Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Adou Gabal
The good: A complete authentic experience, improved gameplay (Ball physics and AI), very good graphics, good skills system, more players and more teams, interesting new modes, superior presentation, very good soundtrack, lives up for the expectations.
The bad: Only well known players look close to their real counterparts, Crowd looks still and unrealistic, no referees or linesmen during gameplay, unrealistic adboards.
For many years, EA sports has injected new elements to the game. Some have proved to be successful, while others were quickly withdrawn from the series. On the next-gen platforms, EA has promised an overhaul to the whole game, while keeping the same engine around for its ps2/pc games.
New Features
First thing you notice when you first run the game, after the long list of emblems and licenses, is that the game asks you for your favourite team. After that it will take you to the arena. The arena is a new feature that lets you take control of one player (Ronaldinho is the default player but you can change that from the options) and try all the new moves, skills, try out free kicks and shots to master the different aspects of the game.
When you press start, a menu will appear that will let you choose what game mode you would prefer to play. A new mode was available when playing offline which is the: Be a pro offline training. In that mode you will take control of any player on the pitch and master his role. Thanks to a new camera angle that will always show your player and where the ball is on the pitch at the same time, you’ll try to position yourself in the ideal position for your team mates to anticipate the right pass if you’re an attacker or try to obstruct the opponents’ forwards if you’re a defender. It’s a good experience that can only get better with the release of a patch that added the possibility of matches with players up to 5v5 at the same time. The patch also adjusted the gameplay speed that was seen kind of slow to build up attacks and make counter attacks with ease.
Now looking at standard matches’ types, the game features 621 Fifa licensed teams, 30 leagues and more than 15,000 players. Also it includes 52 stadiums that will let you even choose what grass pattern type you prefer to see on the ground. Team management has seen a lot of improvement this year, it has included to make custom formations with the smallest details, including attacking and defensive runs, exact players’ positions and more. When everything is set, the game takes you back to the arena to train a little bit with your player before the start of the match. While doing so, the game loads in the background, so when you’re ready you can just press start to get on with the game, which I thought was a smart move by EA: eliminating loading screens.
Gameplay
From the second you begin the match, you’ll notice a huge difference in gameplay. Players now handle the ball more realistically. The ball now has its own physics which means that the ball won’t be stuck to the players’ feet anymore. You’ll see players stretching and bending to try to stop or shoot the ball. Very fluid and realistic animations (which were even more fluid after the official patch was applied). The game now lets you build up your attack the way you like it: pass it around and taking it slow, play on the wings or right down the middle, as now you don’t have to run with the ball the whole time. Players are more smart defensively and offensively. EA has announced that players can now calculate 1000 moves per second to suit what’s the ideal move to make. The skill moves are not easy to pull off, but once you have mastered them, they will give you a sense of satisfaction and achievement. Also you will have to be in the ideal position to take a shot otherwise you’ll see a lot of shots off target. All in all the gameplay has really taken a step forward and is a thrill to play, it’s even worth a try if you’re a PES fan and always complained about Fifa’s unrealistic gameplay.
Graphics
Graphically, the game looks sweet. From the fully detailed stadiums to fully licensed teams and players. The hair movement, shirts deformations and even sweat are all there. Only few problems arised: although well known players are looking almost the same as their real counterparts they still looked a bit unrealistic, on the other hand, Fifa’s main rival PES has done its job beautifully with the import face feature, which produced almost real faces in-game. Also the crowd throughout the stadium looks boring, as it doesn’t react with the game events, and carry no flags of the teams playing. While the game is graphically advanced, it was weird not to include the referee or linesmen in the game. The game presentation is at its very best. Possibly one of the best game presentations on the market.
Audio
The game includes amazing audio features. From its multi-national soundtrack, to the crowd chants, the players sounds and everything associated with the match. The commentators do a nice job, adding to the whole tv-like presentation of the game. They may get repetitive at times if you play with one team for many matches. The game overall offers a very nice audio-visual experience.
Online
Online, the game experiences almost no lags at all. The gameplay is somewhat slower but it’s still a very good experience. The EA servers are stable and is home for thousands of gamers. A lot of different modes to play adds to the depth of the game. Interactive leagues, be a pro 5v5, leagues and even ranked and unranked friendlies are a joy to play, and you can always check your rank at the online leaderboards.
Overall
The game is a big leap forward from its last releases. It offers a solid, enjoyable game with lots of add ons and things to go through. You will want to play the game over and over again to unlock all of its fanshop items, or even just to compete with friends. The realistic gameplay adds an element that was absent in older Fifa releases. It’s certainly a worthy competition for this year’s PES2008 and a must buy for Fifa long time fans.
Gameplay 8.5 (New gameplay engine excels at recreating the real match experience)
Graphics 8 (Shirt deformation, hair moves with wind, fully detailed stadiums)
Sound 8.5 (Very good commentary, great soundtrack)
Value 9.5 (The complete football game, you’ll get what you paid for in form of different game modes that will always entertain)
Tilt 10 (Deep manager mode, lots of leagues to play, great online experience and decent AI all make this year’s fifa a long lasting game)
Overall 8.9/10 (EA has finally balanced a good gameplay engine with the impressive presentation they used to deliver every year, it’s a huge step forward that even made archrival PES get back to the drawing board)
