FIFA 08 (360) Impressions

[Macca00]

Thought I'd start a new thread on the full version which I picked up this afternoon.

Plays just like the demo version (whether or not that's a good thing is up to you!) and has been a lot of fun so far. I didn't try the manager mode yet but the game does have the lower leagues from a number of different countries.

It's pretty.

Commentary is hit & miss with accuracy but lots of team and player specific comments.

Rosters are fairly up to date but some of the ratings are a bit naff (but what's new).

You can choose various podcasts to listen to in the background (including foreign language ones from Kicker and L'Equipe) which is pretty cool.

Be a Pro Mode is neat and I like the camera angle.

[Bitching]However, it also serves to highlite the main problems with the AI - I was Frank Ribery for Bayern against Barnet and they had 56% of the possession and won 1-0. On what planet would Barnet not only beat but dominate Bayern? Someone should sign Adam Birchall because he was giving Lucio and DeMichelis the run around like no-ones business. [/Bitching]

Winning Eleven's Fantasista mode is much better but of course those morons aren't including it in the next-gen or non-Japan versions of the game.

Played one game online.....get ready to play against Barcelona a lot.

Overall it's what I expected and I'm enjoying it (I enjoyed UEFA CL a lot too).

[Macca00]

Oh yeah, you can also save replays of goals to the web in Flash Video (*.flv) format which is neat.

[Rodster]

Thanks for the update. How's the player response which many have criticized. Is the AI (Human) brain dead when on offense and defense? In the PC version the AI just sits in a zone and doesn't really react to the CPU AI unless you are quick enough to take control of the player closest to the ball.

[wco81]

Oh yeah, you can also save replays of goals to the web in Flash Video (*.flv) format which is neat.

Didn't NCAA and Tiger have such features but you couldn't log into their web site?

They should just cut a deal with youtube and get it to auto-upload there.

[Zeppo]

Oh yeah, you can also save replays of goals to the web in Flash Video (*.flv) format which is neat.

As they say in Missouri: Show me!

[dougb]

Thought I'd start a new thread on the full version which I picked up this afternoon.

Plays just like the demo version (whether or not that's a good thing is up to you!) and has been a lot of fun so far. I didn't try the manager mode yet but the game does have the lower leagues from a number of different countries.

It's pretty.

Commentary is hit & miss with accuracy but lots of team and player specific comments.

Rosters are fairly up to date but some of the ratings are a bit naff (but what's new).

You can choose various podcasts to listen to in the background (including foreign language ones from Kicker and L'Equipe) which is pretty cool.

Be a Pro Mode is neat and I like the camera angle.

[Bitching]However, it also serves to highlite the main problems with the AI - I was Frank Ribery for Bayern against Barnet and they had 56% of the possession and won 1-0. On what planet would Barnet not only beat but dominate Bayern? Someone should sign Adam Birchall because he was giving Lucio and DeMichelis the run around like no-ones business. [/Bitching]

Winning Eleven's Fantasista mode is much better but of course those morons aren't including it in the next-gen or non-Japan versions of the game.

Played one game online.....get ready to play against Barcelona a lot.

Overall it's what I expected and I'm enjoying it (I enjoyed UEFA CL a lot too).

Hey Lavan,

I'm picking it up tomorrow (was hoping the stores would have it in today). I'm game for some none Barcelona matchups!

Are you seeing many lofted through balls or are most of the team keeping it on the pitch? Funny thing is that my Middlesex Masters team this season did not play a lot of through balls over the top - course we ended up losing quite a few games.

Best wishes,

Doug

[Macca00]

Oh yeah, you can also save replays of goals to the web in Flash Video (*.flv) format which is neat.

As they say in Missouri: Show me!

http://www.filefactory.com/file/7751cb/

[Macca00]

Hey Lavan,

I'm picking it up tomorrow (was hoping the stores would have it in today). I'm game for some none Barcelona matchups!

Are you seeing many lofted through balls or are most of the team keeping it on the pitch? Funny thing is that my Middlesex Masters team this season did not play a lot of through balls over the top - course we ended up losing quite a few games.

Best wishes,

Doug

Hey doug,

Hope all is well!

No, from Barnet to Barcelona they all play the ball on the floor. Maybe 10% of the time they'll loft it in the air, otherwise they're all pretending to be Holland from the 70s.

