FIFA Soccer 09 Preview

As someone who has been involved with the game of soccer for most of my life, when it comes to the game represented in video-game form, I tend to look at it a bit more critically. EA Sports, though, really did a great job with FIFA 08. So, with the first PS3 foray into high-def gaming for the franchise, how would the company pick up the ball and advance it.

FIFA 09 is on the way in, with a release date of mid-October, it is easy to say that EA has taken some new steps forward with this game in terms of basic game mechanics. The look is still solid, but there is a new game mode that might just take over the whole idea of playing the game as a single player.

In the vein of the NHL’s Be A Pro, that mode makes its way into FIFA 09 and it is certainly about time. You can create a character and then take him onto the pitch. Unlike the NHL game where the shifts are relatively short, in soccer you play the whole match unless the coach yanks you. This means constant field awareness, reading the other team and playing your role well. Within the framework of the Be A Pro are several other options, including the Custom Tactics, but you have to be the team captain to access this feature.

The goal of the Be A Pro is to work up to be a legend within a four year span (roughly it coincides with the World Cup schedule). You are a rookie to whatever league you wish to carve your mark in, and take it from there. Of course, it is not all that easy; soccer is about positioning, and in Be A Pro, you have to read the game, and try to position yourself to be in the best position whenever possible. Plus the game does have some parameters for each position that seem easy to accomplish but when you consider the specifics of the tasks, they are not all that easy. For example, as a striker you might be challenged to take three shots. What? That’s easy! Well, not if you are angling for the corners and miss the net. Just because you kick it towards the goal does not mean it is a shot; it is only a shot if the ball is between the metal posts and crossbar. Anything wide, even marginally, is not a shot on goal.

There is also a certain amount of frustration here as well. You might be running into space and all you need is that through-pass to isolate through to the goalkeeper … and the pass does not come. You may find yourself yelling at your teammates … you know, just like if you were playing the real game.

Of course, with the Be A Pro mode comes the element of leveling up skills. You don’t start out as a super star with speed that leaves flames on the turf behind you. You have to build up your skills and there are a lot of areas to invest in.

One of the other new features to FIFA 09 is the Adidas Live Season updates that allow weekly updates to player performances that will impact the Kick-off, Online Quick Ranked and Interactive League modes.

As a caveat to the gameplay itself, this was a beta build and thus there were some elements that likely will be fine-tuned by the time the game releases.

When it comes to the graphics and sound, one excels and one is rather weak. The musical score is often hit or miss with EA Sports titles, and in this instance, while not overly irritating, it just does not seem to be the type of music that pumps the blood for a football match. But that aside, the commentary team of Martin Tyler and Andy Gray are solid. Graphically, though, this game plays out in high-def and is very well done. If you play the Be A Pro mode, you see the whole field from a camera angle above and behind the player. This is solid simply because you are judged on positioning during the course of the game, not only offensively, but defensively as well.

What the dev team for this title has done is simply take a very good game, FIFA 08, and made it better.