FIFA Soccer 08 is probably the deepest and
most innovative game in the franchise in quite some time. It delivers an
incredible array of features and game modes that bring it back to the
forefront of soccer simulators. Almost every element and portion of the
game has been improved since last year's installment. Some of these
changes are subtle enhancements, while others offer a dramatic improvement
over previous next-gen iterations. The most immediately noticeable change
is the size of its roster. While last year's FIFA title offered a
relaticely small selection of teams, FIFA 08 makes up for this with a huge
selection of leagues, teams and players. The game offers more than 30
licensed leagues, over 300 teams, and literally thousands of real-life
players in addition to real stadiums. The roster includes all the biggest
European leagues and clubs including all the big players names from
professional soccer present, the game is probably the deepest and most
authentic in the series to date. You'll find everyone from Beckham to
Ronaldo in the game, along with all the big clubs such as Manchester,
Chelsea, Juventus, AC Milan and literally hundreds more. This just
scratches the surface but American players will be happy to know that the
game finally includes all the MLS teams, which were sorely lacking last
year. Players will can also select from all the International teams as
well. Suffice it to say, there's plenty of depth this time around, which
should please fans worldwide. This definitely makes FIFA Soccer 08 feel
more authentic this year, and its extensive lineup gives you almost
limitless options when selecting who to play as.
Its
an impressive selection of teams, but the game really shines once you get
on the field and play. The controls are similar to last year's editions,
but have been refined in some key areas. Passing the ball is a bit easier
now, which makes your moves more effective. Players will also find that
the auto-switching has been improved on the field as well. Performing
special moves has been simplified and you only need to use the right
analog stick to trap the ball, pass to another defender or make a through
pass. Kicking and shooting is still a little bit dicey, but your shots
feel a bit more accurate this time around. FIFA Soccer 08's pacing has
been changed a little, it feels less arcadey this time around, which makes
for a more strategic game that more accurately mimics the pacing and style
of a professional soccer match. The controls and interface are very easy
to understand and use, though there are a few new twists. For example, by
holding down on the shift button in some of the modes, the viewpoint
switches to a close-in look at the player under your command. While this
is cool to look at, it's kind of distracting in practice, and can be
annoying. The game's AI has been improved as well which works both for and
against the player.
While your opponents are smarter now,
your own team-mates have been improved as well, making them appear in the
right position more often. This makes the gameplay in FIFA 08 feel much
smoother than in last year's edition, improving the overall feel
dramatically. As you might expect, FIFA Soccer 08 includes an
extensive selection modes such as single match, tournament, and league
modes. You can also go behind the scenes in the game's Manager mode, where
you can decide which players to sign, trade or sell players and adjust
your teams financial strategy. It's a fairly decent addition this time
around. You can also choose to create and use a player in the game and
build up their stats, which is another superb addition to the series. All
of these appeared in last year's installments, so their return isn't that
surprising. However, EA has gone and added another interesting addition
this year. The most innovative feature of FIFA 08 is the new Be-a-Pro
mode. This allows you to take the role of a single player during a match,
concentrating on their position instead of playing as the full team. This
is an exciting and challenging idea that's been nicely implemented and
takes the player directly onto the pitch. You begin by selecting your team
and player, then move onto the field where you have to stay on the
position you're playing throughout the match. You are ranked throughout
and gain points for successful passes, interceptions and other moves.
However, you are marked down of you leave position; your ranking will
decline, so you have to stay within formation most of the time.
You
also lose points when your player performs a bad tackle or a pass is
blocked. It sounds fairly dull, but you actually have a lot to think about
as you focus on your position. Instead of switching around from player to
player, you instead control one player throughout the match. As you play
through this unique mode, you don't have to just sit there and wait for
something to happen, you can call other players to pass the ball, assist
other players and mark rivals using the face buttons to issuer commands.
