FIFA 09 A Review

Fifa 09, one of the most awaited games of the year is out! Another cool game from EA’s box. I wonder how people at EA manage to come out with a game every year with so minimal changes. Anyways, here’s the review.

__DISCLAIMER : __This review is solely my view of the game. I welcome contradictions about my view.

__Gameplay : __

EA has definitely stepped up the gameplay in FIFA 09. I liked the new mouse movement system. It’s a bit tricky to learn it but once mastered, it can definitely be a potential weapon in one’s arsenal. One more thing I noticed was how the players tire if you keep on using the sprint button. This makes the game more realistic. Another interesting feature is that EA has allowed more control over choosing the keys for playing the game. I’ve made them compatible with those of PES 2008, so that I can play both games with the same controls.

Players fall too often during tackles. There was this one instance when I was given a yellow card for a clean tackle. The replay showed that there was no contact between me and the opponent, and yet i was penalised.

Graphics :

This is a major overhaul done by EA in this version of FIFA. The replays in their full resolution and quality are awesome. The 3d grass is beautiful and the stadium is more realistic. Player models and faces are quite realistic and you can notice that some players sweat as your game proceeds. However, while playing the game, the player models look pixelated even at the highest resolution and quality. This is one thing which EA have to rectify for the next version of FIFA.

Another thing which I think is lacking from FIFA is the referee and linesman animations. The referee doesn’t blow the whistle but yet we hear the sound. The linesman doesn’t show corners or goal kicks or tackles near him. These are well expressed in PES.

__Sound : __

Another improvement in this year’s FIFA is commentary. Commentary is more realistic than in the earlier versions. The crowd and the stadium ambience is cool and player chants and slogans are realistic.

__THE RATINGS : __

Gameplay : 7/10

Graphics : 8/10

Sound : 9/10

Watch out for my review on PES 2009 in a fortnight.