FIFA 09
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| FIFA 09

Last season's FIFA N-Gage debut was a bit of a Lee Trundle. Now, I'm assuming that anyone reading a FIFA review knows their footy, so I'll spare you the detailed biog (there's always Google). Suffice to say that FIFA 08, like the aforementioned player, was capable of flashes of brilliance, and looked the part when you glanced at the highlight reels.

A closer examination, however, revealed that the game was in no shape to compete at the highest level, and it turned out to be a case of wasted potential. After the disappointment of FIFA 08, EA has placed its mercurial star player on a strict training regime in an effort to lose a bit of flab and tone up some of its under-developed areas.

The main difference to note with this season's effort is the change in controls, from an unwieldy multi-button approach that never felt quite right (in portrait or landscape) to a condensed two-button-and-directional pad set-up. We now have a FIFA game that feels like it was designed with the N-Gage in mind rather than being a hasty adaptation.

This new streamlining does have the side-effect of simplifying the gameplay somewhat, with no facility in place for, say, the simple through-ball. On the other hand, the loss of a dedicated long pass button is not the disaster you might expect. One button controls all of your passing now, with lofted balls requiring a slightly extended hold of the button. The weedy crossing of FIFA 08 has been improved considerably in FIFA 09, with byline passes pinging across the six yard box.

In condensing so many controls to two buttons, however, something had to give. The sprinting and skill controls are now exclusively on the directional pad, with an assortment of taps and alternating taps doing for bursts of speed and various feints. It doesn't quite work, as pulling off most of these techniques now requires a fraction of forethought, ruining much of the spontaneity (and thus much of the point) of the system.

Despite the refinements in control, FIFA 09 sadly still plays a sub-standard game of football. Passing is still a slightly haphazard affair, with many a pass under pressure pinging off in completely bizarre directions. It's as if the game can't keep up with the fluid, quick-passing game it so obviously wants to encourage. Despite this, the ball frequently finds your players with unnatural accuracy, lending the passing model a slightly automated and unsatisfying feel.

The AI, too, still feels incomplete, with a couple of glitches evident within the first hour of play. On one occasion, when the ball rolled loose and stopped, my nearest player jogged back and forth immediately in front of it, seemingly unable to collect it. The opposition players, meanwhile, just stood and watched my merry little dance. Although the worst example, this was certainly not a one-off experience.

Elsewhere, the player-switch function feels like a lottery, with the game stubbornly refusing to read your intentions or obey your commands, allowing the opposition to repeatedly waltz uncontested through your defence.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Very little has changed from FIFA 08 in terms of gameplay options, and that means that you have the same impressive range of competitions and leagues to select from, as well as a comprehensive spread of real teams containing their correct player rosters.

The presentation is stellar as always, with stylish, easy to navigate menus and a slick graphics engine for the football matches. They really shouldn't have bothered with the half-hearted stab at commentary, though, with an odd looking man popping up sporadically with one from a very limited set of comments ("Noooooo!" in response to a red card being a particular highlight).

FIFA 09 is a tricky game to score. On the one hand we want to commend EA for taking on board the criticisms concerning the overly-complex control system of the previous game, and coming up with a streamlined and useable alternative. On the other hand, the core experience of playing FIFA 09 remains largely sub-par, with other elements of the game actually regressing from the previous version.

As such, despite this particular player looking leaner and fitter than he did last season, his continued lack of tactical awareness and consistency leaves him in exactly the same position on the fringes of the first team.

FIFA 09

Despite notable improvements in control, Fifa 09 continues to play a sub-standard game of football
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.