FIFA Soccer 09 Review
By Dana Vinson - Posted Dec 05, 2008We dribble downfield and header into the goal with this X-Play review of FIFA Soccer 09 for the PlayStation 3.
The Pros
- Many, many gameplay modes
- Robust online
- Adjustable difficulty controls
The Cons
- Stat tracking is pay to play
- Not much different from last year
Everyone’s favorite global sporting sensation is back. For those of you in the United States who even care (you know who you are) Electronic Arts has unleashed the 09 version of their long running FIFA franchise.
It’s in the Game
As this is a sports game from EA, there are a few things we have come to expect. These sports titles are pretty popular and true to form, Electronic Arts has taken an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. In this particular case, it’s a good thing because FIFA is a solid soccer experience.
Most of the actual soccer mechanics have been in place for years, so players coming to the game from previous versions will be able to jump right in and start having fun with the updated team and player stats. New players will find that FIFA 09 is very accommodating to all skill levels. Play as a rookie and you’ll be giving just enough control to make you feel like a futbal pro without drowning you in complicated button combos. For players looking for a more authentic experience, you can go ahead and jack up the difficulty which results in an almost mind numbing number of ways to dribble, pass, and shoot.
Polish on the Pitch
The presentation has plenty of spit and polish. Once again, the years and years of subtle revision have allowed EA to perfect the look and feel of the players, the pitch, and how each match plays out. The crowds are loud and rowdy, the announcers chatty without being too repetitive, and special moments in the game are lovingly recreated in slow-mo replays which can of course be viewed from multiple angles.
Thankfully, performance issues that plagued last years FIFA, as well as the UEFA offshoot appear to be gone. The game is silky smooth without a hint of stutter. While the core game doesn’t offer much new outside of a near obsessive amount of refinement (which is nothing to sneeze at, actually), it’s the laundry list of additional features that makes FIFA 09 worth owning even if you’re only remotely interested in soccer.
All the usual suspects are here. Full on season play as well as quick one-off matches are available. Standard online play is also available as well support for interactive leagues and clan-like grouping of your online buddies so you can create tournaments for just you and your gang.
Buy yourself some Stats
New to the game is the inclusion of real world stat tracking and uploading in the form of the Adidas Live Season. This is a pay to play service pulls weekly stats from real players and updates your FIFA 09 rosters accordingly. The game ships with a code that unlocks a trial version of the service so you can see if it’s something you’d actually want to spend money on.Most interesting is the greatly enhanced Be A Pro mode which was introduced in FIFA 08 and further refined in UEFA 08. Here, players take the role of one (or more) real or fictional soccer players and attempt to play several seasons of the game exclusively from their positions. There’s an RPG-like stat system that rewards you as long as you play the position like you’re supposed to. Running all over the pitch and hogging the ball won’t serve you well here. Be A Pro mode can also be used online with each player taking over specific positions on the team.
Alive and Kicking
Like all sports games, the FIFA series has always been a work in progress. Some years give way to new and interesting features, while others present players with interesting concepts that in practice come up short. FIFA 09 is the culmination of lots of great features, like robust online support, stat tracking, and the excellent Be A Pro mode, that have been marinating for quite a while. This is the first time they’ve all come together to form a very tasty mix of soccer action. If futbal is your thing, FIFA 09 is your game.
Article by: Greg Bemis
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