because you have to play as you would on a real pitch. As I mentioned above, the ball physics are really impressive, and its fantastic to see defenders fight for the ball when its loose without it being magically sucked to one of the players feet like in previous versions. Lets not kid ourselves though, someone walking past your tv is not going to mistake it for a real game of soccer, but its as close as we have seen.

All this realism comes at a cost to the casual player…difficulty. Unless you are willing to put some time into the game, it is unlikely that you will be able to truly appreciate its subtle genius. It can be fairly frustrating and hard with goals few and far between. Like I said though, its fairly realistic. Unfortunately it is relatively unforgiving even on the easier setting. The steep learning curve and added difficulty may be a bit of a turn off to those not already familiar with the series.

Most of what I mentioned so far are more incremental improvements than anything new. This is where the Be A Pro mode comes in. In this mode you play as one player, rather than the entire team. This is such a good idea that it makes you wonder why it has not been done in the past. Unfortunately its not as full featured as you would hope, but it definitely makes me excited for the future. EA have also suggested that the game will eventually allow for five a side online games with each player being controlled individually. Normal multiplayer is great fun, and though I did not get time to try out the online leagues, one off matches against a real opponent are awesome. I experienced very little lag in my games, which is a definite bonus.

It also has the usual exhaustive number of licensed teams and leagues, even including New Zealand (the worst international team in the game - which is accurate enough). The visuals are pretty impressive, with a lot of attention given to the likenesses of most players. Obviously the stars were given more love than the average Joe’s but that’s to be expected when there are more than a thousand players. The commentators are also better this year round with more recorded lines than previous years. Obviously these do get repeated, but all round they relate a lot more to what’s going on in the game than I have seen in previous versions.

In closing Fifa 08 is the most enjoyable soccer game I have played. The slower pace, greater control and realistic approach really does make for a very enjoyable experience if you like your soccer. On the downside it is a lot more challenging with a steeper learning curve. However if you can push through this, you will find that you can pull off some spectacular moves that were rarely seen in the past, at least not on this level. Fifa 08 really is a beautiful simulation of the beautiful game :D.

See you later. And for more information watch the video.

P.E.S. 2008 Review

     Well i decided to finally make the first of my many to come reviews and being one my favorite games i will start with the new P.E.S. 2008.

Every game has its weaknesses, and PES has its share, but comparing it to the competition (FIFA Soccer 08) we have a clear winner. I know FIFA has really great graphics on the Xbox 360 but that’s beside the point, we’re talking PC here!

PES started from nowhere a few years ago (2001 I believe) and it just kept growing and growing until present day.

But what does it got to offer? Well let’s see…

Graphics have been worked on, textures are crisper and at higher resolutions, characters look more alike to real players. The face of your players is really expressive and you will see happiness or sorrow in their eyes when they score or when their team gets beaten.

Facial animations and animations in general have been improved. New dribble techniques have been added, diving and shirt pulling are also present now. It’s always been my opinion that in a computer game that tries to reproduce a real life game, what matters the most for players is the realism. I think the developers have to focus on really appealing graphics, animations and physics in order to satisfy the target gamers. And sounds come very near in second place of course. I think EA forgot that aspect a bit in FIFA 08 for the PC while they were busy signing licensing contracts for various leagues…

It’s always been my opinion that in a computer game that tries to reproduce a real life game, what matters the most for players is the realism. I think the developers have to focus on really appealing graphics, animations and physics in order to satisfy the target gamers. And sounds come very near in second place of course. I think EA forgot that aspect a bit in FIFA 08 for the PC while they were busy signing licensing contracts for various leagues…

Speaking of cool things, you can scan your face with the help of your webcam and have it imported into the game. I haven’t tried it because I can’t be asked to install my webcam but I assume it’s a nice experience to be *THE* one who scores and gets multi-million dollar contracts.

Without shocking too much or being something spectacular and unseen before, the audio commentary is superior to everything else on the market - again. It’s like the computer commentators know when to raise their voice or keep it lowered. Most of the times at least. Same thing can be said about the crowd. And you can actually hear it sing and boo along with the occasional cheers as well. They keep up with the game and give it a plus to the general atmosphere and feeling.

Teamvision is the new adaptive AI developed by Konami that can, as the name suggests, adapt to your playstyle and cover any breach in defense next time you try the same tactics against the computer. I really don’t know how smart the computer is and how it learns, but I do know that you cannot for example pass opposing player without doing some dribbles, even on the easiest of difficulties. Again, PES 08 does better than its competition.

An interesting trick is the replay interface that can be used to edit and customize your own replay of a goal or game moment. Zoom in to focus on the ball, zoom out for a more strategic view, or change cameras to get a clearer image of the action. And it all looks good on all the angles. Even the spectators look decent and not some dumb-animated low-res bitmap image.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. You know… the other page 2 stuff that nobody ever reads…

15 stadiums are available for the PC version of Pro Evolution Soccer 08. The weather conditions can be random but can be fully customized. Same goes for the ball Either rain or shine, night or day, the hair has volume and the matches look good.

Play modes are exactly what you could expect from such a game:

Training: a mode where you can just position your ball relative to the net and start building an offensive action from there (or a free kick if you like);

Exibition Match: Quick start, pick a pre-defined team and just play to see what the game is all about. Everything can be on random, or you can customize your match in detail.

Cup: Pick your favorite team and your cup to fight for. Then be the best and win that trophy.

League: Again, pick your favorite team and participate in a league for a season.

Master League: Where you play some sort of a team manager. You handle player transfers, salary and schedule matches, choose where and against whom to play, and so on…

Customize, customize, customize… And then customize some more…

Each individual player is customizable in almost every way. Clothes, name, number, hairstyle, height are just a few things you can change to make your player look exactly as you want him to look.

The same applies for a team. You can even edit the stadium names. PES 08 offers a complete way to tune and tweak every aspect of the game if you are willing to spend the time.

59 music tracks complement the sounds of the game. The songs are taken from many varied genres, and I dare to say they have the potential to appeal more to soccer fans that the soundtracks in FIFA 08.

Conclusion

What else can I say? If you love soccer and computers, Pro Evolution Soccer 08 is the game for your PC. It has a few problems, like the lack of that many “licensed” teams, and the control icons that are displayed like on a console instead of the actual keys. But it is the best soccer game for the PC in 2008.