UEFA Euro 2008 Review

By Kristan Reed Published 16 April, 2008

Overqualified.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Writing a Euro or World Cup review usually involves moaning about the absence of club teams and other FIFA features. So we will do that, but let's concentrate on the good news first: last year's FIFA, as you may remember, was arguably the best yet, perhaps even toppling Pro Evolution Soccer, and EA has actually improved on almost every part of it, with game elements and modes that aren't the usual vacuous twaddle slapped on the box to tempt unwary fanboys.

The excitement of Euro 2008 comes not from tweaks to passing, shooting, crossing, tackling and heading - although veterans might spot a few nips and tucks, such as more easily definable passing meter, more satisfying header contests and better turning - but from the plethora of new modes and how well they play to the game's strengths. The headliner is Battle of the Nations, which is introduced - at length - the first time you load the game up. Designed to milk the rampant xenophobia/patriotism that accompanies international tournaments, you select your European nation and your performances both offline and online contribute towards an overall daily leaderboard specific to your country.

At the end of June (when the real tournament finishes) the winning nation will be crowned European champion, regardless of which team you actually play as (for example, you could decide to play as France, even if your chosen nation is England). The number of points you earn at the end of each match are relative to the challenge, so there's a greater incentive to play as a minnow, and this subtle tweak is a smart one, as it gives Euro 2008 a degree of depth that it might otherwise lack. Until the game is out, though, it's hard to tell whether the extra reward for playing as underpowered teams will be enough to stop people picking the big guns as usual - or whether national allegiances will be anything more than a gimmick. Will players simply abuse it and play as the Faroe Islands en masse to expose the system? Actually, probably not.

'UEFA Euro 2008' Screenshot 1

Those crazy Germans will celebrate anything. We caught them last week celebrating eggs.

Elsewhere, there's the new Captain Your Country mode, a rather interesting, fleshed-out evolution of the Be A Pro mode from 08, where you play as one player rather than switching between all 11. As you may recall, we criticised Be A Pro for only allowing you to play one-off games, rather than a full season, but Euro 2008 fixes all of that by extending the idea into what amounts to an international career. Firstly you create a player from scratch and fiddle about with customisation options (like skin colour, hairstyle, height and, amusingly, the conundrum of whether to wear gloves or not), or you can shortcut all that and select People's Hero Peter Crouch and look forward to an unending succession of top-drawer strikes beyond the despairing dive of the keeper. The ultimate aim is to be awarded the international captaincy via a string of eye-catching performances, and controlling a specific player for the entire match changes your priorities. Up to three friends can also join your team and compete for the captaincy.

Consistency here requires a fair amount of discipline, patience and sticking to the task at hand, rather than ball-chasing. During a game you're rated from 1 to 10 in passing, positioning, shooting, tackling and dribbling, with an overall mark displayed at the bottom of the screen, so there's an added incentive to buck your ideas up if things aren't going to plan. A few good shots, accurate passes and winning tackles boost your rating in no time, and also help change the way you play. Rather than worrying about scoring with every attack, passing to better-placed team-mates can be more rewarding, and you get credit for assists. The fans won't shout at you, either. Once you gain the captaincy, you're then given a degree of control over team tactics, such as formations and when to make substitutions.

In what already amounts to an extremely well-realised mode (in single or multiplayer), perhaps the element that really elevates it is the quality of the AI, and how frequently your team-mates read your intentions or play the ball with precision. Playing it entirely with CPU AI can be more rewarding in the initial stages, simply because they're likely to be far better at reading the play, but further down the line, with more experienced players by your side, the Captain Your Country mode becomes one of best additions to a football game in years.

Elsewhere, some of the most pleasing aspects of Euro 2008 are vanity tweaks, like the introduction of personalised commentary. If you're blessed with a relatively common surname (around 200 are supported), you can live the dream with Clive Tyldesley bellowing in triumph or berating you or harping on about that night in Barcelona. Similarly pandering to our need for personal glory, the new interactive celebration is a pointless but brilliant inclusion, giving you about ten seconds to pull off a signature move, like the Shearer salute or an aeroplane, with a further option to kneel and point to the sky, slide on your knees, chest, or bait the away fans. It all adds to the sense of fun and drama. Other minor tweaks worthy of praise are more general improvements like the team-specific chants, or shouts of frustrated derision from individuals in the crowd. Or the little pools of water on specific parts of a pitch which slow the ball down. Or. Or or or.

