Game Review: FIFA Soccer 2009

By Marc Saltzman

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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is the finest soccer game that EA has ever made, thanks to many new features and improvements over past versions. And boy, is it a looker. Other than ads around the virtual stadiums, this game doesn't contain any troublesome content.

Families can talk about whether sports video games should come out every 12 months. How does a gamer justify the $60 purchase each year when you can simply download team updates over the Internet to earlier versions?

EA Sports might be the king of sports games but if you scour the review websites you'd notice the FIFA Soccerseries doesn't fare as well, critically speaking, as other interactive soccer games such as Konami's Winning Eleven games. Well, the Vancouver-based developer must have taken this to heart because FIFA SOCCER 2009 packs more than 250 game-play additions and improvements over past games, making it EA Sports' most realistic, responsive, and feature-rich soccer sim to date.

On the surface, this next-generation, high-definition soccer game features improved player physics (including a tweaked collision system) and kick mechanics, complemented by more than 500 new animation sequences. Once you get into the game, however, players will be impressed with the tight control. On the X360 and PS3 versions, that means utilizing the two controller's dual analog sticks for accurate player and ball handling (and buttons to pass or kick). New game modes include a much-improved Be A Pro: Seasons option, which expands on last year's version with the ability to play four full seasons as a single player, while another mode maps team-tactics to the controller's D-pad so you can also play as coach as well as player if you like (and yes, the manager mode remains, too).

Online connectivity plays a more important role in FIFA Soccer 2009 than in previous editions. For one, adding to the game's realism is a new feature (on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions) called Adidas Live Season, with player attributes downloaded on a weekly basis to mirror real-life performances (similar to what EA Sports has done with NBA Live 09 ). What's more, a new online mode called FIFA 09 Clubs (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) lets gamers compete in a 10 versus 10 team match (yes, on 20 different consoles). In short, "footy" fans won't be disappointed with EA Sports' latest kick at the can.