FIFA 08

EA score a corker

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Over the past few years, Electronic Arts, the purveyor of the perennial aesthetic and statistical upgrade, has been striving to push its longstanding FIFA franchise out of the formidable shadow cast by a certain sporting genre rival. Indeed, last year's FIFA 07 actually marked a considerable step forward for EA's football series, which has always led the field in terms of presentation and gloss, but somehow failed to truly capture the delicate balance between 'involving simulation' and 'fun-filled arcade experience'.

With FIFA 08, the team at EA Sports has built on the successes of 07 to provide football lovers with a gaming package packed to the stadium rafters with all the trademark EA game modes, licensed teams and players, fabulous visuals, pulsating audio, fluid animation, international Trax list, and multiplayer action. Yet, more importantly, this year's offering delivers truly rewarding gameplay, the promising new "Be A Pro" mode, a sprawling managerial career that oozes evolutionary nuance and layered immersion, and - perhaps for the very first time in FIFA's timeline - genuinely challenging A.I. opposition.

This hardened reviewer has indulged himself in the finer intricacies of the FIFA series for more than a decade and, as a result of occasional highs and numerous lows, duly considers himself to be somewhat of a dab gaming hand when pitted against EA's many series incarnations. However, with FIFA 08, the usually brief period of acclimatisation needed to master and continuously exploit the gameplay's A.I. weaknesses and inconsistencies - a critical point often levelled at FIFA - is yet to arise, despite close to a full season of review time spent in Manager Mode on Professional (only the third of five difficulty settings).

While prior FIFAs have eventually collapsed beneath the weight of predictable A.I., a lack of satisfying in-game player evolution, and poorly implemented managerial control, FIFA 08 wisely relies on the series' established plus points while adding the following to the mix to help address repeated failings:

First of all - and Pro Evolution fans will likely cry "copycat" at its very mention - but FIFA 08's enveloping managerial element offers up amassed Experience Points, which can be manually or automatically assigned to players to boost their wide-ranging stats throughout a season and contribute to their overall progression on the field. Naturally, this can lead to the swift evolution of young starlets, the steady maintenance of integral players, and a slowing in the decline of those older members of a squad. The system works well and is certainly a welcome addition to the campaign for sporting glory, although nurturing young players may take a couple of seasons of studied dedication before the fruits of labour can be witnessed from the virtual pitch-side technical area. But, then again, FIFA's biggest draw has always been carefully crafted accuracy.

Ultimately, the implementation of Experience Points means that wannabe managers really must consider their squad choices with a much keener eye, rather than arbitrarily picking the strongest players ad infinitum without fear of eventual consequence. What's more, player fatigue builds throughout the course of a match, which also forces timely, sensible, and strategic substitutions into play when gauging the negative physical effects imposed on those players continually used without a period of recuperative rest.

Then there's "Be A Pro" mode, which arrives as one of the game's most notable additions while also sadly failing to fully deliver on its considerable promise. Be A Pro allows the player to step into the boots of any one on-field player (their favourite star if so desired) and then forge forward as that player, and only that player, for the full ninety minutes. When not in direct possession of the ball, the Xbox 360 controller's usual face buttons become strategic prompts the player can issue to their A.I. team mates when wishing to receive a close-range pass, a piercing through ball, or even call for a team mate to shoot at goal. The catch is, of course, that the player must resist the temptation to be a hero, instead thinking like a professional to find space, drag defenders, track attackers, close down the midfield, and remain in their assigned field position to the best of their ability in order to perform well for the team. Thoroughly involving and instantly addictive, once the match is over the player is then assessed and graded on their performance and worth to the overall team.

In essence, Be A Pro is a superb cog in the growling FIFA machine, but its presence here feels a little tagged on, if you will; almost like a tentative beta test prior to a full and final version. And that's exactly what this reviewer is hoping that it is, and that EA garners the positive feedback related to this rewarding mode and takes the opportunity to expand it into a more career-led endeavour for FIFA 09. As it is, interaction is limited to single matches, which doesn't do Be A Pro any justice whatsoever and leaves the player with pangs of longing as to 'what might have been.'

The biggest plus point offered up by FIFA 08 is its mixture of genuinely unpredictable gameplay and its seriously challenging A.I. difficulty. While Xbox Live fans can take to the virtual pitch with up to eight online friends, and home-based contests and co-op opportunities can also be enjoyed, FIFA's merciless single-player A.I. opposition seldom bends over the physio's table to placate the needs of a half decent player.

To be frank, any lapse of concentration by the player is punished with uncompromising professional efficiency, and battles in the middle of the park (as in the real game) often make or break progression. It's also worth noting that individual team playing styles also seem to have been incorporated into FIFA 08, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea playing open and attacking football, while the likes of Blackburn press relentlessly and are aggressive when chasing the ball, and lesser teams try to dig in behind the ball and catch the player on the break.

There are, of course, a few niggling problems with FIFA 08 that tarnish the overall game somewhat - without pulling it down around EA's third-party ears. One of the biggest gripes for a game so utterly sprawling in the use of its licence is the repeated appearance of generic stadiums beyond those used by the 'major' footballing powers. Sure, while it's perhaps a little too much to expect an accurate recreation of Leyton Orient's ground, visiting certain well-known Premier League teams in the same massive stadium is somewhat of a disappointment.

And that disappointment also carries over to occasional gameplay annoyance as virtually any opposing team - regardless of league and skill level - is capable of whacking in thirty-yard free kicks with an alarming regularity, while player success when given the same opportunity is marginally less fortuitous. Also, it's initially very difficult to execute goal-bound strikes and headers from corners - although perfect timing eventually conquers that problem. Note: this doesn't mean scoring is guaranteed however, as keeper A.I. is also (pleasingly) a force to be reckoned with more often than not.

As with any FIFA game, the attention to detail in 08 is staggering. The presentation is faultless, graphics and player models (while a little plastic looking because of expelled sweat) are excellent, and crowd chants and atmosphere are sensitive to on-field circumstance (booing away players issued a yellow card after a crunching tackle, cheering stringed passes with roaring "Oles," and even whistling for the end of the game when in injury time). There's scant little surprise in that department... it's what EA does best, and few are likely to dispute the level of accomplishment.

What's more important is how FIFA 08 stands up in terms of progression as a whole experience, not just a preconceived package consisting of cobbled gameplay, a shallow learning curve, and poor longevity hidden behind an (abused?) official license. And, for the most part, the news is good.

Thanks to genuine challenge, bruising A.I., a significantly improved Manager Mode, and more involving evolutionary player aspects, this year's FIFA emerges as yet another successful edition to EA's once vilified football portfolio. While past failures may still alienate dedicated Pro Evolution fanatics, the only reason that FIFA is likely to fails in its attempts to knock Konami's monarch from its sporting throne this year is that its initially fabulous Be A Pro mode and its lack of applicable content causes the player to look beyond established gameplay parameters to the point of longing for more of the distinctly Libero Grande action.

91%

By Stevie Smith