'UEFA Euro 2008' Screenshot 2

The Italians celebrate Berlusconi's re-election.

To add a final gloss, you can also run through a bunch of 'what-if' scenarios in the Story of Qualifying mode. Similar to previous, internationally-flavoured FIFAs, the game throws up all manner of quirky challenges at a specific point in one of the real-life qualifiers. For example, rescue Bulgaria from the jaws of a certain 2-0 defeat, or match the 13-0 scoreline Germany racked up against the hapless San Marino. None of this, of course, makes up for the utter farce of allowing Croatia to humble England following the People's Hero's heroic equaliser, but it will have to do (and success, happily, unlocks the 2004 campaign if you fancy reliving past failures). You also have the option of controlling an entire qualifying campaign, followed by the upcoming tournament proper, but then you probably expected that. More exciting are online elements like the Euro Online Knockout Cup, with support for up to 16 players, not to mention regular one-off online multiplayer games.

So, if money's no object, or you simply missed out on FIFA 08, by all means pick up Euro 2008. With the added bonus of Captain Your Country, and a host of welcome tweaks and additions, it's a Russian linesman away from being given 9/10, and only the inevitable absence of club teams and other FIFA-level content get in the way. Overall it's a great game now, but it should be an even better one when FIFA 09 comes out.

8 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (82) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • TheEx-Boxer #1 4 years ago

    I can't play football games now without a wiimote!

  • nickthegun #2 4 years ago

    Pft...its no RTTWC: 06.....

  • Beano #3 4 years ago

    Tried the PS3 demo.. looked terrible!

  • RMXtreme #4 4 years ago

    I've heard the Dutch aren't in it; though they were, I believe, in World Cup 2006. Is this true?

  • malteaserhead #5 4 years ago

    Is the 5 player online thing from Fifa 08 carried over too?
    /re-reads
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 11:27

  • aldo_14 #6 4 years ago

    I've heard the Dutch aren't in it; though they were, I believe, in World Cup 2006. Is this true?

    That'd be pretty bizarre, surely?

  • Putty-Man #7 4 years ago

    Still playing FIFA08 on a regular basis so would be tempted by this, if it werent for the fact most of my mates will stick with 08.

    So now I find myself in the utterly surprising position of really looking forward to the next FIFA installment! (I was a pro evo head til last October)

    Also, I played the demo last night and thought it excellent, on 360 anyway.

    Edit:typo.
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 11:31

  • bruuge #8 4 years ago

    I played the demo too and thought it was terrible!

  • bad09 #9 4 years ago

    Played the 360 demo and it is cool, I just can't do it though, it's too painful I'll wait for FIFA 09. It will be bad enough watching Euro without my team there. From England if you didn't guess :(

  • deem #10 4 years ago

    Sorry, bit of an odd review really. No mention of many aspects that improve the gameplay, far too much talk of all the game modes.

    Could actually have been written with having not actually played the game tbh.

    Sorry.
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 11:35

  • QPRHOOPS81 #11 4 years ago

    Downloaded this for pc and they seem to be using a ps2 engine not a next gen one. It was truely horrible. Why the hell does the PC version not use ther next gen engine. Pro evo 2008 moved onto using next gen (current gen i guess) graphics so why doesnt Fifa.

    rant ended......

  • RMXtreme #12 4 years ago

    That'd be pretty bizarre, surely?

    That's why I'm asking. If they aren't in it I'm definitely not going to buy it.
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 11:34

  • weaselrat #13 4 years ago

    It looks far worse on the PS3 than the 360. Yes I own both so no fanboyism here just facts.

  • deem #14 4 years ago

    Because 99% of PC players are using their dads PCs.

  • deem #15 4 years ago

    'It looks far worse on the PS3 than the 360. Yes I own both so no fanboyism here just facts.'

    PS3 demo was outputting at 576p.

  • weaselrat #16 4 years ago

    Still looks worse. I have rented so many cross ports and the PS3 nearly always lets me down. Still good blu ray player though

  • andijames #17 4 years ago

    In all fairness when the FIFA '08 demo came out on PS3 it looked far worse than the actual game turned out so i hold out some hope the game will look better than the demo.

