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GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/03/2008
- Updated on: 10/08/2008
- Released on: 10/13/2008
- Originally published on GameSpot: FIFA Soccer 09 (Xbox 360) Review
UK REVIEW--It's been a busy 12 months for EA Sports and football games. FIFA 08 was a genuine revolution for the series, with a more realistic pace and improved AI adding some much-needed depth to the gameplay. UEFA Euro 2008 came six months later, further refining this ground work while expanding the features list with more unique game modes. With FIFA 09--the third EA Sports football game in a bit more than a year--they've honed the core gameplay even further, and added even more features, game modes, and online elements to the mix. It amounts to an incredibly deep and varied package, and despite a few niggling bugs and performance issues, FIFA 09 is the pinnacle of the series so far.
Clever AI, the need for accurate passing, and card-happy referees mean this is a challenging game to get into.
Given the six-month period of time between Euro 2008 and FIFA 09, it's no surprise that the two games play very similarly. The pace has quickened slightly, passes need to be directed with even greater accuracy, and the referees seem even more eager to dish out cards. The most noticeable improvement is in the physical quality of the players themselves. Attackers point to where they want the ball, defenders direct offside violations to the linesmen, and everyone's lost that plastic look from FIFA 08 that was so off-putting. Although you can still spot individual animation routines during replays, the players now genuinely feel as if they're interacting with each other and the ball. As a result, player weight and speed are now a vital part of overall tactics, and combining runs with perfectly timed passes has become the only real way to succeed.
With opponent AI that absolutely will not stop until it gets the ball from you, FIFA 09 is now firmly rooted in simulation territory. Experienced players can still use the left-trigger-enabled trick system to run around players, but unless you're passing the ball around effectively, you have little hope of keeping possession. The result is a game that's heavy on midfield battles--even the commentators remark on how often possession moves between teams. The AI is particularly good even on the easier settings, not only moving in to take the ball off you, but springing off-side traps and adapting their tactics throughout each match. This punishing difficulty forces you to up your game, and you soon start to develop a rhythm and accuracy that can cut through defenses to score some spectacular goals. Only the odd AI mistake from your own team conspires against you, with goalkeepers running to punch a ball that's flying well wide of the goal, or the computer selecting entirely the wrong defender for you when the other team is on a break.
Adding to the deep and rewarding gameplay is a wealth of new and existing game modes. The new cover feature is Be a Pro: Seasons, which expands last year's BAP mode to cover a full four seasons. In Be a Pro, you control a single real-world player or a custom character instead of an entire team, and then craft the career of that player for both club and country over four years. You still have to focus on winning games, but each match carries additional criteria such as making a certain number of passes, tackles, or goals, which add to your overall experience points. If you're a real fan of a certain player then it's great to step into his boots, but Be A Pro is most addictive when you spend time customising your own footballer and putting your name on the back of a shirt. With tactical changes and substitutions happening automatically, the emphasis is on you being the player, and your ultimate aim across the four-year career is to stay in the A-squad and earn the captaincy of your national team. If you get bored of playing as just one player or want to mix things up a bit, then you can opt to control the entire team, and friends can jump in and out as other players if you want support. Be a Pro is worth checking out if you want to see the game in a different light, but even in attacking positions, you'll spend a lot of time waiting for some action.
Where Be a Pro really comes into its own when played online. Up to 20 people can join in a single game, and the same passing/tackling/position/goal reward system means you're encouraged to play as part of a team. Be a Pro online is technically well implemented too, with a diplomatic lobby system that lets people jump in and select the position they want to play; the first people to ready up are awarded the captaincy and thus control of the tactics and options for the entire team. The amount of lag in Be A Pro was higher than in standard online games, which isn't surprising given the volume of people in the game. The number of shouting voices can sometimes make it difficult to communicate too, but on the whole it's well implemented and is a huge amount of fun to play.
The Be a Pro online mode, which lets 20 people play together on Xbox Live, is one of the game's highlights.
Where to buy
FIFA Soccer 09 (Xbox 360):
$15.00 - $29.96
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$28.99 | No |
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$29.96 | Yes |
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$15.00 | No |
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