When you play on offense, your goal is to get the ball forward on the
field, mark your territory and make sure your opponents don't take the
ball away from you. On defense, you switch roles and as a defender, you
have to cover your area, intercept your opponent and tackle any strikers
who get into your path. This unique system is very well implemented with
an intuitive command system and approach. The system is context sensitive,
which makes things easier. For example, if you're attacking, and you want
to pass the ball to another player and make them shoot you only need to
press the circle button. Holding down the circle button on defense calls a
second defender to your position. This is definitely a change of pace from
previous FIFA titles and helps to immerse players into the action in an
innovative way. Further adding to the immersion is the presentation, with
your player constantly marked throughout, which helps you look at the big
picture. When the ball comes close to you, the camera zooms in and allows
you to focus on your player's action with an effective on-the-field
viewpoint that's really cool and impressive. This is definitely the most
innovative of FIFA Soccer 08's new modes, but by no means is it the only
impressive feature in the game
The new be-a-pro mode is quite
impressive in its own right, but FIFA Soccer 08 also includes an extensive
online system where you can play in a variety of modes, update your team's
stats and rosters, download the latest international soccer news and even
listen to podcasts. Most of the modes are included in the main game,
including single matches, tournaments plus you can even use the Be-A-Pro
mode and have up to 4 players online on your side at the same time. This
is an impressive technical achievement and makes the game even more
immersive online. The game plays just as smoothly online and doesn't
suffer any of the lag or drop-outs you've come to expect. While the news
is somewhat bland all text, the addition of international pod-casts gives
FIFA Soccer 08's online experience a global community feel that's quite
impressive in its own right. Between this and the extensive roster of
licensed teams and players, the game offers one of the most immersive and
impressive sports experiences yet on the PS3, making for a far more robust
and much deeper experience than last year's installments. This is truly a
next-generation sports title and one that fully uses the online component
in new and innovative ways. The game's presentation is likewise smooth and
polished with an easy to navigate menu system wrapped around an arena,
where you can practice your moves one-on-one against a goalkeeper in first
person mode. You can select from different players in this mode as well,
and this is a good measuring tool that shows the improvements EA has made
to FIFA's graphics engine.
As
you can tell from the screenshots, the game looks fantastic from all
angles. The in-game visuals are solid and perform at a smooth and
consistent frame rate throughout. FIFA Soccer 08 offers multiple
viewpoints including side-to-side, television and dynamic camera angles.
All of these angles offer a good overview of the action, but where the
game really impresses and shows off its true next-gen colors is in its
close-up viewpoints. When the action breaks for a replay, players are
treated to some truly impressive character models with excellent facial
expressions and character animations that are nearly life-like. There are
a few glitches, such as the players' jerseys which seem to pop in and out
oddly from one texture map to another, which is distracting, but the level
of detail is otherwise impressive. As stated earlier, the most impressive
viewpoint is the be-a-pro view, where the camera zooms into a behind the
player, on the pitch mode which helps to put you right on the field.
Overall, the game's slick appearance and high-def graphics engine truly
take advantage of next-gen technology and make FIFA Soccer 08 one of the
best looking sports titles on the PS3 to date.
Between these slick visuals, its
abundance of game modes and the refined and intuitive gameplay mechanics,
FIFA Soccer 08 is the best in the franchise to date. EA has squeezed a ton
of features and options into the game, and everything has been polished.
The gameplay is much smoother and more intuitive in the standard modes.
The controls are easy to understand, with better player and CPU AI making
for a more challenging and realistic title. Its innovative Be-a-Pro mode
offers a unique way to play the game, and marks a new level of immersion
into the game. Its extensive online modes offer a deeper sense of
community with extensive modes, online tournaments and other features such
as pod-casts and more. FIFA Soccer 08's impressive features offer plenty
of variety, the extensive licensing gives the game authenticity, while its
excellent controls and interface make for a smooth playing experience
overall. All this adds up to create what is easily the best next-gen
soccer title EA has produced yet, making this a must-own for any soccer
fan.
-
Michael Palisano
Grade:
B