  • Cataferal #18 4 years ago

    It's very telling how 360 users loved the demo, yet the PS3 ownersseem to be indifferent to it. EA definitely have some work to do on their PS3 ports.

  • JayeM #19 4 years ago

    360 demo is great, I don't have the money for this though. :(

  • Huntcjna #20 4 years ago

    Good detailed review of the modes but I would have like to have heard more about the gameplay tweaks. Regardless the game itself look sgreat hopefully my copy will be with me tomorrow and I can get stuck in.

  • spekkeh #21 4 years ago

    The Netherlands, Iceland and Faroer were at least reported not to be in the demo, and seeing as the Dutch football association has been a pain to license in previous games, I reckon it won't be in the final version as well. Please comment Kristan.

  • Eighthours #22 4 years ago

    It's tempting, but I don't know if I can justify this at full price.

  • kobashi #23 4 years ago

    Holland are in the game. Just do not have real names..

    You can edit though!

  • Cataferal #24 4 years ago

    Yeah. This is essentially a "FIFA 09: Prologue" to me. I'll be holding out on this one, I think...

    As for the review: I also agree that it could've focused more on the gameplay. I think Kristan's plan was to tailor it more towards people who'd have downloaded the demo, familiarised themselves with the new gameplay dynamics, and just wanted to know what was in the full package (modes, namely...). This might not've been the case for everyone, obviously, so maybe it should've broadened out a little in that respect.

    I found it useful though, belonging to the former crowd. :)
    Edited by 2 at 16/04/08 @ 11:50

  • kobashi #25 4 years ago

    The IGN review was pretty poor also. The review from Hexus is puts others to shame!
    http://ga ming.hexus.net/content/item.php...
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 11:53

  • frycrayola #26 4 years ago

    As good as the game might be, the lack of teams from around the world will always be a downer. It's not so much the lack of club teams that grates (the sides I support have never been in a FIFA title anyway), but the lack of sides such as Brazil and Argentina, Ivory Coast or South Korea that just give you access to some of the best players in the world, and Kim Do-Heon. If this was a World Cup year, I'd be snapping this game up.

    But you know what's really annoying? EA have worked to get all 53 UEFA members into the game, and most of them will undoubtedly be discarded for FIFA 09. Why? The data's there, give me access to it! USE that license to give me all 208 FIFA members, if you can!

    Goits. I really fancy a bout of Liechtenstein v San Marino, but I'll be damned if I'm paying £40 for the privilege. Roll on World Cup 2010, and this time don't snip the qualifiers in other continents!

  • Lebowski #27 4 years ago

    Will this be 100% more expensive than the U.S. version?

  • Godlikegenius #28 4 years ago

    I love the PS3 demo. Absolutely football gaming gold. Fluid as hell.

    In the process of downloading the 360 one for comparison. I did think the PS3 replays etc had a bit of a slow frame rate.

    Still a fantastic engine in my opinion and well looking forward to FIFA 09 now.

  • dom6918 #29 4 years ago

    UEFA and FIFA are two completely different companies.. you asking for UEFA data and FIFA data in one is the same as asking for Formula 1 and Toca data in the same game..its not going to happen..two separate organisations..

    im sure they could try to do a deal with the two companies..and create one game Fifa & Uefa 09...but then why dont you speak to both orgs and get them to merge?

    i do admit..it works out well for EA

  • BTBAM #30 4 years ago

    I'm not interested if the Dutch team aren't correctly named. Annoying.

  • Masarin #31 4 years ago

    I'm really not that interested in the new game modes. To me the better control of the players is of utmost importance. Really hate when the computer takes hold of my player in Fifa 08. A must buy for me.

  • Darren #32 4 years ago

    Phew! I actually wasn't going to buy this game... the demo was good (if somewhat glitchy) but I thought it would lack the content to justify buying it and with England being out of the tournament, there didn't seem much point in playing it anyway. I changed my mind though and decided to pre-order it last week as I wanted something pass the time between now and GTA IV coming out so Euro 2008 seemed to fit the bill. That EG gave the game 8/10 makes me feel better about ordering it at least and it was sent yesterday from GAME so I expect it's waiting for me when I get home. 360 version by the way... the PS3 demo I played wasn't anywhere near as good with a poorer framerate and inferior jaggier graphics.

