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![FIFA 09 Demo Impressions [PS3]](http://images.techtree.com/ttimages/story/93234_matter.jpg)
FIFA 09 Demo Impressions [PS3]
Navneet Prakash, Sep 16, 2008 1232 hrs ISTEA seems to have a hit on their hands with this iteration
It's been a while since I eagerly awaited a FIFA title: ever since I tasted PES in 2004, the FIFA series took a back-seat for me. Last year's FIFA '08 pulled me back to the series with its more realistic gameplay and superior next-gen content. I have been eagerly awaiting FIFA 09; the demo is out now on Xbox Live and PSN and here is my take on the PSN version. There are six teams available in the demo including Chelsea, AC Milan, and Real Madrid.
The first thing to notice in FIFA 09 are the visuals, they look better and more detailed than its 2008 entry. The stadiums and crowd details are far greater -- the crowd does not look like 10 pixels stacked up on each other. Finally.
The menu system remains the same though, save for a few minor tweaks, which is quite surprising. An Adidas Live Season tab has been added, but this feature is not available in the demo. This is one feature that sets FIFA 09 apart from its competition, check out the video below to get a clear idea about the service.
FIFA 09's Adidas Live Season
You have to customize three settings before the demo begins: select your favorite team, your level of difficulty, and your control scheme. I played the game on the easy as well as the experienced level, and to be honest both modes seemed rather easy. It's quite possible that EA has released a dumbed down demo of the game, for the benefit of the majority.
The game feels much more real; the gameplay much smoother. The player animation, for example, is flawless, and every action, including jumps and headers look far better than before. The most impressive aspect of the new animation is that it does not slow down the actual football. EA has improved the overall quality without changing the core gameplay of 08. Changing lanes is also much more easier while sprinting, which is further proof that ball control has further been improved. Teammates call more often and indicate when they are ready to make a run in the wings or when they are open for a short pass. Even minor details like calling for offside is more prominent in this outing.
A new game mechanic called Custom Tactics has been added to the game, this allows you to make minute details in the team's gameplan. The tactics have been distinguished as Build-up, Chance Creation and Defence. A window will display the tactics in play, and how changing certain values like pressure and crossing, affects the game. More options will be available in the full game, which will allow you to make your own game-plan like better counter attacks and offside traps. This time around you can also counter-attack better, as the goalkeeper does not hold on to the ball for the mandatory three seconds like he did in the previous version -- I used to hate that and thankfully it's gone. A cool new feature which I am sure will get very old, very soon is the ability to celebrate after you score a goal. Unlike previous games, the celebration isn't scripted and allows you to choose a pose by pressing the right trigger and moving the right analog as directed on the screen. This act should have been simpler, I think -- I would rather push some buttons to trigger the celebrations than take part in a mini-game. There is little benefit to playing this mini-game: it would have been cooler if successfully executing the celebration move gave your player a small boost that directly affected his performance for a while. A mini-game to trigger something like that, I would not have hesitated taking part in. As it is, it feels like a lot of work for little benefit.
Scoring goals is as fun as always and EA has pushed the presentation up a few notches by offering a better replay option with great camera angels. This time around the transition from game to replay looks cooler with a very ESPN-styled video-transition featuring an EA logo.
My general perception is that this year is all about a more personalized experience by EA, clearly indicated by the custom team tactics as well as custom celebration style mechanic. Whatever their mantra, it's clear that this game has a lot in store for us. I can't wait for the full game!
The first thing to notice in FIFA 09 are the visuals, they look better and more detailed than its 2008 entry. The stadiums and crowd details are far greater -- the crowd does not look like 10 pixels stacked up on each other. Finally.
The menu system remains the same though, save for a few minor tweaks, which is quite surprising. An Adidas Live Season tab has been added, but this feature is not available in the demo. This is one feature that sets FIFA 09 apart from its competition, check out the video below to get a clear idea about the service.
FIFA 09's Adidas Live Season
Gameplay
You have to customize three settings before the demo begins: select your favorite team, your level of difficulty, and your control scheme. I played the game on the easy as well as the experienced level, and to be honest both modes seemed rather easy. It's quite possible that EA has released a dumbed down demo of the game, for the benefit of the majority.
The game feels much more real; the gameplay much smoother. The player animation, for example, is flawless, and every action, including jumps and headers look far better than before. The most impressive aspect of the new animation is that it does not slow down the actual football. EA has improved the overall quality without changing the core gameplay of 08. Changing lanes is also much more easier while sprinting, which is further proof that ball control has further been improved. Teammates call more often and indicate when they are ready to make a run in the wings or when they are open for a short pass. Even minor details like calling for offside is more prominent in this outing.
A new game mechanic called Custom Tactics has been added to the game, this allows you to make minute details in the team's gameplan. The tactics have been distinguished as Build-up, Chance Creation and Defence. A window will display the tactics in play, and how changing certain values like pressure and crossing, affects the game. More options will be available in the full game, which will allow you to make your own game-plan like better counter attacks and offside traps. This time around you can also counter-attack better, as the goalkeeper does not hold on to the ball for the mandatory three seconds like he did in the previous version -- I used to hate that and thankfully it's gone. A cool new feature which I am sure will get very old, very soon is the ability to celebrate after you score a goal. Unlike previous games, the celebration isn't scripted and allows you to choose a pose by pressing the right trigger and moving the right analog as directed on the screen. This act should have been simpler, I think -- I would rather push some buttons to trigger the celebrations than take part in a mini-game. There is little benefit to playing this mini-game: it would have been cooler if successfully executing the celebration move gave your player a small boost that directly affected his performance for a while. A mini-game to trigger something like that, I would not have hesitated taking part in. As it is, it feels like a lot of work for little benefit.
Scoring goals is as fun as always and EA has pushed the presentation up a few notches by offering a better replay option with great camera angels. This time around the transition from game to replay looks cooler with a very ESPN-styled video-transition featuring an EA logo.
My general perception is that this year is all about a more personalized experience by EA, clearly indicated by the custom team tactics as well as custom celebration style mechanic. Whatever their mantra, it's clear that this game has a lot in store for us. I can't wait for the full game!
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