That lofted ball thing (or lack thereof) is especially funny in Be A Pro - when you call for a through pass and there's a defender IN BETWEEN you and your AI teammate (who has the ball) he tries to pass it on the floor right to the defender - instead of simply lobbing it over him! It's like the AI only thinks in the horizontal plane unless you're on the other side of the pitch (if you're far away they'll do a cross-field ball).

[dougb]

Things are going pretty well - I'm still working at LHSC.

It's unfortunate that in Fifa they don't mix up the high and low passes. .

70's Holland - yep, sounds just like my over 35 league team this year. And for the first 15 minutes of the game we actually did pass the ball around pretty well. Unfortunately we'd tire out for the remaining 65 minutes of the game so there were fewer teammates moving into space for nice controlled passes. But then we didn't boot the ball up route 1 style either - so we ended up playing a lot of passes straight to opposing defenders.

But we did have a lot of players of dutch ancestry

Looking forwards to picking up the game though. I've had some fun with the demo, and despite a few flaws I really like how they've caught the tempo of the game. They've managed to put together a really nice game which is just lacking in just a few areas

Best wishes,

Doug

[seanmac31]

Macca- Just curious, but did you try mixing in aerial passes. I could be wrong, but my experience of the demo was that when I put the ball in the air, the AI was more likely to do so as well. Not so much passes reversing the field, but sending the ball ahead and letting players contest it in the midfield.

[Macca00]

Hey seanmac - I often mix-up the long ball but you're right, most often it's switching the play to the opposite wing and then lobbed through passes into space. I'll try more aerial balls against the CPU and see if they do likewise.

[Jimmydeicide]

Someone said the full version was more responsive with the controls , is this true or same as demo?

[GB_Simo]

Someone said the full version was more responsive with the controls , is this true or same as demo?

With the top teams, they seem to respond faster when you ask them to change direction. Running and passing seems pretty similar in response time to the demo to me.

[Rodster]

I was planning on buying FIFA Football 08 today but it looks like it will have to wait till Sunday because ToysRUS is holding their annual buy 2 get 1 free.

[wco81]

I was planning on buying FIFA Football 08 today but it looks like it will have to wait till Sunday because ToysRUS is holding their annual buy 2 get 1 free.

They just had their sale last month.

Too bad they won't do it after November releases...

[DivotMaker]

Didn't NCAA and Tiger have such features but you couldn't log into their web site?

They should just cut a deal with youtube and get it to auto-upload there.

GamerNet is working beautifully for Tiger...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOr7C5M-LZo

[Rodster]

I was planning on buying FIFA Football 08 today but it looks like it will have to wait till Sunday because ToysRUS is holding their annual buy 2 get 1 free.

They just had their sale last month.

Too bad they won't do it after November releases...

True but to my understanding that was for select games and was an online offer only. I went to my TRU when they were having that sale and it just did not exist.

Supposedly this one is official as it will be in their upcoming store flyer and it will include all in store games. Also the sale will last for two weeks.

[Blublub]

Having pissed all over the demo, I'm rethinking if Macca likes some of what he sees. Plus the fact that it's my last dig at a football game before I get sent to the gaming equivalent of a desert island prior to the PES release.

My biggest concern is the same as it always is with FIFA - is there any marked difference in the skill levels between players and sides? I'm not encouraged by Macca's report of a 1-0 Bayern vs. Barnet result. I know it may be too much to ask for FIFA to actually play different styles for different sides, but can you at least tell the difference if you sub a star forward for your depleted second stringer, or is it like in the past where you could stick in a center back and not have it make any difference?

I have to admit that online sounds pretty good and I wouldn't mind getting in a few matches with folks here. I'm torn between platforms - I assume most of you will get the 360 version, anyone doing the PS3?

Finally, any impressions on the PSP version? I did really like the direction they took with last year's. If they can tighten things up I may pick this up as well.

[wco81]

I was planning on buying FIFA Football 08 today but it looks like it will have to wait till Sunday because ToysRUS is holding their annual buy 2 get 1 free.

They just had their sale last month.

Too bad they won't do it after November releases...

True but to my understanding that was for select games and was an online offer only. I went to my TRU when they were having that sale and it just did not exist.

Supposedly this one is official as it will be in their upcoming store flyer and it will include all in store games. Also the sale will last for two weeks.

Nope, the stores out here had the sale, although the sales guy said that they only learned about it a couple of days into the sale.