  • Tonka #33 4 years ago

    Can I pass to space?

  • QPRHOOPS81 #34 4 years ago

    "Because 99% of PC players are using their dads PCs. "

    Thats a crap excuse just make it scaleable. The latest pro evo uses updated graphics. Euro 2008 looks like a ten year old game on PC.

  • Darren #35 4 years ago

    Am I correct in assuming all the glitches from the demo are fixed for the final game since EG made no mention of them, e.g. the slowdown in the replays/cinematics and the bizarre way players flicker momentarily in the setpieces? I played the PS3 demo last night and the whole French team suddenly materialised on the pitch during the lineup!!! LOL

  • dom6918 #36 4 years ago

    yes with manual passing you can pass into zone z!

  • gblegend #37 4 years ago

    As good as this sounds I think I'll wait for FIFA 09. I can't justify shelling out full price on a game half the 'size' of fifa.

    As far as I can tell the reasons for not jumping ship to fifa last time have been resolved in Euro 08 so PES better have something massive up their sleeve for October or they are surely f**ked this year!

  • blackcabbage #38 4 years ago

    Are the goalkeepers any less retarded in this game? Their resistance to coming off the line in 08 is unbearable frustrating.

  • Big-Swiss #39 4 years ago

    the dutch are never in anything hardly, I'm sure most of the time they aren't or, perhaps the Teamname, but the players are names Player1 -11.
    Probably some rights-fight, perhaps the dutch want more money?!? Or it is against their principals

    oh, yeah, I tried the demo, I don't like these kind of games, and PROBL EM 08 BOYKOTT!
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 13:49

  • Strac #40 4 years ago

    "the Dutch are never in anything hardly"
    not sure how to understand that sentence and where it is a general philosophical statement or a comment towards the non-usage of the Dutch team in FIFA/UEFA games lol
    I think the Dutch team normally is in PES, right? Not that I play too many footie games

    And I cannot imagine they're not in the UEFA game when the team actually is in the bloody thing?

  • kobashi #41 4 years ago

    Konami have exclusive license on dutch national team and yes the GK's are better on this over FIFA 08. they come of there line and close down the angle.

  • LHH #42 4 years ago

    AE SPORTS! ITS IN THE GAME!

  • Ikari2001 #43 4 years ago

    you know you're gonna buy i anyways :p

    but yeah, sounds more like they've had a quick play and done a review. Really would have liked to know how the Online Euro cup things works (as, does it actually work ok as youcan guess the format lol). If it's as shite as the Online Leagues thing from FIFA08, then I'm alot less interested.

  • absinthe #44 4 years ago

    I can't understand why you wouldn't buy this.
    It's six months until the next FIFA/PES, so other people will be playing a better football game than you for the next six months.

    Common sense, simple common sense.

    Damn that Russian linesman Krudster!

  • DanC89 #45 4 years ago

    I thought it played well too, but I've got Fifa 08 so no thanks EA. Maybe if GTA wasn't a couple of weeks away!

  • ozallez #46 4 years ago

    Re: The Dutch license... They were in the ea World cup 06 game, so i'm still holding out hope they'll be part of the Uefa license for this game. (A different deal to the regular fifa's where they never seem to appear).
    Will know for sure when the game drops into my mailbox today.

  • ozallez #47 4 years ago

    Reading the ea forums it sounds like Netherlands are definitely NOT licensed in the game.
    The KNVB are sticking by Pro Evo by the sounds :D
    Edited by 1 at 16/04/08 @ 22:04

  • kestral #48 4 years ago

    this or gta4?

  • immateriaux #49 4 years ago

    What is that comment that the PC version uses a port of the PS2 version about? This an actual fact or just someone's opinion of the graphics???

    Game sounds excellent though

  • RMXtreme #50 4 years ago

    FACT!

  • rossfmitchell #51 4 years ago

    The dutch team rarely give license for some reason, they don't have the squad in football manager, its all fake greyed out players. So is the dutch team fake names or just completeley missed out? Surely (editable) fake names would be prefferable to non existant?

  • ozallez #52 4 years ago

    PES had the Dutch license on the last version i played

  • Socrates #53 4 years ago

    The Netherlands are represented in this game, but the players do not have their authentic names.

