Fifa 08
Posted November 16, 2007
Continuing the yearly influx of sports titles, EA brings us Fifa Soccer 08 for multiple systems. And while other reviewers are tackling the game on the different consoles, I got a chance to play the game on a portable device in the PSP.
Let me preface by stating that I have never really been much into sports games. I usually find them to be lacking and somewhat unsatisfying. This is mainly due to competing franchises of EA and 2K Sports lines, and the yearly release of each sports title. It seems as if most years the game is just updated to the current rosters and does very little to actually innovate the game play and make it a better title. But really, with people buying the games each year and gladly putting down their hard-earned money, why would they feel motivated. That isn’t to say that sports games do not have their market, they clearly do, and for the majority of titles, they are successful in their releases.
Soccer has always been one of those sports that never receives the attention it deserves in the United States. While the sport is very popular everywhere else in the world, in the good old U.S.A, it seems relegated to third page news and barely a mention in any sports recap shows. Still, EA has been bringing Fifa titles to gamers since their first release back in 1993.
Gameplay:
One thing you will notice upon trying to start the very first game is how very much integrated profiles are to the game. Before you can play your first match, you must create a profile to track your games and various stats. The creation process is pretty simple and only takes a few minutes. I knew that I was in for some steep learning curves when I was prompted to choose my favorite team and rival from the massive list of soccer teams. I left the defaults in and continued on my way through the process. You can also select the button layout that works best for you if you are familiar with the game. Again, I left the default setting and completed my profile.
With fresh profile in the system, you are then able to play matches against a computer controlled team. After a brief introduction of the teams by the announcers, you are thrust into game and must use your skill, or lack thereof, to outclass the opponent team. This is no small feat as there are such intricate controls that allow you to perform a variety of maneuvers to control the ball, pass it or shoot on goal. In addition, you have the ability to set formations for use during play. Also their are certain freestyle moves that require you to use the left trigger and the analog stick to perform some ball handling magic to get by any defenders.
The game certainly does take some playthroughs to get the fine control system down so that you stand a chance at scoring on the computer. However, once you gain the basics, you will be able to make those shots on goal that will draw the crowd and have them chanting your praises. Color commentary as well as crowd noise add to the ambiance in the game and make it feel like you are really a part of the action. Announcers seem to keep up with the action calling out the passes and shots. After a goal is score, a sort of overhead instant replay is shown and is a nice touch that gives the game a realistic feel.
In addition to the ability to play against the computer, there are a number of other modes of play. There is a trivia game called Soccer IQ which will test your knowledge of the sport. There are also challenges such as Juggling and Wall Attack. In Juggling, you try to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. In Wall Attack, you use your skill in the different shots to try and destroy a wall. There is a tournament mode which will allow you to preset challenge or customize one of your own. One last feature is the Manager mode which lets you field your team in career mode allowing for player stat growth, training to improve your players and even the ability to trade players. There is a lot of depth to this title that will have you discovering a new facet to the game on many occasions.
One final mode of play is the multiplayer. You can either set up a local ad-hoc multiplayer for a near by friend with the game and a PSP. Or, you can go online through your wi-fi connection. You will need to possess a valid EA server account. If you do not have one, the game walks you through setting one up and the whole process should not take more then 5 minutes to complete. Once you have that out of the way and log into the servers, you can compete with people from anywhere and play a game against an actual person. Overall, the online multiplayer works and you can complete a game. There does seem to be a bit of lag, however, and sometimes you might press a button and the game will not register if for a few moments. The game isn't unplayable online, it can just be a tad frustrating if you expect instant results from your controls.
Graphics:
Aside from the fact that you are playing on such a small screen, Fifa 08 does actually look pretty impressive. During the beginning of a match, as the teams are running out onto the field, the characters look fairly lifelike and have believable facial expressions and mannerisms. During actual gameplay, you are in a top down view controlling the action on screen. The stadium and crowd look rendered well and a give the game a realistic feel to it. At points where you can see the crowd in the stands, their animations are such that they appear to be cheering and waving hands and flags rooting on their team. For a handheld title, the game looks pretty impressive.
Audio:
Featuring music from various parts of the world to give Fifa 08 a global vibe to it goes a long way to adding to the atmosphere in the game. In the menus, you will encounter many artists that you may not be familiar with and I often found myself quite enjoying the music presented. During actual gameplay, the audio is made up of commentators calling out the action as you play and crowd noise that seems to respond to the pace of the game. The music and background sounds are all very well done and do not detract or interfere with the gameplay at all. In addition to the music in the game, you can use your own mp3 files on a memory stick to add them through the menus into the playlist. This alone gives you much control over what you hear while in the menus.
Replay Factor:
One nice thing about the title is that it offers much in the way of repeat play. Not only can you continually tweak your team and line up to see how you fare against a CPU controlled team, you also have many other options. In addition to the quick matches, you have the various challenges to work through and see if you can improve on your high score. Where the biggest replay factor would come in is the ability to play online against other players. You can take your favorite team and challenge other players worldwide through the EA server connection in game. If only the online action was as smooth and lag free as offline play, this would have been a stronger contender in the multiplayer arena. As it is, online multiplayer isn’t necessarily unplayable, but it does suffer from lag and delays between the time you press a button and your player makes a move on screen.
Conclusion:
EA is good at what it does and offers a solid title to soccer fans with their release of Fifa 08. The gameplay mechanics, audio and graphics all give the player a satisfying experience while playing. In addition, the extra modes such as the trivia game Football IQ, a tournament mode as well as various challenge modes extend the gameplay and give you something to do besides just play soccer against the computer. The inclusion of a multiplayer mode further extends the life of this title by allowing you to play against friends or newly met players through the EA game servers. Even if you are not much for sports titles, it is hard to deny that this game has a lot going for it. And while the learning curve can be a bit steep, even a casual gamer should find their time playing enjoyable.
