FIFA 08 Review

30 Jul 2008 at 00:09:31 by Jim Diaz
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

Every year, the FIFA series makes some slight improvements but always seems to end up playing second fiddle to Konami’s Winning Eleven franchise.  We were interested to see if EA Sports would carry the momentum from its hockey and basketball games and make enough changes to its soccer game to catapult it to the top spot of soccer video games.  Well, we can report there are some improvements but not enough to leapfrog the competition. 

The biggest change in FIFA 08 is the gameplay tempo.  The action has been slowed down to give the game a more realistic pace.  This will undoubtedly put gamers into one of two camps – either they’ll hate it or love it.  I actually like the slower pace but there are problems with how the rest of the gameplay is handled specifically the surrounding action.  The biggest problem is your teammates AI – they tend to stand around way too much.  This wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the players on the other side of the pitch were doing the same but they aren’t.  The players on the CPU-controlled team are extremely aggressive especially on defense so while you’re trying to dribble and move the ball through their defenses, your teammates seem to be slightly off the mark when reacting to your offensive moves.  I understand going with a slower paced game results in less aggressive play but it shouldn’t be like a bunch of clueless 8 year-olds playing a youth soccer game.  The same also holds true when playing defense.  Your controlled player seems to be the only player who’s trying to stop the defense.  Your teammates are passive until an offensive player physically enters their territory so if there is a breakaway by an offensive player, you can forget about a teammate charging in to help.  This is pervasive regardless of how you’ve set your team mentality.  The game literally feels like you’re a one-man team.  I don’t know about you but playing one on eleven isn’t my idea of a fair and balanced soccer game.

The other related problem is the absence of gameplay sliders for tweaking the gameplay to your liking.  If you’re used to fine tuning gameplay elements like in other EA Sports games, then you’ll really be bummed about this.  You will definitely find something that you want to adjust such as lowering the CPU’s uncanny ability to pull off successful tackles at will.  Another adjustment would be the disparity between fouls for hard tackling – you’ll get plenty called against you but the CPU will get away with most.  This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if the lower difficulty levels were more varied but they aren’t.  The CPU controlled side of the field is way too proficient regardless of the difficulty level or the ranking of the team on the field.  Hardcore gamers will probably eat this up since the games never backs down when it comes to a challenge but more casual gamers will lose quickly lose patience due to this.   

Fortunately, the controls are very good even though there is a fairly high learning curve for consistently pulling off fancy dribbling moves since defenders are flawless at tackling.  On the plus side, passing is fairly crisp and players are more effective with headers.  Shots are a bit trickier since it’s relatively easy to overpower your shots and have them fly over the goal.  There is a shot power meter but it’s a really too small to help so you end up adjusting your shot with a light tap of the shot button to order to get it under the top bar.  This takes a bit of time to get used to since there is a tendency to hold the shot button down so you can get some strength behind your shot.  It is a c*bersome setup since slow shots are easy pickings for the goalie.  I was actually expecting the development team to adopt the use of the right analog stick for shots and passing, similar to the Skill Stick featured in NHL 08 especially since accurate shooting is a lot more difficult with the tighter defenses.  Instead, the game is stuck with the same old button layout that we’ve seen in previous years.    

Fans of the series will appreciate the number of different gameplay modes with the new “Be a Pro” leading the way.  In “Be a Pro,” you select a certain player and develop your soccer skills in his particular position only.  This mode is great for understanding how location and movement for your player’s position is crucial to a team’s success on both offense and defense.  It also pulls you more into the overall team play since visual guides signal where you should be playing and who you should be covering.  It rates your performance on this and how well you dribble, pass and shoot.  This mode might seem limiting on the surface since you’re not always in the middle of the action but I found it to be both entertaining and educational in learning the nuances of the each position on a soccer team.  Other gameplay modes consist of a couple of different tournament setups, a manager mode, challenge mode (meet certain in-game objectives) and an anything-goes lounge play.  There is definitely not a lack of content here for those looking for different ways of experiencing digital soccer.

The variety continues in multiplayer with a new league setup and the “Be a Pro” game type being thrown into the mix this year.  The online leagues consist of real-world and customizable leagues but the real treat is the “Be a Pro” mode where ten players play online in a 5 on 5 match.  It takes a bit of time to get used to playing this way since you don’t always stay locked in as one particular player but once you get a few game under your belt, it is a load of fun to play.  The balance of the online offerings consists of standard one-on-one ranked and unranked matches.  I did run into some lag issues while playing online so it is a bit disappointing to see EA having this problem so far into the release of the game.  It varied from slight slowdown in games to not even being able to scroll through team selection before a match, so don’t expect a flawless online experience.

Like most recent FIFA games, the graphics and sound are excellent.  The pitch looks more realistic every year and this year is no exception.  If you were to pick one sports video game that gets closest to looking like a real TV broadcast, then FIFA would be the hands-down winner.  The player models also standout both in their animations and visuals.  The graphics aren’t perfect since players tend to skate at times when moving sideways and there is an odd disappearing act for balls that are shot high over goal.  I’m not sure if this is endemic to FIFA games since this same visual glitch is present in the first FIFA PSP game.  It’s not a huge deal but seems completely out of place in an otherwise excellent looking game.  The announcing team of Martin Tyler and Andy Gray provide the in-game commentary add an air of authenticity to the overall package.  They are also pretty funny at times since they will comment on the quality of your team’s play and won’t hesitate to criticize your team’s “less than stellar” play. 

FIFA 08 moves in the right direction in trying to be more sim-like and less arcade-style but tends to handcuff the overall experience by not giving gamers the option to tweak certain gameplay elements.  Hardcore soccer fans will savor the challenge and rejoice in the depth but non-hardcore gamers will likely end up being frustrated with gameplay balance issues.  It’s a nice try but FIFA 08 shoots wide by trying to be more realistic but ultimately sacrifices fun in the process.

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