  • Darren #54 4 years ago

    As expected, I got this game (Xbox 360 version) through the post yesterday so I was playing it last night. It is very good, I especially love the Captain Your Country mode which has me taking my created character (supposed to be me - the game even had my surname!!! :D ) through from the Friendlies in 2006 playing for England (obviously - I'm English!). Playing as one player and being able to call for passes, etc., it's surprisingly fun and the game plays superbly and the atmosphere is absolutely spot on. Shame some of the player likenesses are dreadful though...

    Anyway, I was a bit disappointed to discover that all of bugs and glitches from the demo are present and correct in the final game. There's slowdown during replays and cinematics with players often magically appearing on the pitch when the game changes angle... one cutscene showed the bench and the manager appearing 1.5 seconds later then the pitch going dark like someone had turned the lights off!!! The players also flicker when the ball is kicked out of play near the goal. Players even run through the corner posts during celebrations. Shows all the hallmarks of being rushed to me although to be fair the game itself plays fine. I'm surprised the EG review didn't mention any of these though but there again I remember their appalling review of PES2008 on the PS3 which conveniently neglected to mention any of the issues that game had... :/

  • Darren #55 4 years ago

    P.S. EG - The game has 2,000+ surnames not the 200 claimed in the review. There must have been well over 100 in the H section alone as that contained my surname. ;)

  • Zomoniac #56 4 years ago

    Mine arrived yesterday morning, got a few hours in on Captain Your Country. It's very hard, even on semi-pro, because your player starts off on a 50 rating or something. After about 12 games I'm still only up to 58. And the difficulty seems to go up faster than my player's ability. I'm playing up front for England, in my first game I put a hat-trick past the Faroe Islands, and in the second friendly I got two against France, but now in the qualifiers I can't score against Azerbaijan.

    I like the idea of the weaker teams going to Wembley and sticking 10 men behind the ball and playing for the draw, but it's not balanced enough, and creates the ludicrous scenario of making it easier to stick 5 past Spain than 1 past Andorra. And my player's stats aren't yet up to giving me much hope of scoring from distance (I put in one glorious 30 yard chip against France yesterday, but other than that I'm yet to score from outside the box despite many attempts), and getting a decent close range effort in against any team that plays with 8 men in the 6-yard area, regardless of how good they are, is very difficult.

    Also, Andy Townsend is a clueless cock and should be shot. But other than that, it's brilliant! (but I miss the arena)

  • Zomoniac #57 4 years ago

    P.S. EG - The game has 2,000+ surnames not the 200 claimed in the review. There must have been well over 100 in the H section alone as that contained my surname. ;)

    Yes but they're actual names. It gives you the 2,000 or so names of players that are actually in the game, and then provides around 200 common names that none of the real players have. The nearest to me is Zumyici or something.

  • BarcaAzul #58 4 years ago

    Plyed the Demo, its crap like all FIFA games, and just another example of EA cashing in. When will people learn to stop supporting this blatant rip off!!

  • Zomoniac #59 4 years ago

    When somebody else makes a better football game...

  • Darren #60 4 years ago

    I can't believe people are STILL claiming FIFA is crap when it's PES these days that gets all the critical abuse from the fans, press and media!!! Quite right too as it hasn't really improved noticebly since PES3 on the PS2 IMO and the next gen versions look very lacklustre compared with EA's ever evolving series which HAS improved in leaps and bounds over the past two years. Have these people even bothered playing it, I wonder, or are they just basing their opinions on what they *think* it's like... :?

    P.S. I do actually enjoy playing PES2008 on the 360 - it's arcadey and fun - but it's postiviely dated and lacking in features and teams compared with EA's FIFA series.

  • Zomoniac #61 4 years ago

    I can't believe people are STILL claiming FIFA is crap when it's PES these days that gets all the critical abuse from the fans, press and media!!!

    I don't know how they do it, but somehow PES has managed to completely brainwash people to see something that just isn't there. Here are a few quotes from reviews of PES 08 taken from Metacritic:

    PES 2008 remains far more than a yearly update; it's the first true next gen iteration of Xbox World's most played game. (Xbox World 360)
    All in all, PES 2008 adds significant depth and realism to the in-game experience. (TVG)
    A great game that has the feel and look of the old PES titles with the visuals of a true next-gen game. (Planet Xbox 360)
    Quite simply a footy fans' dream come true. (GamesMaster)
    For the on-field experience, PES is an astounding recreation of the beautiful game (Official PlayStation Magazine)

    Are the press sent a different game than that offered at retail? The visuals of a true next-gen game? An astounding recreation? The first true next-gen iteration?