Two weeks is good but still not quite late enough for games like Assasin's Creed or Uncharted.

[GB_Simo]

My biggest concern is the same as it always is with FIFA - is there any marked difference in the skill levels between players and sides? I'm not encouraged by Macca's report of a 1-0 Bayern vs. Barnet result. I know it may be too much to ask for FIFA to actually play different styles for different sides, but can you at least tell the difference if you sub a star forward for your depleted second stringer, or is it like in the past where you could stick in a center back and not have it make any difference?

You can tell if they're depleted, certainly, and centre backs are a little more cumbersome when in possession than forwards are, but I don't think it's an especially pronounced difference.

I ran a Be A Pro match between Man Utd and Hereford a few days ago, me as Man Utd, and I did win but 1-0, with a goal scored in the 85th minute. Increasingly these days games between premier sides and lower opposition are reasonably well contested, so I don't mind that, but I start to object a little when my full strength Manchester United are outplayed by Hereford. I also beat Derby County in the FA Cup as my beloved Hartlepool United, but that's not beyond the realms of possibilty and I did lose to Wolves in the next round.

I haven't actually found the skill levels of players to be a major issue - I'm still having fun with the game, which is my main concern, and it still plays a game of football that I find believable more often than not - but I don't know that everyone would view it the same way.

[seanmac31]

The other thing to consider is player skill- I'm not sure Macca will be getting that same result 30 games in with Bayern. I know that people were complaining about the Red Bulls outplaying Man U in the demo when they first started, but I think people who put in time with the demo got to the point where they were able to unlock Man U's skill (w/the tricks, getting accustomed to the controls, etc), and they started dominating those matchups.

[GB_Simo]

The other thing to consider is player skill- I'm not sure Macca will be getting that same result 30 games in with Bayern.

Macca and I had our odd results in Be A Pro mode - we're only controlling one player, and so we're reliant on our 10 AI team mates asserting their authority over the lower opposition, which they didn't really do.

[Blublub]

Well, color me impressed. Sure there are some issues in offline single-player, but overall it's solid so far. For me it seems much different from the demo (which I absolutely hated). Controls are tighter, but not TOO tight. The pacing is absolutely spot-on. I'll go out on a limb and say it's the best pacing ever in a soccer title.

Online is where I see the most potential - it's an absolute blast - maybe even more so than PES. I think the pacing is largely responsible, as it forces everyone to think rather than pump and run.

I've only played one match online so far, a random unranked, and much to my surprise the other guy actually didn't pick Barca (he chose City) once I picked Newcastle. He ended up winning a thriller 1-0 after a late goal against the run of play. Still, nothing about it felt cheap, which is a first for me with FIFA in a long long time.

Just to test things out I went Hereford vs. Dag & Red in my career mode and won 1-0. I then tried an exhibition with Chelsea against D&R and went up 2-0 very early on, as Drogba and Wright-Phillips were able to cut through the defenders like butter. A 5-0 final was likely. Very nice to see.

The 360 version is smooth as silk on the pitch - no slowdown, even on corners, that I can see. Cut-scenes do stutter a little, but I can live with that. The menus seem much more responsive than in the past, which is a big improvement. I hated how in the past it was just too painful to even access the tactics screen to bother. Now, in my online match I found it not only okay but necessary.

So far my biggest gripes are over the little things - no on-pitch refs and linesmen, adboards (wtf is up with these this year - just generic FIFA and ads for EA titles?). There are issues with giving the CPU too many cheap fouls, and against the CPU I have yet to be awarded a regular foul that didn't result in a booking.

There are a ton of modes and sides - not a stripped down next-gen version this time around. The full slate of real tournaments is a great addition.

This is the FIFA we should have gotten last year. It's far from perfect, but a reasonable diversion at least until PES is released.

I'm all over a DSP league if anyone wants to set one up...

[Zeppo]

What's the deal with online team play? Is it in the game, or is it truly some download to be released later? If so, does anyone know when that day may be?

[wco81]

What's the deal with online team play? Is it in the game, or is it truly some download to be released later? If so, does anyone know when that day may be?

I thought they said within 6 weeks or something like that.

But didn't they say it was online tema play in the Be A Pro mode?

So does Be A Pro mode make you play from the camera angle of the one player you control so you have a very limited field of view compared to the normal camera angles?

That would mean with Team Online, you're controlling from this rather limited, claustrophobic view like almost playing an FPS game?