FIFA 08 review

Oct. 19, 2007

So, what are our suggestions for FIFA 08, EA's latest effort at essaying our national sport? Well, first off: sort out the passing. In principle, it's great. Full 360-degree, any-weight passing is a great idea, but two things render it a pretty pointless inclusion. First, the twitchy, flicky inaccuracy of analogue pads make it impossible to direct passes with enough precision reliably and second, the regimented patterns that the AI players of both sides take up means your options are almost always limited anyway.

Next, it has to be that AI again. It just feels too rigid, too tediously functional to capture the sheer fluid exuberance of soccer. These shortcomings are all the more apparent if you try either of the new play modes - Be A Pro or Zone Play. In these, you either control one player and end up watching the tiny radar a lot, or just the defenders, midfielders or attackers. Either way, you end up swearing at the screen as your AI teammates utterly fail to read the game, and rarely move out of position - a bit like a bunch of foosball players, only lacking the steel rod through their shoulders.