    I was a die-hard PESer since FIFA went crap (after World Cup 98, so from ISS Pro 2), and started playing FIFA when I went 360 as it was all that was available for the 2005/6 period. I was so excited when PES6 came out, but I ordered FIFA 07 as well as FIFA had been growing on me, both came the same day, both received extended plays, and PES was sold within a fortnight. It isn't better, it isn't more realistic, it's nothing like football and it's just become a parody of itself in terms of presentation. PES fanboys are the worst fanboys around because they claim to want a football game that plays like football, and so buy the game that is about as much like football as Ridge Racer is like driving a car.

    /rant

  • BarcaAzul #62 4 years ago

    I have played both PES and FIFA 08. FIFA 08 is not as good as PES for game play and this demo is no different. It still feels, "on rails" to me and not very responsive. I don’t see PES as Arcade football either, I guess it depends what setting you play on though!! I think FIFA has a more arcade feel than PES.

    Still each to their own, but for me FIFA is still crap, and they are cashing in on the 3rd release of a game this year.

  • Zomoniac #63 4 years ago

    Still each to their own, but for me FIFA is still crap, and they are cashing in on the 3rd release of a game this year.

    But PES is far more on rails, turn all the assists off in FIFA and absolutely nothing is controlled by the computer, the ball goes to the exact location and at the exact speed you say, and everything is much slower and more intelligent. You don't even get proper control of your crosses in PES.

    And I'm inclined to think that releasing a substantially improved and better game every six months is less of a cash-in than releasing a 100% identical game but with a different logo every 12 months.

  • dom6918 #64 4 years ago

    well said..The King is dead...Long live EAs Football titles!!

    who remembers Actua Soccer..that was the rival to Fifa..with trevor booking on the commentary..that was way ahead of its time!

  • Zomoniac #65 4 years ago

    Ah, good old Actua Soccer. Also Olympic Soccer (which then become World League Soccer, and then became the Dreamcast versions of Sega Worldwide Soccer) where the aftertouch was such that with much practice you could bend the ball through 180 degrees and score quite insane goals. A bit like that one Nakamura scored last night.

  • kobashi #66 4 years ago

    Its a sad fact the most magazines and websites are scared to give PES 2008 the reviews it deserves. It seems they are scared to that Konami will not send them the exclusive preview copies in the future etc etc. I have been buying every Winning Eleven game since WE6:FE on the GC and over the years nothing is changing. People like to blast EA for releasing a game every six months. Guys Konami have been doing the same in Japan. I have bought every one of them, the World Soccer and J-League games!

    After playing PES 2008 and then FIFA 08 i saw that it was EA who are actually trying to simulate real football and try new ideas. PES 2008 is arcade heaven, multi-player games are a joke and end up with silly 3-2, 4-3, 4-4 scores way too often because there are times when defenders just go missing and you have no control over it. Seabass in an interview last year blamed the player and not his programming saying the CPU does not do these errors. Honestly they guy is losing it.

    Euro 2008 is a great game and the best footy title around no doubt. The people who hate FIFA/Euro 2008 are normally PES fanboys who don't like the fact that in EA's game this year you have to actually pass the ball. You cant give the ball to Messi and just dance through defenders. My friends say it all the time "this doesnt feel like Pro". Honestly they are so brainwashed they can't play any other footy game.

    The A.I. in EURO 2008 is miles ahead of PES 2008. The Animations in UEFA 2008 are the best ever! just actually play the game people and see for yourself.

    The way EA are doing things FIFA 09 is gonna be a beast..
    Edited by 3 at 17/04/08 @ 15:14

  • Lionheart #67 4 years ago

    @ kestral

    *SLAPS*

    You know the answer to that!!!! April 29th ;-)

  • frycrayola #68 4 years ago

    dom6918: "UEFA and FIFA are two completely different companies.. you asking for UEFA data and FIFA data in one is the same as asking for Formula 1 and Toca data in the same game..its not going to happen..two separate organisations.. "

    You do know that all 53 UEFA members are members of FIFA, right? And that they don't play completely separate teams in tournaments organised by the two organisations, yes?

