FIFA 2009

I’ve played Pro Evo since its first incarnation on the SNES – the first 16 bit console game to have full commentary. Then under the moniker ‘International Superstar Soccer’ (or as some die-hards still refer to it, ISS), it was a quantum leap in football sims, bringing realism, speed and authenticity where before you had Super Kick Off and Sensible Soccer (great games in their own right, don’t get me wrong, but not realistic football sims).

Then I was loyal through the Pro Evos, latterly on the PS1, PS2, then PS3 – when it all started to go downhill. Laggy and slow, it was a regression by Konami. They should never have released it, it was that flawed. Turning the crowd, commentary, pitch effects and pretty much everything else off improved the lag, but it was still nigh on unplayable.

So it was with great anticipation I played Pro Evo 2009. A great improvement – but still far from perfect. Players feel like they are running on rails (the 9 point sprint is infuriating), it’s still too easy to get behind the full back on the flanks, and the cut back is still mightily effective. Plus when players turbo off the pitch in a straight line it’s just laughable.

So it was with heavy heart, as if betraying a long term partner when the spark has gone from your relationship, that I purchased FIFA 09 for my Xbox360.

And what a revelation! I’d not played FIFA since Road to World Cup 1998 (a great game), and had found intermediate editions far too slow – players felt like they were walking. But FIFA 09 is in another realm – player movement is incredibly realistic, the games are fast paced and natural, deflections, challenges, mishits, tricks, headers – all feel and look brilliant, all are superior to Pro Evo. The overall realism is just fantastic – it feels like you are controlling a footballer, not a computer game sprite.

I’m not one for online play, so I can’t comment on that, but EA do offer live updates, where real-life form is uploaded onto your console and reflected on the game. A nice touch.

Verdict:

FIFA 09 is the most realistic football game I have ever played. If you’re a FIFA fan, get FIFA 09. Now. And if you’re a Pro Evo fan, get FIFA 09. Now.

From being a Pro Evo fanboy, my only remaining loyalty to Konami is the changing of the control configuration on FIFA. I just can’t get used to ‘cross’ being ‘shot’…