FIFA Soccer 08 Hands-on Preview (Xbox 360)
Despite the fact that it was one of the launch titles for the Xbox 360, it was pretty obvious to many gamers that Electronic Arts’ FIFA Soccer 06: Road to the FIFA World Cup wasn’t exactly “next-gen.” Sure, it had some impressive visuals, but there’s a lot more to a next generation soccer (or football, depending on where you’re from) title than just some snazzy graphics. The game disappointed many folks, as it lacked many of the bells and whistles that made the current-gen games so great. While FIFA Soccer 07 was a definite improvement, it still didn’t feel like the definite next-gen footy experience. With that in mind, the team at EA Canada has been hard at work on FIFA Soccer 08, the game that may finally make gamers feel like they’re right on the pitch with their heroes.
We recently had a chance to check out the game on a recent trip to Vancouver, and the producers were obviously excited about some of the new features in the game. The first thing that they pointed out to us was the fact that the game was much larger than it was in the first few Xbox 360 titles. This year’s game will feature a whopping 30 international leagues, five times more than last year’s entry. There will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 players spread out over 620 teams, so we’d say there’s a pretty good chance that your favorites players will be in the game. Now that we’re done with the numbers, let’s delve into some of the gameplay features.
By far, the most interesting thing that’s being introduced in FIFA Soccer 08 is the “Be a Pro” mode, which actually allows you to control one player for an entire game. All of the action will be framed by the player’s position (and that of the ball), and you’ll be expected to be a team player. For instance, if you’re out of position while your team is setting up for a particular play, you’ll be prompted to move to where you’re supposed to be. You can request passes when you’re on offense, or call for help on the defensive side. “Be a Pro” looks a little like Madden’s Superstar mode, but you’ll be able to switch to another player at any time through the pause menu.
While last year’s game featured a nice physics system that didn’t “attach” the ball to the dribbler as if on a string, FIFA Soccer 08 has improved on it in many ways. The shooting system has been reworked so that the curves and spin are much more realistic, and you’re shot is now dependent on a number of different things. The way the ball is spinning, the angle at which you hit it, and the pressure that you’re under can alter your shot, just as in real life. During the shooting process, the power bar will go up faster if you’re under pressure, and the animations will be different depending on how you strike the ball. There are also a number of options for the shot aim, from manual to fully assisted.
For the last couple of years, the techies at EA have been hard at work on software to help developers make the players in all of the company’s sports titles look and move realistically. The hard work has really begun to pay off, as the players in FIFA 08 move gracefully and smoothly. The action runs at 60 frames per second, and the character character that we saw looked excellent. We were happy to hear that the game will support skill moves like feints, body fakes and the like, as well as a “slow dribble” mode.
Although we’ve only seen a bit of the game so far, we were definitely impressed with the direction the franchise is taking. This will likely be the most comprehensive soccer game to date (seriously, 620 teams?!?), and we’re especially excited to learn more about the online play. The producers mentioned that they’d love to have full 11-on-11 online multiplayer by the time the 2010 World Cup rolls around, so hopefully they’ll start putting the pieces in place now. You can be sure that we’ll be bringing you much more on FIFA Soccer 08 in the coming months!
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