Let me preface by stating that I have never really been much into sports games. I usually find them to be lacking and somewhat unsatisfying. This is mainly due to competing franchises of EA and 2K Sports lines, and the yearly release of each sports title. It seems as if most years the game is just updated to the current rosters and does very little to actually innovate the game play and make it a better title. But really, with people buying the games each year and gladly putting down their hard-earned money, why would they feel motivated. That isn’t to say that sports games do not have their market, they clearly do, and for the majority of titles, they are successful in their releases.
Soccer has always been one of those sports that never receives the attention it deserves in the United States. While the sport is very popular everywhere else in the world, in the good old U.S.A, it seems relegated to third page news and barely a mention in any sports recap shows. Still, EA has been bringing Fifa titles to gamers since their first release back in 1993.
Gameplay:
One thing you will notice upon trying to start the very first game is how very much integrated profiles are to the game. Before you can play your first match, you must create a profile to track your games and various stats. The creation process is pretty simple and only takes a few minutes. I knew that I was in for some steep learning curves when I was prompted to choose my favorite team and rival from the massive list of soccer teams. I left the defaults in and continued on my way through the process. You can also select the button layout that works best for you if you are familiar with the game. Again, I left the default setting and completed my profile.
With fresh profile in the system, you are then able to play matches against a computer controlled team. After a brief introduction of the teams by the announcers, you are thrust into game and must use your skill, or lack thereof, to outclass the opponent team. This is no small feat as there are such intricate controls that allow you to perform a variety of maneuvers to control the ball, pass it or shoot on goal. In addition, you have the ability to set formations for use during play. Also their are certain freestyle moves that require you to use the left trigger and the analog stick to perform some ball handling magic to get by any defenders.
The game certainly does take some playthroughs to get the fine control system down so that you stand a chance at scoring on the computer. However, once you gain the basics, you will be able to make those shots on goal that will draw the crowd and have them chanting your praises. Color commentary as well as crowd noise add to the ambiance in the game and make it feel like you are really a part of the action. Announcers seem to keep up with the action calling out the passes and shots. After a goal is score, a sort of overhead instant replay is shown and is a nice touch that gives the game a realistic feel.
In addition to the ability to play against the computer, there are a number of other modes of play. There is a trivia game called Soccer IQ which will test your knowledge of the sport. There are also challenges such as Juggling and Wall Attack. In Juggling, you try to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. In Wall Attack, you use your skill in the different shots to try and destroy a wall. There is a tournament mode which will allow you to preset challenge or customize one of your own. One last feature is the Manager mode which lets you field your team in career mode allowing for player stat growth, training to improve your players and even the ability to trade players. There is a lot of depth to this title that will have you discovering a new facet to the game on many occasions.
One final mode of play is the multiplayer. You can either set up a local ad-hoc multiplayer for a near by friend with the game and a PSP. Or, you can go online through your wi-fi connection. You will need to possess a valid EA server account. If you do not have one, the game walks you through setting one up and the whole process should not take more then 5 minutes to complete. Once you have that out of the way and log into the servers, you can compete with people from anywhere and play a game against an actual person. Overall, the online multiplayer works and you can complete a game. There does seem to be a bit of lag, however, and sometimes you might press a button and the game will not register if for a few moments. The game isn't unplayable online, it can just be a tad frustrating if you expect instant results from your controls.
Graphics:
Aside from the fact that you are playing on such a small screen, Fifa 08 does actually look pretty impressive. During the beginning of a match, as the teams are running out onto the field, the characters look fairly lifelike and have believable facial expressions and mannerisms. During actual gameplay, you are in a top down view controlling the action on screen. The stadium and crowd look rendered well and a give the game a realistic feel to it. At points where you can see the crowd in the stands, their animations are such that they appear to be cheering and waving hands and flags rooting on their team. For a handheld title, the game looks pretty impressive.
Audio:
Featuring music from various parts of the world to give Fifa 08 a global vibe to it goes a long way to adding to the atmosphere in the game. In the menus, you will encounter many artists that you may not be familiar with and I often found myself quite enjoying the music presented. During actual gameplay, the audio is made up of commentators calling out the action as you play and crowd noise that seems to respond to the pace of the game. The music and background sounds are all very well done and do not detract or interfere with the gameplay at all. In addition to the music in the game, you can use your own mp3 files on a memory stick to add them through the menus into the playlist. This alone gives you much control over what you hear while in the menus.
Replay Factor:
One nice thing about the title is that it offers much in the way of repeat play. Not only can you continually tweak your team and line up to see how you fare against a CPU controlled team, you also have many other options. In addition to the quick matches, you have the various challenges to work through and see if you can improve on your high score. Where the biggest replay factor would come in is the ability to play online against other players. You can take your favorite team and challenge other players worldwide through the EA server connection in game. If only the online action was as smooth and lag free as offline play, this would have been a stronger contender in the multiplayer arena. As it is, online multiplayer isn’t necessarily unplayable, but it does suffer from lag and delays between the time you press a button and your player makes a move on screen.
Conclusion:
EA is good at what it does and offers a solid title to soccer fans with their release of Fifa 08. The gameplay mechanics, audio and graphics all give the player a satisfying experience while playing. In addition, the extra modes such as the trivia game Football IQ, a tournament mode as well as various challenge modes extend the gameplay and give you something to do besides just play soccer against the computer. The inclusion of a multiplayer mode further extends the life of this title by allowing you to play against friends or newly met players through the EA game servers. Even if you are not much for sports titles, it is hard to deny that this game has a lot going for it. And while the learning curve can be a bit steep, even a casual gamer should find their time playing enjoyable.