As the MLS season ended, the player bearing a strikingly similar name to that of the game’s reviewer was given several options. Re-sign with the MLS team, or take another offer. Chelsea beckoned and the chance to play in the English Premier League was just too enticing.

At it’s core, FIFA 09 is a bit of an addiction, especially to one whose life sometimes seems consumed by the game, whether playing indoor or as a coach. The chance to lace up the cleats and take to the pitch is great fun, but FIFA has a few drawbacks in terms of controls that can have you cursing under your breath.

Because the game still manages to be fun, perhaps addressing the problems with it should be dealt with first. FIFA does a great job of condensing the control scheme into a few hotkeys. If you want to pull off a fancy dribbling move, hold L2 and work the right thumbstick. The X is for passing, triangle calls for a pass or initiates a through-pass. So here is the problem. You’ve mashed down R2 to initiate a sprint and split through a gap in the defense as a striker. You hit the triangle button to call for the pass, and a heartbeat after you hit that, the other player on your team passes the ball up ahead. Because there seems to be a delay in the actualization of your button input and the actual game, when you receive the ball, you pass it ahead … to no one.

Also, when you the get the ball on your feet, and are in a full sprint, changing directions is not that easy, not even curving the run, and you will find yourself heading in any direction but the one you desire.

The animations also take a bit of a hit now and again with a lot of backwards running and sideways crab-running that is very annoying. You actually can get out of it by hitting the sprint button, which seems to help turn you around, but this can deter from the sense of realism the game attempts.

FIFA’s Be A Pro mode, other than those flaws, is rather engaging. The game takes a page out of EA Sports’ NHL title in some regards, by allowing you to earn points that can level up your character. But the mode goes a bit further in that not only do you play for a club team, but once you gain enough fame, your national team will come calling. And much like other titles where you work up from the minors to the bigger stage, in FIFA you start on the reserve club and work your way to the first team’s starting 11, and then on to be the team captain. Once you achieve that honor, another new element opens up, a team Custom Tactics system in which, as the captain, you can mess with the lineups and formations. You can also assign tactics on the fly to the D-pad keys to allow you to adjust to what your opponents throw at you.

Playing as a solo player in the Be A Pro mode is quite fun, but you can take that a stride further by playing in a new online mode as a member of a side playing with other players and against other players (up to 20 players can take part in this mode). While the game is not if full release yet, it was hard to find others to play with or against. One of the games was fraught with connection issues as well and finally ended with the opponent going offline after falling behind on the scoreboard in the match.

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. In addition there is also the FIFA Interactive World Cup.

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. More so is the pity because 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. The ball movement animations (the pairing of L2 and the right thumbstick) offers some impressive and realistic ball control moves. They won’t always fake out a defensive player, but they are always fun to watch, and can freeze an opposing player, giving you that tiny opportunity to move the ball in a positive manner.

As for the anomalies in the control scheme, you can get beyond that by playing a control game. Online the teams are equal, so if you try to push, and play a reflex game of soccer, you will likely be beaten by someone who knows how to pass the ball, work to the open spaces and aim shots. And even if you start on the easiest game levels (the options package does allow you to tailor the experience), you will find the AI adjusts as you work through the game. You can’t simply cherry pick with long lead passes or through-balls, run onto the pass and isolate on the keeper. Sooner or later you will have to work the passing lanes and play smart.

Speaking of AI, it can be hit and miss at times. In the Be A Pro, it was silly the number of times that a through-pass isolated a teammate, only to have that teammate turn around and pass the ball back to the gamer’s player.

But while FIFA 09 does have flaws, it still is an enjoyable game. Yes, it could be much more, but what is here is entertaining.

Gameplay: 8.2
There is that lag time between controller input and in-game actualization that needs to be adjusted downward. The game changes on the fly and while you may have had one idea a moment before, as the game flow changes, so do the options. This is one of the hardest things to coach in younger players, and it seems this video game has the same problem.

Graphics: 8.3
A bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have superb dribbling and finishing moves, but then you have those awkward back-peddling and sideways crab runs that detract.

Sound: 8.6
The musical Trax are fine and the announcing team is terrific.  

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.8
Some nice ideas have been added to the franchise but the EA team needs to tighten up the controller flaws.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The few games found proved to be entertaining, but were hampered with some lag issues and disconnects. They should clear up once the game is in wide release and the player base solidifies.

Overall: 8.4
This game has some great moments as well as some that are not so great. It is still, though, a first-rate soccer game that dazzles at times. The new features really give the game a boost, but there is still work to do. This is a great game and fun to play with others.