FIFA Soccer 09

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I am not a hardcore gamer, but I love Soccer video games. When I was using my PS2 (stopped a couple of years ago), I bought into the hype of the Winning Eleven/PES series, and definitely enjoyed the games. Due to the conventional wisdom of the hardcore players out there, I avoided FIFA like the plague. Fast forward to now, and I have a PS3. I was itching to get a Soccer game, and figured I'd skip the '08 editions and wait for the '09 editions. FIFA '09 was released first instead of PES '09, so I jumped on it.

Not having played any recent-generation Soccer games, I can't quite compare it all that much to recent games, but I have been having a ball (no pun intended) playing FIFA '09. Gameplay probably isn't perfect, but it seems great to me. Everything is smooth, no choppiness, graphics are good, and it is simply a fun game to play. Passing, crossing, shooting, etc. are all pretty quick to get the hang of. Of course, I have a lot more work to do to get all of the gameplay down.

Frankly, I am in heaven having all of the big leagues and international teams, with the correct players, kits, etc. What I had to go through to get any level of team/player realism with Winning Eleven on the PS2... (we all know they don't have most of the licenses compared with the FIFA series). With FIFA '09, I can power up, choose Manchester United against AC Milan, and have Rooney, Ronaldo, etc. going up against Pirlo, Nesta, etc. with no issue. La Liga, Premiership, Serie A, and more. I love it.

There are a ton of advanced options and features that I won't go into such as seasons, online, etc., but if you have the time and passion for it, I am sure there is plenty to sink your teeth into with this game.

All in all, I am very pleased with FIFA '09, and have cancelled my preorder for PES '09 for the PS3. Good work EA Sports.

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I've been playing FIFA since it first came out in the early '90's. Here in the states, FIFA was always the benchmark for football/soccer games, and it never let down because the games were great and had the whole football/soccer experience. The only or major gripe football/soccer diehards like me had was that you couldn't do player transfers. You had to wait until Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven came to the states. At around the same time that FIFA added the feature of being able to make player transfers, Winning Eleven/PES came to the states. FIFA was still great and maybe still the king, but now it had to compete and deal with the other big "player" in the football/soccer video games genre. FIFA put out some games that were just ok, missing a special something that I can't pinpoint while Winning Eleven/PES was putting out masterpieces until FIFA 2008 and PES 2008. With FIFA 2008, it seems FIFA was starting to get back on track and with 2009 it's back to its old self. I don't know what happened to PES 2008, but I guess they became complacent. PES 2008 was ok or maybe a little less than ok. Being used to Winning Eleven/PES high standards and works of art, I know a lot of us felt let down by PES 2008. FIFA 09 is a masterpiece while there's still room for some little improvement, but even the best video games, the ones that get perfect 10 or almost perfect reviews, have room for improvement. I haven't played every mode, yet, but be a pro and general manager modes are amazing. The way you can create a player and have him play for several seasons trying to accomplish some "goals" set by his team in order to be noticed and called by his national team and to be transfered to the big clubs in Europe is amazing. You can select a last name for your player that is in the data base of last names used by the commentators when calling a match. The graphics are outstanding. You can tell FIFA 2009 is a next generation/HD video game because of the graphics. Being a diehard football/soccer fan, I love both the FIFA and PES/Winning Eleven franchises, but I hope PES 2009 comes all out with all guns blazing because FIFA 2009 already did. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

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FIFA '09 isn't a game of revolution but evolution. Anyone who played FIFA '08 will be right at home with the interface and graphics of the game but discover changes upon diving deeper into the game.

The graphics remain largely unchanged from FIFA '08. To it's discredit EA hasn't improved visuals in the stadiums and has neglected several larger venues altogether, instead opting for generic backgrounds. I was sorely disappointed to find when playing a huge rivalry match of Barcelona vs. Real Madrid at Camp Nou, the stadium was awash in generic colors. There was the odd red jersey here or there but nothing striking. Disappointing considering this was an issue raised by the fans in the last several FIFA games.

There are positive notes in the graphics department, however. First the "shiny" look of players from FIFA '08 is gone. Player animations have improved and are smoother. Also included for the first time is the ability to control player celebrations with some simple button presses after scoring a goal. Cartwheels, running slides, and more subtle celebrations help immerse the player into the game.

