FIFA 09 - X360 Review

[Originally Published in Forge Press:Issue 3]
By James Morris

On the back cover of Fifa 09, there is a boastful statement reading ‘true football simulation’. But then again it pretty much says that every year. This year, however, EA are actually telling the truth.

Indeed, Fifa 09 is every bit as fun, addictive and rage-inducing as its main counterpart, the long-superior Pro Evolution Soccer series.

Whilst Pro Evo has essentially stuck to the same brilliant footballing formula year after year, Fifa has slowly improved upon each edition, to the extent that now, in 2009, it can be taken seriously when compared to Pro Evo.

The immediate joy of Fifa 09 lies with its free-flowing gameplay. Every pass, however simple, must be measured to perfection. Every shot has to be weighted with precision for you to have any chance of scoring. It is this complexity that makes Fifa 09 so addictive to play, and it is why your language will become increasingly foul as you find yourself outwitted and outplayed, especially in multiplayer games. At last, this is a Fifa game that feels and plays like real football.

As can be expected from Fifa, the game is characterised by superb graphics. It could almost be mistaken for an actual game of football, if it wasn’t for two of your flat mates hunched over controllers with deadly expressions of concentration on their faces. The stadium details are exact to their real life counterparts, whilst every little detail from player appearances to their body language and movement is captured perfectly, for example Crewe Alexandra winger Joel Grant’s direct dribbling style is seamlessly incorporated.

Hard-core Fifa players will also be pleased with the vast features included in this edition, such as the ‘Be A Pro’ mode. This allows you to play as your favourite player, for example Crewe Alexandra midfielder Michael O’Connor, over the course of 4 seasons, during which you and your player can work your way to the top of the footballing world.

Even more innovative is the ‘Adidas Live Season’ feature, whereby online players can sign up for weekly updates linking the form of real footballers to their virtual counterparts. Therefore, if strikers are failing to score in real life and are clearly short on confidence, that striker will also be a liability on Fifa. A simple concept, but really quite clever.

As good as these features are, for the casual player they are irrelevant when compared to the true delight of this game, which is the simple footballing joy that can be found in multiplayer games. It is this that underpins the basic brilliance of this game, easily the best in the Fifa series so far. Watch out, Pro Evo.

[out of five]