    EA have all the player data for the UEFA members (notwithstanding any fussy goits like the Dutch, if they happen to use fake players). There is no reason why this data has to be absent from the FIFA games - no reason why we're lumped with only 50-60 national sides in the main release.
    Edited by 1 at 17/04/08 @ 15:27

  • kobashi #69 4 years ago

    frycrayola - didn't EA say in the past that when they acquired the UEFA license that conditions were that they have to release a separate Champions League/UEFA Euro game?

    Konami would be doing exactly the same if they had the license.

  • Darren #70 4 years ago

    @BarcaAzul - FIFA 08 and Euro 2008 play at a much more realistic pace than the much faster PES 2008 IMO and that's the reason I think the latter is arcadey. It seems to me that whereas EA have been striving for realism with FIFA over the past few years (bar the glaring omission of an ingame referee and linesmen!!!), Konami have kept PES mostly the same so it now feels less realistic and, dare I say it, more dated. That's just my opinion though but I'll continue to play both games as long as they interest me.
    Edited by 1 at 17/04/08 @ 15:39

  • Darren #71 4 years ago

    @kobashi - I seem to recall gamesTM awarding PES2008 3 out of 10, mainly on the grounds of its broken online mode, so I don't think all magazines are afraid to say what they think... ;)

  • jamiscool #72 4 years ago

    It's so annoying that the PC version is using the previous-gen engine, otherwise I'd get this.

  • Darren #73 4 years ago

    That's EA for you... they're not interested in the PC when they can make more money out of their EA Sports games on the consoles.

  • kobashi #74 4 years ago

    I have heard FIFA 09 on PC will be using the same engine as the 360/PS3 versions.

  • frycrayola #75 4 years ago

    kobashi: "didn't EA say in the past that when they acquired the UEFA license that conditions were that they have to release a separate Champions League/UEFA Euro game? "

    There's a misunderstanding here. I'm not saying that FIFA should have the European Championships integrated into it (well, actually, I WILL say that but I understand the licensing restrictions mean it won't happen).

    What I'm saying is that they've got all this player data, all the team data, all the kits and likenesses (as far as they bother at any rate, they always make a halfhearted effort with lesser sides) and there's no reason why any of that is bound to a continental organisation's license. If Iceland are in Euro 2008, they should be in FIFA 09 - they are FIFA members too. There's really not much extra effort required here. A few attributes need updated, a few players added perhaps at others' expense.

    The only thing I can think of is that including each of the teams in the regular FIFA game incurs a team-specific license cost (whether the side are official or not - several have real players, but generic kits and no association crest). If this is the case, one must ask exactly what the FIFA license is granting EA on non-World Cup years...

  • kobashi #76 4 years ago

    frycrayola

  • kobashi #77 4 years ago

    frycrayola I understand your point and you are correct in what you are saying!

  • Jheronimus #78 4 years ago

    The only reason the Dutch team was involved in WC2006, was because the FIFA forced them to give their license... An agreement between FIFA and EA made that possible.

    The Dutch aren't in this edition because the UEFA doesn't have such an agreement. And the Dutch rights are owned by Team Holland, which is ruled by a complete SOB who wants far to much money for the rights... Sodding shame.

    I bought FIFA08 instead of this one as my new footie game... At least I get to play PSV now :), although I would like to see the Dutch Jupiler League in the game and bring Telstar to glory!

  • Skywise #79 4 years ago

    @Jheronimus: so you're their fan!

  • PlanM #80 4 years ago

    There is a fantastic video review of this over at a new football gaming forum called FIFA Web.

    http://fifaweb.freefor ums.org/

  • Jheronimus #81 4 years ago

    @ Skywise

    Yes, I'm their fan ;) Damn, now I've blown my cover!

  • y2rich #82 4 years ago

    Picked this up yesterday and then proceeded to play Captain Your Country with a couple of housemates for the next 7 hours. The gameplay tweaks and extra modes make it so much better than Fifa 08 and PES08. Can't wait for Fifa 09 now to see how they advance the Be a Pro mode in that. Here's hoping for a full career like NFL Superstar in Madden.