Featured Content

FIFA 08 (PSP)

• Developer:
• Publisher: EA
• Genre: Sports
• Official Website: http://www.fifa08.ea.com
• Score: 4 of 5: Niche

EA‘s FIFA 08 takes the base playing style from last years' 07 game and gives it a few significant tweaks to improve the gameplay and make the title more enjoyable to delve into, making this a game that may be the best soccer simulator out there. The most marked difference between FIFA and Winning Eleven this year is the sheer amount of licenses EA secured. Any soccer fan will simply drool over the teams and players from all over the world that are available.

Players have improved momentum characteristics, which adds to the realism yet doesn't let you turn on a dime like you could have done in last years' FIFA 07. Additionally, the ball reaction has been enhanced to mimic actual flight such that shots look real and don't seem to be premade animations as shots are made on the goal. Team AI is balanced so that anyone can pick up this game and get a good feel for the controls in a relatively short time. Players take intuitive positions, and passes are achieved with crisp precision taking a lot of emphasis off of the gamer. In fact, passes could be done in the blind with little worry of being intercepted. Some may take that as a knock against the level of difficulty, but I consider it a bonus towards playing a faster, smoother game. If anything about the AI is to be criticized, it would be the contrast of a lax defense and goalie compared to the almost unrelenting offense. Many times I felt like the entire defense backed down as you got close to the crease, and others where the goalie would jump the wrong direction or not move at all to stop the ball. That being said, having an open goal didn't mean an assured shot either, as the shots seemed to be hit or miss depending on the individual player.

The game can be played in many different modes such as quick play, manager mode and multi-player options which include online play capabilities. For those with short attention spans the regular pick up and play games give you a good idea of how the mechanics work as you navigate your team on the pitch. Manager mode proves to be one of the key selling points of the game. Balancing between trying to please the fans, the team, or the shareholders, you have your task cut out for you as you choose your players and attempt to meet the owner's requirements for the season. On top of this you can cultivate new players over time, playing them and increasing their experience such that they become more and more useful on the field. Manager mode is a nice feature for people who are looking to get more out of the game beyond simple playing.

If that wasn't enough, there are also two mini-games: juggling and a wall competition. With the latter you practice shots against a wall that randomly produces shot zones and extra credit areas; with juggling you can improve your ball handling and also go head-to-head with another gamer. In multiplayer juggling, you go for strings of juggles by a sync button mini-game--the more you get correct the more you can upset your opponents juggling ability.

Two other multi-player modes are available as you go up team against team; ad-hoc and online. Both have a slight amount of lag associated with them, sometimes at awkward moments, but if you can get past that, it certainly adds a different feel to the game as you go against a real person. Add to that the ability to use your save file for the PS2 version of the game and you can plainly see that EA did a good job enhancing content to make a playable title.

Graphics are okay for the PSP, but the players have a rough look to them and the crowd was noticeably bland to the point of looking like cardboard cut-outs. Luckily the replays do a better job capturing the likenesses of individual players such that they become almost recognizable. Sound does an admirable job recreating the stadium feel; the announcers give the appropriate level of blow-by-blow without a lot of repeat phrases while the background crowd alternates between team specific chants and level of noise as a goal is attempted. You have to hear it to actually understand how well they nailed this aspect.

Ultimately FIFA 08 blends the perfect amount of gameplay between matches, manager mode and multiplayer to up the ante for the soccer game genre. Add superb sound, an impressive roster of teams and additional mini-games and you have a very solid game with many hours of enjoyment for the soccer enthusiast.

Dec 12, 2007 | 0 comments
Paul Bishop