Binary Balls (FIFA 09 (PS3))

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	FIFA 09 (PS3)
Date:	11/07/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent Graphics and Gameplay

Disadvantages: None Really

Just a quick review from me today, as i'm off out in a minute and have just realised I haven't yet produced today's offering! - so here are a few words on 'FIFA 09' on the Playstation 3.

As video game franchises go, the 'FIFA' series has to be up there as one of the most popular and ultimately profitable. I have bought pretty much all of the FIFA games year on year spanning right back to 1995, as I find them to be far superior to the rival PES titles.

As it's coming up to that time of year when the new FIFA game gets released and football fans get stung for the latest incarnation of the football sim, I thought I would take a look at the '09 game which is coming to the end of it's lifespan, and can be picked up for a bargain price.

The first time I played FIFA 09, it was obvious to me that game designers 'EA Sports' had made a variety of changes to both the gameplay and general game options, but are they for the better?.

Firstly, the A.I of the computer controlled players has been improved - they now seem to move in more realistic patterns, which adds a realism to the playing experience. Then there is the addition of a referee. Whilst in the past, the 'ref' would only be shown when a foul was committed, here, he's a physical entity, wandering around the pitch and often getting in the way of the ball!

The overall ball physics are excellent - although this isn't really a big improvement, as the FIFA games have nailed realistic ball movement for the past few seasons now.

Apparently, more thought has gone into a variety of different physical attributes for each player - for example, the height of jump and length of tackle (?!) now varies more for each individual - although why they need to asses the length of a footballer's 'tackle' is beyond me... ;) In practice this isn't really noticeable whilst you're playing, so it's not really an addition which improves the gameplay.

New Game Modes
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Whilst there a few game modes which have been created since FIFA 08, the most obvious has to be the 'Be A Pro' option, which allows you to control one player from a team, over a selected period of time. You can play as your chosen pro, and try to get him into his respective national team within the alloted four season time-span - a nice idea, although I haven't actually bothered doing this myself, so I can't comment on how good it is.

The online play in this years version once again forms a large part of the appeal, and for the first time this season, there is the option for 10 v 10 online play. Whilst this may sound like an excellent and fun addition, in theory what it often boils down to is twenty players all chasing the ball round in a big huddle, like a bunch of schoolboys.

Graphically, the game is excellent, although I personally don't find it to be a dramatic improvement from FIFA '08. FiFA is definitely a game which benefits from being played in HD, as the characters are fairly small and the added detail can make all the difference to the overall look. The play seems to run without a loss of frame-rate - even with the addition of an extra man on the pitch in the form of the ref.

In conclusion, FIFA 09 is an excellent football game - although for those who have become adept at playing the previous version, it will take a bit of getting used to. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the game can be purchased cheaply at present, and it's current retail price is only £16.98 from Amazon. If you've got a few quid to spare, then you could do worse than picking up a copy of this decent football game which comes with a high recommendation from me - right, i'm off to the pub.

Summary: Ultimate Soccer Title