Review

It seems almost obligatory that the start of any review for a FIFA game must reference the fact that the franchise itself is as old as the hills, and its yearly iterations are as predictable in their appearance as the rising of the sun each morning.  The cynical among us will have no doubt already decided then that this year's version isn't worth looking at. They will have convinced themselves that FIFA, for all its sheen and polish, is still the same old clunky football experience it always was with a fresh coat of paint, different player names, and an all new 'youth orientated' soundtrack.

Shame on them.

Undoubtedly this reputation stems from the early days of the series, where EA seemed content to sit on their laurels and keep changes down to a bare minimum. A new mode here, some updated graphics there but essentially the same broken experience remained, albeit with an official FIFA license. Somewhere along the line however, Konami released a football game, triggering an arms race of sorts, the benefits of which we are really beginning to see. In 2009 things are better than ever.

There's probably a saying out there which sums up nicely how the foundations are the most important aspect of any system. The same is true for a football game. Before the glossy menus and hi def visuals comes the gameplay: how it feels to command eleven men around a pitch using naught but an analogue stick and a handful of buttons. The answer, in FIFA 09's case, is pretty good.

Gone (mostly) are the floaty controls that plagued the FIFA's of yesteryear. Things are now tighter and more responsive than they ever have been, and that's a very good thing. This is probably due to EA's inclusion of their all new physics based animation system, meaning players have weight and momentum. Attempt to muscle a bigger player off the ball and you'll soon see how these additions effects gameplay. The all new physics based jiggery pokery, which seems to draw on hundreds of varying animations, forms the core of the 09 experience. Players jostle for the ball and position. Matches become entrenched midfield affairs where careful use of the L2 button, which is responsible for close control, is the key to cutting your way through the defensive line of the opposition. Simulation is the name of the game here. Complimenting the weighty gameplay is the improvements to AI and team management. No longer do AI controlled players idly wander around the pitch, clustering around the ball. Instead, the team really does behave like a single entity, with each player attempting to maintain position and close up gaps as they appear. This leads to a very realistic, satisfying feel, which is eerily unusual for a football game from EA.

Graphically the game is everything you would expect from a new EA sports title. Pretty much every trick in the 'how to make a next gen game' book is put to good use. Player models are convincing for the most part, and the stadiums are simply excellent. Lighting effects are used to great effect, with dusk turning to night with a very definite subtle beauty. Weather effects have also made the feature list, with rain and snow really adding a little something extra to the experience. Pro Evo fans, at least from a graphical perspective, must be wondering how wide the gulf is going to get before the boys at Konami really step up and add a few bells and whistles to their game. Next to Fifa 09 it looks more dated than ever.

All sounds perhaps too good to be true? Well, yes, it is: nothing is perfect after all. Things have improved, as you'd expect, but the game still feels a little unresponsive at times. Just a little mind you. Also, compare it to the latest Pro Evo it does feel slow, at least on the default speed setting. Animations are good, as mentioned, but not perfect, with occasional hiccups becoming apparent when the ball comes in from an unusual angle or is kicked with the player slightly out of position.  Players will occasionally stutter on the spot as they attempt to align themselves prior to a kick or challenge. It's not really a big deal however, and is easily overlooked. One major omission to the game appears to be any kind of training mode. This means that there is no real way to practise passing, controlling the ball or working out set pieces aside from actually playing a game. Admittedly, most people probably won't even notice, but some will, especially those new to the series.

Network play in Fifa 09 pretty much ticks all the boxes, and then adds some more boxes that you'd never thought possible and ticks them too. How does 10v10 online gameplay sound? Impossible right? Not for EA Montreal it would seem. Surely this mode alone will elevate FIFA's standing among the hardcore more than any other. As well as this new addition pretty much every other mode you could imagine has made it in. Ranked matches, a league mode, persistent online teams, a subscription based statistics system that keeps everything nicely up to date and a legend mode that see's you player one player through multiple seasons from a unique camera angle, to name but a few.

It used to be the case whereby FIFA represented everything that was sour about the game industry in general. Lazy iterations inspired by the prospect of easy cash-ins combined with a feature list created by board room meetings between stuffy middle-aged Americans armed with feedback from irrelevant focus groups. These days are over, due no doubt to the now epic battle that seems to be playing out between our friends in Canada and Konami's finest. Somewhere along the line FIFA has managed to not only catch up with its rival, but position itself as a genuine alternative, offering a hedonistic wealth of game modes, a solid core experience and more polish than should probably be aloud.

My how times have changed.