Fifa 08 - hands on

Well, after all the ranting about Pro Evolution soccer 6 wiping the floor with Fifa 07, Fifa 08 is finally here to change my opinion. And thank god, it atleast makes me think a little.

When I first installed the game and got up and running, I was completely disappointed. Unlike popular opinion, I am a bit of a Fifa fan. I know that a company like EA can deliver a whole lot more given the amount of money they invest in the series every year. So when I saw the same engine from last year, I was a little disappointed- I wanted to see some fancy graphics, some funky shaders thrown around, after all, the series is known for its eye-candy...

That said, once I got down to the actual gameplay, I was a lot more satisfied. The controls actually feel much better than Fifa07, which as close to horrendous as I've ever been. I really have to appreciate it though, the guys at EA Sports finally did some thinking and innovation on their own. The new manual pass system is a result of this. Now you can adjust every pass to your heart's content. Even long balls can be played with unbelieveble accuracy - a la David Beckham.

The crossing system does need a little geting used to, but once you pick it up, its hard to throw away. It rewards you (for something other than deterministic randomness), and that I think is enough to win me over, for a while atleast. I know that might change once I get my hands on Pro Evolution 2008, but that's life isn't it?

I really think that EA has proved it can think out of GPUs and in terms of gameplay when it comes to the most hyped and anticipated football game series. Thats a little satisfying, for now I know that we are getting so much closer to the *ultimate* PC football game. For a long while, I had reason to believe that the folks at Konami would be the ones getting there, and with no trouble at all, but now, EA might have just craned its neck in a little bit. I guess another year, and the answer might beome a little more obvious.