Laying the boot into FIFA 08...
The release of FIFA 08 came at a bad time for me. It had taken me almost a year to be able to master (to a certain extent) the gameplay in FIFA 07 and finally I was beginning to win the majority of my online matches. I'd hoped that gameplay-wise there would only be a few tweaks here and there and I'd be able to pick up where I'd left off in FIFA 07, jump straight online and be able to rise up the rankings from day one. But, for the first ten minutes of playing FIFA 08 I couldn't quite believe what had happened.The FIFA franchise has changed dramatically. The arcade-style that we'd come to expect from the FIFA series, alongside EA's style over substance attitude towards football games, has gradually evaporated and what we're now left with is a slower paced, more thought-provoking football simulation. Gone are those days when you could choose to play as Manchester Utd, pass the ball to Ronaldo time and time again and send him dashing from one end of the pitch to the other, twisting and turning, leaving players flat on their arses before you smacked in a 30-yard belter.
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Click for larger imageIf I'd have written this review 7 days ago my verdict of FIFA 08 would have been totally different. It's taken me about 10 days of playing the game rigorously to be able to get my head around the changes and begin to enjoy EA's latest soccer title. FIFA 08 isn't just an upgraded version of FIFA 07. This time around EA has added many relevant and impressive new features and given the action on the pitch a complete overhaul. The result is a game that it far more difficult than previous games, but ultimately a better simulation of the beautiful game.
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