On the gameplay front things are much better. Ball physics are greatly improved over '08 and the ball doesn't feel as magnetic as it once did. To EA's credit the controls are completely customizable so everyone can tune the buttons to their individual preference. I did notice some that on the higher difficulty levels the game can still cheaply score or miraculously tackle the ball every time.

As usual the soundtrack to FIFA offers a unique, wide ranging sampling of music from different corners of the planet. It's always enjoyable discovering new artists first in FIFA and adding their tracks to my iPod. The crowd sound effects remain largely unchanged from '08 which isn't a bad thing. Commentary maintains its high standard as well.

Best of all in '09 is the ability to really manage your team in detail. On the field tactics adjustments are back and don't require a pause in the action. Off the field, fine tuning adjustments can be made to everyone from the build-up to player aggression on offense and defense. It's really a whole new level of player control to FIFA. Another great feature is that fine tuning adjustments can be saved and applied to specific teams. So if you're playing an offensive powerhouse you can load up your more defensive minded tactics and presto, you're set to play!

All in all I am very pleased with FIFA '09. As I stated it's not a revolutionary change from FIFA's past but an incremental improvement. Now if EA would just up the ante on the stadium and crowd effects we'd have a real champ here.

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I've been playing FIFA since the mid-90s and this is probably the best edition yet that EA has come out with. Compared to last year's PS3 version, this game has much better gameplay and graphics, especially when it comes to the players. What truly sets 09 apart from previous editions is that the gameplay is much more realistic (including the ball physics)and the passing system is soooooo much better than 08. I was really frustrated by 08's passing, but 09 is great. It takes some practice, but you can really weave together some great passes, little deft touches, one-twos, etc. I also am a really big fan of the custom tactics as well. My favorite team is Inter and I went in and tweaked their formation and tactics and I could really tell a difference. You can play several different variations to keep things fresh. I also like the fact you can edit individual players and their roles within the formation. That was something I had really been hoping EA would add. Kudos to EA for some of the new wrinkles they added and, of course, having all the players and leagues is always great too. Oh, and the soundtrack is great as always.

The only negatives I can come up with is they could stand to add a few more stadiums, there are still some unrealistic aspects that need to be worked out (for instance, defenders being just as quick as attackers), and the graphics for the crowd are pretty subpar. Beyond that, a really great game. I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far and haven't even gotten completely immersed yet.

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I am an experinced FIFA 08 player. I have played 09 for 2 weeks now. Unlike most of the reviewers that liked the game, I hated it. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Here are the reasons:

1. More than 50% of the attacks end up with an offside flag. Are there any teams in the real world that use offside trap so effectively? In FIFA 09 all of them can.

2. It is almost impossible to pass a defending player with the ball. All defences are overrated. Meanwhile if you are C. Ronaldo and if you can avoid getting close to the defender you can basically outrun all defences while you are dribbling. OK this guy is good but come on. All Barcelona defenders end up 4 meters behind him while he is running with the ball???

3. The right stick you use for the first touch pushes the ball at least 1 mt away from you. So basically you can not use it like you use it in FIFA 08.

4. It is easier to score with long distance shots which is fine but seems much harder to score with free kicks and corners. I belive FIFA 08 was more realistic in that sense.

5. The graphics are great. But mandatory replays make it a more boring game.

6. While playing you get a feeling like the ball always slides on the pitch as if there is a thin layer of ice on the surface. And ball control is much harder than 08.

7. While you are controlling a player, the other players are too static. For example, Eto is with the ball and Henry and Messi are basically waiting somewhere within the defence. No runs etc.

8. I can not find out how to touch the ball while it passes so close to one of my players that I am not controlling at the time being.

Basically all controls are the same with FIFA 08, but dont let this fool you. The game experience is totally different. And interestingly FIFA 08 experience may be an advantage in certain situations but in many other positions it is a disadvantage. Because defenders will get the ball from you in 90% of the cases that you would be able to pass them in FIFA 08.

I do not want to judge too quickly but if there is something I am missing with controls, tricks etc please let me know.