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 FIFA
09 (Playstation 3)
Instead of resting on previous accomplishments, EA's FIFA 09 offers
significant improvements in many areas. These combine to create a
surprisingly deep and authentic title. FIFA 09 expands last year's
Be-a-Pro mode to cover multiple seasons and allows multiplayer pro mode
online matches. You can also download player forms from top leagues that
mimic each athlete's performance in real time during the season. From a
gameplay standpoint, the game's controls have been improved which makes
each match flow much better. The tweaks make for a more intuitive title
that allows you to pass and shoot with increased accuracy. FIFA 09's
impressive array of new features makes it the most authentic and playable
FIFA soccer title this generation, adding up to make it a solid purchase
for sports gamers. |
The FIFA series is definitely one of the
most under-rated sports game franchises out there, and this year's edition
once again brings the excitement and depth of the professional soccer to
life brilliantly. It excels in terms of gameplay, design and interface. As
usual, one of the most impressive aspects of FIFA 09 is the sheer volume
it provides hardcore soccer fans. Featuring hundreds of officially
licensed teams, thousands of players, official stadiums and even authentic
game balls, the game's comprehensive list of official items makes it feel
quite authentic. Most of the players are also represented here, with
faithful renderings of them that look and, more importantly, play just as
their real world counterparts. From Ronaldo's flashy moves, to Beckham's
trademark style, you'll find almost every major star in the game. Almost
all the major European clubs including Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus,
Arsenal and Chelsea are represented in the game, with complete rosters and
tactics included as well. There's an extensive array of international
teams, and other leagues such as MLS and Seire A here as well. Players can
choose to play in a number of modes, choosing to play either a quick,
arcade-style match in Exhibition mode, play against a rival, go through a
season with their favorite club or manage the team through multiple
seasons. FIFA 09's options don't end there, since players can now set up
and edit their team roster, edit individual players and change tactics in
a number of areas before each match. There's an impressive number of
customization options for each match available that allow you to change
parameters including match time, difficulty, speed and more. Players can
also set up the controller's button mapping to their liking. This gives
you almost unlimited control over how you want to play. This is important
because, like real soccer, style plays an important role in the flow of
each match and can determine whether your team flows brilliantly through a
match or struggles to make plays against opponents.
 FIFA
09's standard modes deliver exactly what you've come to expect from the
series, but dig a little bit deeper and you'll find some truly impressive
features. The 'Be a Pro' mode from last year has returned and the basic
concept remains the same - you control a single player on the field
throughout a match and have to play their position effectively. This is
more challenging than it seems since you have to stay focused on your own
individual skills and not worry so much about whether your team is winning
or not. This runs contrary to most sports games on the market and really
helps to differentiate the game from the pack. It's surprisingly well
implemented as well, with intuitive controls that mimic team games, but
with the added twist of being able to call for the ball or set up passes
to other players. Pro mode is surprisingly fun and successfully performing
moves, staying in position and making calls to your player make up the
majority of your time. It's still a very unique feature, and the
implementation this year is much more integrated into the game. For
example, you can now call up to 20 other players online for a massive Pro
match where each player controls their own character - which is truly an
impressive technical achievement. In addition, this year's installment
allows you to take your Pro player through multiple seasons and watch as
they grow and build their skills. This allows you to create a cool soccer
avatar that you can identify with throughout. It can either be an existing
player that you've selected yourself or can be player-created character,
which is pretty impressive. FIFA 09's customization engine is quite
extensive in its own right and allows you to nearly create a virtual
avatar that looks like virtually anyone out there. Once you're done
finishing their appearance, you can then choose their attributes and skill
levels, which can subsequently be built upon even further. These players
can then be used in this mode, or in the standard modes when added to a
team's roster. Overall, these additions to FIFA 09 are quite impressive
and help you to immerse yourself into the soccer experience to an even
greater extent.
These features are quite impressive and
become all the more so once you get on the field and discover FIFA 09's
intuitive controls and ball handling. Most players should be familiar with
the basics of passing, dribbling and shooting the ball, and while these
parameters remain largely unchanged, this installment seems to flow a bit
better on the field. This is immediately apparent when you first boot up
the game and play in the arena, where you can go head to head with a
goalkeeper. Here, you can see the changes immediately, and the improved
feel and flow is quite noticeable from last year's installment. When you
get on the field and play a competitive match, you'll also notice that
there seems to be greater shot and passing accuracy this time around. This
makes for a faster, more intense experience. Players feel more responsive
this time around, particularly when it comes to performing trick moves
such as fakes or dodges. These techniques have been made easier thanks to
the use of the right analog stick to perform these quick moves. Your
team-mates are relatively smart and respond to changes on the field
quickly and intelligently. Opponent AI has also been strengthened this
time around, and the other team will put up quite a defense, with more
aggressive tackling and blocking making it harder for you to gain
momentum. Individual player tactics and styles do an excellent on-field
job in recreating their real world styles, and a new element this year
allows players to download player forms during the season, which update
their progress as the season moves along. You can download a single league
for free using the patch on the game manual and purchase additional
leagues if you desire. FIFA 09's excellent controls and flow help to make
it one of the best playing soccer titles from EA to date.
 Improved
visuals with more dynamic cameras give FIFA 09 added flair, while the
basic viewpoints haven't changed, there's more sweeping angles, better
cut-scenes after spectacular plays and an overall higher polish to the
proceedings. The game's replay feature remains versatile and easy to use,
allowing players to create and save their own mini-movies easily. FIFA
09's animations are silky smooth with fast gameplay unfolding at a fluid
rate making for a pleasing visual experience. Adding to the polish are the
more elaborate stadium animations and player celebrations which add to the
overall excitement level. As usual, there's an excellent selection of
music tracks to listen to on the arena practice field and in-game
commentary is fairly good. Overall, the game's production values are
excellent, showing the polish and professionalism players have come to
expect from EA. With it's extensive list of features, numerous
improvements and solid gameplay, FIFA 09 delivers an immersive, realistic
sports experience that captures the excitement, drama and passion of
professional soccer in a package that is simultaneously deep and
accessible. This year's installment features enough changes and
differences to make it must-purchase for any fan of the sport.
-
Michael Palisano
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