FIFA 08 Review - Xbox 360

8.5

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Audio: 8
Multiplayer: 7
Innovation: 8

The FIFA series, as everyone knows, is released once a year. With each release comes the expectation of something new other than slightly updated graphics, but FIFA 08 is perhaps the first FIFA in a long time that truly offers gamers a new experience, and a new way to play the game. With breathtaking graphics and very realistic gameplay, FIFA 08 sets out to break the boundaries of how gamers expect football games to play. Is it worth your money? Find out as we explore the new gameplay modes, the old gameplay styles, and provide a detailed analysis of the FIFA world for 2008.

Gameplay

When you first put your FIFA 08 game disc into your Xbox 360 and click start, you’re not presented with a menu. You’re presented with a player (of your choice) with the ball in what seems to be a local soccer arena, with a goalie ahead of you. It’s your choice if you want to just cruise around in this mode, taking shots at goal, or if you want to immerse yourself in the extensive menus of FIFA 08 to play a real game. What’s great about this kick-to-kick situation is that it appears again while the game is loading, so you can take shots at goal while each game actually loads for you, with a little bar in the bottom left of the screen which will tell you when the game is ready. Games have been focusing on this a lot lately, allowing gamers to enjoy something else while the game is loading, such as Halo 3 with the lobby chat/adjustments, and we’re expecting this trend to continue, especially if loading times continue to increase.

FIFA 08 offers several new gameplay modes. BE A PRO mode is without a doubt one of the most innovative additions to a soccer game that we’ve seen since the introduction of 3D graphics. BE A PRO mode allows the gamer to choose a certain footballer to control throughout the length of a match. This allows you to gain a new perspective of the game, unless of course you play soccer in real life, which would make FIFA 08 far more familiar to you. With this new mode comes new indicators, and as you learn how to call for different sorts of passes and master the controls, you will experience the amazing occurrence of charging towards the goal in 3^rd person view. The camera gets closer to you and begins to shake as the crowd gets louder, and then as you take your shot at goal you can really see how EA have been working hard to provide a whole new way to play FIFA games.

Throughout the BE A PRO games, you have an on-screen bar that you have to monitor. If you play well, the (continued next page)