FIFA 09 Preview

FIFA 09 on PC appears to be moving on from a simple PS2 port

There are facts, you know, stuff we all know for sure. The world is round, the earth orbits the sun, that sort of thing. Then there are gaming facts. Fanboys flame each other on the internet, Nintendo makes tons of cash and PES is better than FIFA.

Here's another fact: facts don't last forever. Those of you who paid attention at school will know that we didn't always think the world was round, or the earth orbited the sun. In fact, there was a time when we thought the exact opposite. And now that age old fact, that PES is better than FIFA, is also in danger of being spun on a sixpence and left for dead.

That is if it hasn't already. Last year was the first time we thought FIFA was, overall across all platforms, better than PES. Sure, FIFA 08 wasn't perfect, its somewhat sluggish player movement and pinball-esque passing was a particular annoyance, but compared with PES 2008 it was the business.

Most of our frustration centred on Konami's PS3 effort, a game crippled by slowdown and frame rate issues. Across all versions online play was and still is a laggy mess. It won't admit it, but we imagine EA Sports' FIFA development team up in Canada joined the football fan world in complete shock when it got its hand on the game.

And so we come to FIFA 09, a further refinement in a series that is beginning to convince football fans that changing sides might not be the shameful, traitorous move it once was. We know, because we've played it.

At EA's UK HQ in Guildford, we got the chance to get some serious hands on and speak to the guys who make the game - the developers. From what we can see all the refinements for this year are in direct response to fan feedback. Player movement is quicker and more responsive. We're shown a video of Portuguese trickster Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling in FIFA 08, what looks like a sluggish, tiresome exercise. Then, immediately afterwards we're shown a video of the same Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling in FIFA 09. He's quicker, turns more sharply and has all the ball control of his real life counterpart.

We play the game and get a sense of the quicker play ourselves. There's much more control over the ball, not only when you get it but when you receive it. First touch control is now a much tighter affair. Chest traps, taking a touch and turning and controlling the ball in general has clearly been tweaked. FIFA's players feel dangerous, like they might take a quality first touch and speed away from markers in the blink of an eye. It's not in an unrealistic way either, like in FIFA games from years gone by. It feels right, as if the player and gamer are on the same page, effortlessly working in tandem.

FIFA has always looked great, but 09 raises the bar once again.

David Rutter, producer for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, describes the improvements in player responsiveness as an increased sense of professional urgency. Manchester United hothead Wayne Rooney will pass the ball and immediately ask for a return as he makes a run in behind the defence, for example. We found that almost all the players raise their hand and demand the ball when you play one twos near the opposition's penalty area. It actually feels nice, and is a good visual aid for possible through balls that you might otherwise miss. Players will slide to pass the ball now, too, rather than wait till they catch up with it, which happens a lot during 50 50s. You'll also be able to trigger second actions much quicker than before - which feels great in game, especially considering that was one of our major beefs with FIFA 08.

David tells us the collision system has been improved, he even shows us that it has during his presentation, but it's not until we play the game that we feel it for ourselves. And it's true - player weight, strength and momentum now have a real impact on the game. When players jump for the ball and compete for headers they will crash into each other and have a real affect on their opponent. You can be brushed off the ball in 50:50 chases for the ball, falling to the floor like a weak chump. Chelsea battering ram Didier Drogba will always out muscle Newcastle finisher Michael Owen, for example. During play you can see this all of the time, with players crashing into each other, knocking each other over and using their strength to gain advantage at any time. It's like football ought to be - full blooded commitment and strong, fair challenges.