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UK, September 26, 2008 - Another year, another FIFA game, and another chance to see whether EA has realised its intentions to create the ultimate football simulation. And, of course, it's another chance to revive the aging debate over who rules the virtual football roost. Carrying on the momentum that EA has built up on the current generation since 2006's title, FIFA 09 makes a convincing case for trumping PES in being the definitive take on the beloved sport.
EA's pre-season talk has been full of self-belief in the build-up to FIFA 09 -- the sixteenth iteration of a series that first blossomed back in 1993 -- talking of the 250 improvements made to the already impressive engine that powered last year's game. But have they been enough to push EA's series to the forefront of the genre?
Many of the improvements in FIFA 09 will be familiar to those who dabbled in this summer's take on the European Championships, and here they nestle well with a package that's as deep as any football fan could possibly hope for and that constantly glistens with an overwhelming amount of polish. FIFA's huge cast of footballers have been imbued with an added physicality that's apparent upon working your way through your first match, with collisions between two players now resulting in a series of bespoke and realistic animations. Players running into space will call for the ball, while defenders will raise their arms to alert the linesmen of an offside attacker.
It all adds to an engine that could already proudly claim to be the most realistic depiction of football to date, with FIFA 09 taking it to the next level. Matches play out with a slow and measured pace that rewards the patient and wily, and the best way to create goal-scoring chances is to slowly build up attacks, exploiting space, fiercely protecting possession and employing the right mix of brute force and delicate finesse.
With player's attributes now more pronounced it's worth familiarising yourself with your team and capitalising on the stronger members, while FIFA's unique trick system returns and an enhanced vocabulary of moves -- executed with a series of inputs on the right stick -- gives more skilful players another route of attack. It all adds up to one of the most faithful facsimiles of the beautiful game yet seen.
This slavishness to reality may be jarring to those who've plied their trade in other football franchises, and it's fascinating to see how FIFA has now set itself up as the more simulation-minded game in opposition to the instant gratification that PES offers. It could well prove frustrating to anyone making the jump from Konami's series, as, in FIFA 09, goals are genuinely hard to come by. All of which means that slotting one in is all the more satisfying, and you'll want to milk the player-controlled celebrations that return after their debut in EURO 2008.
Playing the ball around is now more assured than in EA Sport's past efforts, with crosses and through-balls proving more malleable than ever before. It's not all good news, however -- returning from the past FIFA are some erratic decisions made by the game when selecting a defender, and often the player's off-the-ball movements will leave you scratching your head in bemusement.
It's also debatable whether the dedication to realism actually equals more fun. Although there are many settings that can alter the game speed and how much the computer aids the players, the game constantly demands a more studied approach to play; an approach that puts it at odds with PES's feisty zip. Indeed, there's such a demarcation between the two now that the age-old argument over which is better seems moot -- it's now a question of choosing which package suits your requirements better.
And of course what goes in FIFA's favour is the sheer amount of content that's included. There's no doubting that the licence goes a long way, and with an unbelievable amount of leagues faithfully represented there's enough here to satiate even the most rabid football fan. Gone are some of the factual inconsistencies that riddled the last game -- in an answer to last year's review's gripes about the inaccuracies of the FA Cup, it's good to see that the final now takes place in an exquisite looking Wembley Stadium. While we can't vouch for the authenticity of some of the foreign leagues, we can attest that the lower English Leagues are all in order.
The attention to detail throughout never fails to impress, whether it's the score boxes that are tailored for each different league, the excellent commentary track from Sky Sports's Andy Gray and Martin Tyler or the improved player likenesses. Each major team has its fans' chants reproduced -- find yourself in command of Chelsea and you'll hear 'From Stamford Bridge to Wembley', and bring Manchester United out at Old Trafford and you'll hear a chorus of 'Glory, Glory, Man United'.
For all the action on the pitch, FIFA 09's biggest strides have no doubt been taken in the online arena, with the game taking a multi-faceted approach to embracing the connectivity of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Its greatest innovation is the Adidas Live Season, a feature that brings in statistics from the real-life football scene on a weekly basis to keep the game fresh. Joined by a host of multiplayer modes, the greatest of which is surely the implementation of 10 vs. 10 online play, it all adds up to a game that's well ahead of its competition in these stakes.
Not that the single-player experience is neglected. Manager Mode is a little more fleshed out, and though it does falter under the weight of some cumbersome menus it offers an in-depth campaign where you'll be working your way through the boardrooms of various clubs. While it's still not as immersive as PES's Master League it's a weighty diversion nonetheless. Perhaps the greatest addition is the return of Be a Pro, now fully featured and enabling players to take a single footballer up from the reserves and through to international glory over the course of four seasons.
Closing Comments
FIFA 09 returns to the pitch full of swagger, and it does it’s very best to deliver on EA Sport’s promise of creating the definitive football title. An exacting game on the pitch and an overwhelmingly comprehensive one off of it, it’s still got a number of minor niggles that blight the play. But when the package is so vast and offers so much, it’s hard not to be impressed. Is it better than PES? It’s certainly different, and which game you go for this season ultimately depends on what you want from your annual dose of football.
OUT OF 10: 8.9
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