FIFA Soccer 09 Review (X360)

After years of steady improvement, EA’s FIFA Soccer series has finally put everything in order and is easily the best soccer game on the market. In years past we had great presentation and plenty of features and modes and licensed teams, but the gameplay was lacking. In FIFA 09, however, every single aspect is as near perfect as you could hope for. It looks gorgeous, packs plenty of stuff to do, and plays like a dream. Find out all of the details right here.

Quick Hits

• Title: FIFA Soccer 09
• Publisher: EA Sports
• Developer: EA Canada
• ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
• Genre: Soccer
• Pros: Great presentation; tons of officially licensed teams and players; great gameplay; Be A Pro mode
• Cons: Not very noob friendly

As far as features and modes go, FIFA 09 is a huge game that is densely packed with goodies that will keep you busy for months. Thousands of licensed players. Hundreds of teams. Dozens of leagues. And all of them are the real deal so you can easily find your favorite teams and players. Modes include quick play, tournaments, manager mode, and be a pro seasons for single-player along with a wealth of modes for online play including 10 v 10 matches, FIFA Clubs where players form teams and play in leagues, and more. New options include custom team tactics where you can adjust sliders for aggressiveness and tendencies to make your team play just how you want. Similar to NBA Live 09 there is a Live Season mode where you choose a real world league and it will be updated with roster changes and stat updates. Simply put, this is an insanely big and deep game.

I want to just touch on Be A Pro mode a little bit. I love this mode. I loved it last year, loved it in UEFA Euro 2008, and still love it here. Be A Pro puts you in control of just one player out on the field, and you are responsible for being in the right position, making good passes, taking good shots, and all of that other stuff that you have to do while out on the field in real life. BAP is just insanely satisfying and a great way to play the game.

The gameplay is another strong point in FIFA 09. I felt that FIFA 08 moved a little sluggishly, but FIFA 09 has a much quicker pace that feels just about right. Long passes, through balls, and crosses also connect with a fair amount of frequency that doesn’t leave you frustrated when your players aren’t where you expected them to be all that often but it also isn’t so completely successful that it would be unrealistic. Also, remember a few years ago when the biggest new feature in the game was a bunch of flashy trick moves and fancy dribbling and the focus of the game was on individuals rather than the team? Yeah, that isn’t the case here. You still have plenty of moves at your disposal, but crisp passing and solid play off the ball to get into position is how you score in FIFA 09 rather than trying to fake out everyone 1-on-1.

All in all, the fundamentals of soccer are very strong in FIFA 09. But there are a couple of hiccups. Basically, if you aren’t already familiar with how the FIFA series plays, or you haven’t played soccer in real life, the game can be very unforgiving. The A.I. is brutal and the goal keeping is surprisingly solid, even on the easiest difficulty level. You have to use real tactics and smart play in order to score because just charging down the field and firing shots at the keeper isn’t going to work. You have to play as a team. It isn’t quite the 0-0 tie simulator as I described last year’s game, but you still really have to work to score and it might be a bit overwhelming for newcomers.

Graphically, FIFA 09 is a gorgeous looking game. The stadiums all look great and the grass is green and lush. The players are nicely detailed as well and the animation is absolutely top notch.

The sound is also very solid. The music has always been a strong point in FIFA games and 09 is no different. The crowd noise is also very nice and does a good job of pumping you up when you are the home team. I’m not crazy about the commentary, but Andy Gray and Martin Tyler do a decent enough job of keeping up with the action.

In the end, it is actually pretty hard to really find anything truly wrong with FIFA 09. It is a great game of soccer (football) that will keep fans of the sport busy for months. It looks fantastic, plays like a dream, and packs enough features that it is pretty hard to get bored of it. It isn’t exactly friendly to newcomers, and players looking for a more casual multiplayer experience or an easier to get into single-player experience might want to look elsewhere. For die-hard fans, however, FIFA Soccer 09 is an incredible game that is highly recommended.