Soccer fans rejoice. Another FIFA installment has come your way. FIFA 09 is the latest version of the franchise that has been running for the past sixteen odd years. Will this experienced player in gaming show us how the pro’s do it, or will it fall flat on its face?
People who are not very familiar with the series would usually argue “it’s a money making scheme to release it every year and not much changes” but for those who actually play the games know that things do in fact change. So what separates 09 from its predecessor?
For a starter the visuals have seen some improvement. The players themselves look very impressive when compared to 08. The character models appear to be well rendered and there appears to have been a lot of attention paid in the detailing. Let’s face it though, the players will never look like the real ones for a long time to come but they’re the best we’ve seen so far. Things such as facial expressions of the players work really well in the game, they‘re amusing and convincing. For example: watching a player having a fit when he misses a shot on goal. The detailing can also be seen on the outfits of the players which actually move when the player is moving; this adds some form of realism to the game. Things such as the environments (stadiums, weather, and crowds) have also been improved and work quite well. However some of the soccer fields appear to have too much brightness which does ultimately tackle you in the eyes (Yes, it hurts your eyes). The problem with the PC version is that the crowd has not made the switch over to 3D and they still remain in their cardboard like 2D form.
FIFA 08 received a fair amount of criticism about the movement of the players. It was said to be slow and delayed. Thankfully this is not an issue in 09. In 09 the gameplay is superbly smooth with minor frame rate issues. The character movements are responsive and give the game this fluid pace it requires. The dynamics of the game have also been improved on as well. Players will fall depending on how fast they were running, how powerful their opponent is, the angle they were tackled from and a number of different things. When fighting over a ball, the player’s strength is a factor which determines if he will push the other player off the ball. Dribbling abilities are also at their best and a new celebration system is now in place which allows you to perform certain celebrations with different button combinations.
A truly new feature in FIFA 09 is the ‘be a pro’ season. In this game mode you play as a specific player in a team. Your goal is to win seasons and play for your national team. As you play through you gain experience points for achieving certain tasks. Experience points are used to increase your player’s ability and skill level. You can choose to create a player or to use an existing player. Creating a player is always more fun because firstly you can see your player grow from a ‘noob’ to a pro and it’s always fun to create a player that looks like you and has better stats than Ronaldo. This game mode brings a breath of fresh air into the FIFA series. However when playing through this it’s not as user friendly in terms of camera angles as the normal mode is and it can also feel quite strange when playing it. It still remains a nice feature to have when you need a break from the regular mode.
The online mode for FIFA 09 also works very well. You are able to jump straight into a game with a random opponent at the click of a button or you can invite your friend to a game. The lag when playing internationals is very minimal which is a good thing seeing as your friends might not always be playing. It works on a point system just like 08. There is also an option to create an online tournament with up to ten players. You can also create a game with 20 players where you use two teams and each user controls their own player in the team.
Overall FIFA 09 seems to be the player of the year for soccer games. It has good graphics, great gameplay and it comes with some fresh new features to keep you even more glued to your TV screen. With the rights for all the teams, leagues, and commentary FIFA 09 is a must buy. Will PES 2009 give the red card to FIFA 09 or will it always remain on the bench? We’ll find out soon but for now, FIFA, you’re our star player.
[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]
